Appeals board says July case closings cut average case age near federal guideline

The California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board reported Wednesday that it closed more than 998 cases in July and has driven average case age down to about 31 days, approaching the U.S. Department of Labor guideline of 30 days for timeliness. Chair Michael Allen and the agency’s executive staff presented the monthly performance numbers during the board’s open meeting in Sacramento. The improvement matters because Department of Labor timeliness metrics are used to evaluate state appeals systems and affect how quickly claimants receive decisions. Vice Chair Laura Kent Monning and executive staff members emphasized the operational significance of the changes and credited field-office work. Board Chair Michael Allen said the board is making “great progress toward reducing our case loads” and expressed appreciation for staff across judges, management and support roles. Executive Director and Chief Judge Judge Koutre said field offices issued almost 23,000 decisions in July and that the overall inventory grew slightly because July typically has higher staff leave; he added the average case age fell from 38 days to about 31 days. Judge Koutre said the board’s target remains the Department of Labor guideline; “we have not accomplished that 30 day task since September 2020,” he said, and added the agency hopes to reach the guideline in September 2025 if current trends continue. The board also reported changes in shorter-term timeliness measures used internally: the share of appeals closed within the 30-day target rose from about 12% to 24% in one month, and the 45-day measure rose from 55% to 69%, according to the judge’s presentation. Supervising Administrative Law Judge Bach reported that, on the appellate side, the board’s year-to-date rate for closing 50% of cases within 45 days stood at 47.7% and that 95.8% of appellate cases closed within 75 days in the most recent reporting period. Discussion at the meeting was reporting and review of operational performance; no board action or policy change was taken during the open session on timeliness. Board members asked questions about sustaining production and whether the current pace would require ongoing heightened effort; Judge Koutre responded that managers will continue to tweak production levels and staffing as workload changes. The board said it will report back next month with updated figures and additional detail on the path toward full compliance with Department of Labor guidelines.