Board hears attrition of administrative law judges; agency says hires are paused as workload falls

Agency leaders told the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board that recent retirements and leave-with-intent-to-retire have reduced the administrative law judge (ALJ) workforce and that hiring is being managed to match current workload. Bobby Silva, the agency’s chief administrative services officer, told the board that recent attrition totaled nine ALJs, amounting to about a 7 percent reduction of the ALJ workforce. “This recent total attrition of 9 judges represents a reduction of about 7% of our total ALJ workforce,” Silva said. Judge Koutre said five judges have officially retired since the start of the year and another handful are using leave in advance of retirement; by his count an additional five may retire before year-end. He said the agency can use retired annuities or hire more ALJs if caseloads rise suddenly, and that training infrastructure and budget capacity exist to expand staffing if needed. Why it matters: ALJ staffing affects the agency’s ability to schedule hearings, issue timely decisions and absorb any surge in appeals that could follow an economic downturn. Board members asked about whether the agency would actively backfill positions. Silva said the current attrition is aligned with the drop in backlog and “the replacement at this time has been paused” because workload forecasts do not require immediate backfilling. Members also pressed staff on geographic concentration of retirements — Silva said five of the nine recent departures happened to be in a single office but that CAMS-enabled workload movement reduces site-specific risk. Staff described contingency options if appeals increase, including retired annuitants and accelerated hiring. No formal personnel actions or budget changes were approved at the meeting. Members asked the agency to report back if workload or budget conditions change so the board can consider hiring or other steps at a future meeting.