Unemployment appeals board reports falling backlog, readies for disaster unemployment claims

The California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board reported measurable progress on appeals processing and described preparations for a possible surge in Disaster Unemployment Assistance claims after recent wildfires.

Board Chair Michael Allen said the board and staff had resolved large numbers of cases since launching the new Case Appeals Management System, or CAMS. "We could not do our work here at the board level without you," he said, thanking clerical, management and IT staff for their work.

Executive Director Judge Michael Koutre told the board that after a December uptick the agency's average daily incoming appeals rate dropped back into single digits in January and that decision issuance increased by more than 2,000 cases as the agency reduced its backlog. Koutre said the board had moved more than 800 cases into CAMS for hearings and that the system helped equalize wait times across offices.

Rebecca Bach, supervising administrative law judge for appellate operations, reported the board met several U.S. Department of Labor performance guidelines for the Department of Labor year (April 1–March 31). For January the board closed 35.5% of second-level appeals within 45 days and 91.2% within 75 days; the board's second-level case aging averaged 39.7 days, meeting the Department of Labor recommendation of 40 days or less.

Koutre and Bach also discussed two impending operational issues. First, the U.S. Department of Labor has proposed emphasizing three existing due-process criteria in its evaluations: (1) a party's ability to question witnesses, (2) the collection of reasonably available evidence, and (3) whether decision facts are supported by sufficient evidence. Judge Koutre said the department had asked California to consult on the proposed weighting changes; he said there is no implementation timetable yet.

Second, the board is preparing for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) tied to the January wildfires near Altadena and surrounding areas. Koutre and Chief Administrative Services Officer Robert Silva said the state requested just under $1,000,000 to support DUA payments and that the board's budget has been augmented to cover appeals related to that program. Koutre said EDD and federal partners were serving hundreds of families daily at a nearby FEMA disaster recovery center and that the board would coordinate closely with EDD to monitor any surge in appeals.

Board members raised operational questions and site-specific concerns. Member Ring noted that the Pasadena field office briefly closed after the wildfires and said air-quality mitigation allowed normal operations to resume; Judge Koutre confirmed the office has returned to full service. Member Wykowski and others welcomed planned tutorials on the DOL due-process changes once they are formalized.

Board members and staff also discussed practical steps to reduce missed hearings as CAMS usage expands. Mark Smith, who leads the board's information-technology effort, said many missed hearings stem from parties not reading hearing notices and that outreach-language and notice wording are being adjusted. Smith noted CAMS hearings are phone-based and do not require a computer; hearing notices provide the numeric dial-in information.

The board approved the minutes from its prior meeting by voice vote; there were three recorded ayes and one abstention from Member Richard Roth.

The board closed the open session with no items sent to closed session.