CUIAB reports faster decisions, CAMS migration and readies for possible rise in disaster unemployment appeals

The California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board said it reduced its backlog and improved decision timelines as its new case management system (CAMS) is used more widely, and board officials told members they are monitoring a likely rise in Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) appeals following recent wildfires.

Executive Director Michael Koutre told the board that after a brief rise in appeals in December, the agency’s average daily appeal rate returned to “single digits” in January and that decision issuance rose by over 2,000 cases that month. He said CAMS has allowed staff to move more than 800 cases for hearings in the last month and to reassign hearings across offices to shorten wait times.

The progress matters because the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) monitors states’ timeliness and due-process practices for unemployment insurance appeals. Koutre said DOL officials visited and “were very impressed” with the agency’s demonstration of CAMS and its ability to move work among offices in a large state. He also said DOL is consulting the agency on proposed changes that will give greater weight to three existing due‑process criteria when federal reviewers evaluate individual hearings.

Supervising Administrative Law Judge Rebecca Bach reported performance numbers tied to the DOL reporting year (April 1–March 31). For January, she said the board closed 35.5 percent of second-level appeals within 45 days and 91.2 percent within 75 days; the DOL-year total she gave was 69.3 percent within 45 days. She also reported a second-level case aging of 39.7 days, citing that the DOL guideline is 40 days or less.

Mark Smith, who oversees information technology, said work continues to migrate legacy cases from eCATS into CAMS so second-level appeals can be handled uniformly in the newer system. Smith described a small remaining class of legacy cases that currently require actions in eCATS and said migration will reduce the number of older software licenses the agency must maintain.

Board members and staff also discussed hearing access. Smith and others said missed hearings remain a concern because some parties do not read their hearing notices closely. Smith noted the hearings are reachable by telephone and that the notices include numeric access codes; the agency is experimenting with clearer wording on notices and website instructions to reduce missed hearings.

Koutre and staff said they are coordinating with the Employment Development Department and with federal partners to monitor DUA claims; Koutre said EDD is forecasting “a significantly higher amount of DUA claims” after recent wildfires and that CUIAB will track appeals as they arrive so staffing and scheduling can be adjusted.

The board received no formal action items tied to these operational updates at the meeting; the board asked staff to return with formal recommendations if incoming DUA appeals change staffing needs or require new procedures.

Board Chair Michael Allen also used the report to thank agency staff for the work to move cases: “you are so appreciated,” he said, noting the interlocking efforts of clerical, IT and management staff to keep appellate work moving.

Looking ahead, officials said they will provide the board additional details on the DOL due‑process scoring changes once federal guidance is finalized.