Industrial Commission seeks ongoing staff, IRIS maintenance and vehicle replacements amid rising caseloads

The Industrial Commission told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Jan. 23 that it needs a mix of ongoing and one‑time funding to sustain a recently completed information modernization project and to reduce backlogs and delays across its programs.

Noah Peterson, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, summarized the agency's three programs — compensation, rehabilitation and crime victims compensation — and the commission's FY2026 request, including 10 enhancement requests totaling $852,400 ($298,200 ongoing and $554,200 one time). "The target turnaround time for the fiscal department to process a request for payment from the crime victims compensation program ... is 30 days," Peterson said, noting that at the time of the August budget submission there were 872 outstanding payments and an estimated 12‑week turnaround.

Why it matters: The Industrial Commission oversees workers' compensation adjudication, rehabilitation services and a crime victims compensation program that pays claimants up to statutory maximums. Committee members pressed the agency on whether reverted funds from FY2024 could be applied to fill vacant positions and on the ongoing costs of IRIS, the commission's records modernization project.

Key facts and requests - Agency staffing and vacancies: The commission has 130.25 FTP authorized, with 70.5 FTP in the compensation program, 47.25 in rehabilitation and 12.5 in crime victims compensation; as of August the agency…