Industrial Commission asks for IRIS maintenance, new staff and four SUVs in 2026 budget request

The Idaho Industrial Commission told the Joint Finance Preparation Committee on Jan. 23 that its FY2026 budget request centers on maintaining the IRIS case-management system, filling vacant positions, and replacing high-mileage field vehicles.

Noah Peterson, budget and policy analyst for the Legislative Services Office, told the committee the Industrial Commission has 130.25 full-time positions authorized and 12 vacancies as of August, and that the agency is a dedicated-fund agency with no general-fund appropriation. Peterson said the agency reverted $4,555,000 in the prior year, noting in particular that trustee-and-benefit payments were a primary driver of the reversion.

The agency’s IRIS project — a multi-year effort to digitize previously paper-dependent processes — accounted for a large share of one-time appropriations. Peterson said between fiscal years 2021 and 2025 the commission received $12,874,000 in one-time appropriations for IRIS and that the FY2026 request includes a $288,000 one-time maintenance contract to provide longer-term technical support because the state Office of Information Technology Services has not been able to assume that work.

Why it matters: The commission administers workers’ compensation adjudication, rehabilitation and a crime victims compensation program. Delays in processing payments to victims and in adjudicating cases can affect injured workers, claimants and employers.

Director George…