Industrial Commission asks for staff and IRIS support as vacancies and reverted funds loom

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Jan. 23 reviewed the Industrial Commission’s budget request, including a series of staffing enhancements and ongoing contract support for IRIS, the agency’s records modernization project.

Noah Peterson, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the committee the commission has 130.25 full-time positions budgeted — 70.5 in the compensation program, 47.25 in rehabilitation and 12.5 in the crime victims compensation program — and that “as of August of this year, they had 12 vacant positions.”

The budget analyst said the agency reverted $4,555,000 last fiscal year. “The main driver of this was trustee and benefit payments, and that came in at $3,000,000,” Peterson said. He added that $2,400,000 of the trustee-and-benefits reversion came from the crime victims compensation program.

Why it matters: committee members pressed the agency on whether reverted funds could be repurposed to fill persistent vacancies. Director George Gutierrez told lawmakers the bulk of the reversion represented trustee and benefit payments earmarked for statutory programs and said the commission lacks unilateral authority to redirect those expenditures. “If there’s a path to switch that money from trustee and benefits to other areas of the commission, we don’t have the authority to do that on our own,” Gutierrez said.

Most important details first: IRIS and maintenance request

Between fiscal years 2021 and 2025 the Industrial Commission received about $12,874,000 in one-time appropriations for IRIS to automate previously paper-dependent processes, Peterson said. The commission’s fiscal 2026 request includes a $288,000 one-time contract request described as long-term technical support for IRIS; agency staff told the committee the Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) is not yet able to provide that support and contracted work is needed in the interim.

“This is essentially to support the IRIS contract ongoing,” Peterson said. Director Gutierrez explained the ongoing maintenance money is required until OITS can fully support the system. He said much of the prior appropriations paid for development phases and that the maintenance request is separate from development spending.

Staffing and workloads

The commission requested ten enhancement items for fiscal 2026, totaling $298,200 ongoing and $554,200 one time, funded from the Industrial Administration Fund. Agency presenters said most enhancements would be filled using existing vacant FTPs. Key personnel requests described to the committee included:

- A senior financial technician for the fiscal department ($66,500 ongoing). Gutierrez said the crime victims compensation program had a backlog of roughly 800 outstanding payments last August and the requested position would protect timely payments to crime victims and providers. Peterson described the program’s target payment turnaround as 30 days and said the estimated turnaround at the time of the budget submission was 12 weeks.

- A rehabilitation field consultant for Twin Falls/Burley to address a caseload about 35% above the five‑year average for that region ($32,300 ongoing).

- A referee (hearing officer) position to adjudicate workers’ compensation and crime victims’ appeals ($111,600 ongoing). Gutierrez said the commission had five referees before a retirement in 2020, and since that retirement the average time to issue decisions increased from about 90 days to roughly 110 days.

- Reclassification of five adjudication associates (total $25,500 ongoing) and a technical records specialist ($62,300 ongoing) to handle increased case volume and prepare matters for outside counsel.

Funds, reversions and constraints

Peterson and Gutierrez described a pattern of reversions in recent years: personnel reversions of $644,000, $835,000 in operating reversions and $3,000,000 in trustee and benefit payments in the most recent year. The director said those trustee-and-benefit monies are largely statutorily designated (for example, crime victim compensation and the peace officer temporary disability fund) and that reallocating them would require legislative or other approval.

Vehicles and replacement items

The commission requested replacement vehicles and IT equipment. Peterson said the agency is asking to replace four small SUVs used by field staff; mileage on the fleet ranges from roughly 82,000 to 98,000 miles and model years from 2006 to 2011. Gutierrez told the committee the older vehicles have recurring mechanical problems and that the vehicles support rehabilitation consultants and employer compliance investigators working in remote areas.

Budget recommendations

The governor’s recommendation included a 5% compensation increase (CEC) for commissioners and did not recommend the commission’s contingency fund request for IRIS. Peterson said the governor’s column shown to the committee reflects those differences.

What’s next

Committee members asked for additional detail, especially on the scope and line‑item breakdown of IRIS development and maintenance spending across multiple years. Representative Tanner requested a written breakdown of IRIS costs and functionality. The agency agreed to provide more-detailed follow-up information to the committee.

Ending note

Agency leadership closed by asking the committee to support the 2026 budget, saying the enhancements align with the commission’s strategic plan and performance measures. Gutierrez asked members to consider the staffing requests as measures to improve timeliness for injured workers and crime victims.