Industrial Commission requests IRIS maintenance contract, staff and vehicle replacements as caseloads rise

The Joint Finance Preparation Committee on Jan. 23 heard the Industrial Commission present its fiscal 2026 budget requests and explain continuing costs tied to the IRIS case‑management modernization project, staff needs to reduce backlogs and rising caseloads, and replacement vehicles for field staff.

The commission’s director, George Gutierrez, told the committee the IRIS project automated paper‑dependent processes and increased the volume and sources of data the agency must process, which in turn increased workloads for several divisions. “We are now identifying nearly 60% more cases,” Gutierrez said, describing a higher compliance workload in employer investigations that is producing more matters that require legal or adjudicative attention.

That increase underpins a package of enhancement requests submitted by the Industrial Commission. The agency sought ten enhancements for fiscal 2026, totaling $298,200 in ongoing requests and $554,200 in one‑time requests (all from the Industrial Administration Fund) and proposed to use vacant full‑time positions (12 vacancies as of August) rather than adding new FTPs. Major items described in testimony and budget materials include:

- A $288,000 one‑time request for contracted IRIS maintenance support to provide technical support until the Office of Information Technology Services can take over those duties; analysts and the director said OITS is not yet able to provide that support.

- An ongoing senior financial technician (about $66,500) to reduce the crime victims compensation program’s payment turnaround; the program previously carried roughly 800…