Industrial Commission seeks staff, IRIS support and vehicle replacements as caseloads and data volumes grow

The Industrial Commission asked the Joint Finance Preparation Committee on Jan. 23 for ongoing and one‑time budget increases to fund positions, information‑technology maintenance and vehicle replacements as its caseloads and data sources have grown.

Agency director George Gutierrez told the committee the commission is proposing 10 enhancement requests for fiscal 2026 totaling $852,400 in ongoing and one‑time increases (the agency’s submission lists $298,200 ongoing and $554,200 one‑time), funded from the Industrial Administration Fund rather than the general fund. He said the requests rely in part on 12 existing vacant full‑time positions that the commission plans to fill. "We are now identifying nearly 60% more cases," Gutierrez said, describing how new data sources brought into the IRIS system increased the number of employer noncompliance investigations.

Why it matters: committee members pressed the agency on use of reverted funds and why a modernization project intended to reduce paperwork — the Industrial Records and Information System (IRIS) — has driven additional personnel needs. The exchange focused on where costs are falling (dedicated funds for the commission), service delays that the new positions would address, and the agency’s request for ongoing contractor support while state IT services build capacity.

Key facts and requested changes

- The Industrial Commission has 130.25 authorized FTEs across three programs (compensation, rehabilitation and crime victims compensation) and reported 12 vacancies as of August. The agency said it has expended roughly 64.8% of its budget on personnel in FY2024.

- The agency reverted $4,555,000 in FY2024; the largest driver was trustee and benefit payments ($3,000,000), of which about $2,400,000 came from the crime victims compensation program. The commission said those reverted trustee/benefit dollars are not freely transferable to other program uses without legislative or other formal approval because they are dedicated to statutorily designated purposes.

- IRIS: Between FY2021 and FY2025 the commission received one‑time appropriations totaling $12,874,000 for the IRIS modernization work and later appropriations for enhancements. Gutierrez said initial development is mostly complete but the agency continues to need contracted maintenance because the Office of Information Technology Services (OITS/ITS) cannot yet provide the needed long‑term technical support. The committee was told the maintenance request is a one‑time $288,000 item in the FY2026 request to fund contracted support until ITS assumes responsibility.

- Staffing enhancements include requests to fund a senior financial technician to address a backlog in the Crime Victims Compensation program, a senior financial technician reclassification, a referee (hearing officer), reclassifications for five adjudication associates, a rehabilitation field consultant for the Twin Falls/Burley area and a technical records specialist. The fiscal analyst said the crime victims payment turnaround goal is 30 days; as of the August budget submission 872 payments were outstanding and the estimated turnaround was 12 weeks.

- Referees: the agency said it had five referees before one retired in 2020 and has operated with four since. Average time to issue decisions rose from about 90 days to 110 days since that change. The commission requested funding for a referee position, saying the vacancy increases the time to decision and hearings backlog.

- Vehicles and replacement items: the FY2026 request includes replacement of four high‑mileage SUVs used by field staff (three for rehabilitation, one for compensation), and $104,200 for IT replacement items (monitors, laptops, docking stations). The agency noted vehicle mileage ranging from roughly 82,000 to 98,000 miles and model years roughly 2006–2011 for vehicles proposed for replacement.

Committee discussion and follow up

Legislators asked whether reverted funds could be used to fill positions; the director said most reversion dollars were trustee/benefit payments for statutorily mandated uses (for example, crime victims compensation and the peace officer temporary disability fund) and that reallocating those funds would require special approval. Representative Petzke and others requested the agency provide more detail in writing about IRIS costs, what the contracted maintenance covers and a full breakdown of development and operating costs; Director Gutierrez agreed to provide that detail.

Senator Cook questioned why IRIS increased skill requirements in adjudication and technical positions instead of reducing them; Gutierrez responded that IRIS increased the volume and variety of electronic documentation, shifting preparatory work back to legal associates and increasing the number of employer compliance investigations. He said the change reduced paper handling but increased the need for staff that can determine whether electronically submitted documentation meets statutory requirements before a case goes to hearing.

Representative Mitchell and others asked for a vehicle inventory and the agency agreed to provide a full fleet list; Gutierrez said many field vehicles are long‑lived and some are "not road safe," and that replacements are needed to ensure employee safety in remote work.

No formal committee action was taken; the agency agreed to supply written follow‑up on IRIS expenditures and a vehicle inventory, and lawmakers noted some requests require statutory changes (for example, a placeholder commissioner compensation change noted in the budget).

Ending note

Gutierrez closed by thanking the committee for its past support of the commission’s strategic initiatives and said the FY2026 request aligns with the commission’s performance goals. The commission asked the committee to consider the enhancement requests as the Legislature reviews dedicated‑fund appropriations.