LNI highlights caseload pressure and system modernization as priorities to reduce long-term disability

Kirsten Glenn presented the department's operational health dashboard, showing a persistent rise in claim durations and long-term disability since the pandemic and identifying several contributing factors. She said caseloads for level 2 and level 3 claim managers have been higher than industry norms and that older technology complicates adjudication and delays decisions. "We are committed to moving forward with our system modernization," she said, and emphasized the plan to reduce individual caseloads as a near-term operational lever.

Committee members suggested overlaying major statutory changes on historical charts to help interpret trends; staff cautioned that overlays can imply causation and said actuaries did not find a single cause for the recent increase. Specific dashboard metrics discussed included: percent of new state-fund claims that are immediately time-loss, stay-at-work application processing (target <30 days; current ~68 days), and legal-services vocational dispute resolution (target <26 days; current ~39 days). Presenters described targeted actions: a new intake pilot for stay-at-work applications, cross-training and supervisory support in legal services, recruiting to fill vacancies, and continuing technology procurement discussions with the governor's office and vendor partners.

Why it matters: prolonged claim durations and higher long-term disability increase costs for the fund and reduce worker outcomes. The department said it is seeking budget support to add claims units and will pursue technology modernization to improve adjudication speed and accuracy.