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Lawmakers press Department of Industrial Relations on backlogs and ask for IT and CalOSHA modernization
Summary
The Department of Industrial Relations requested funding for multiple IT modernization efforts and a new emerging technologies unit; lawmakers pressed the department about vacancy rates, long wage-claim wait times, collection of fines, and how modernization will translate into measurable outcomes.
The Department of Industrial Relations outlined a multi‑part May Revision that includes $44.1 million for EAMS (workers' compensation electronic adjudication modernization), $28.4 million for CalOSHA data modernization, $1.8 million and five positions for a CalOSHA emerging technologies unit focused on AI and automation risks, reclassification of eight legal-unit positions and other technical and programmatic changes.
DIR chief fiscal officer Josh Iverson described EAMS as the backbone of workers' compensation adjudication and said the modernization would support 250,000 dispute hearings annually and house documents that must be retained under state law. "This funding continues the active modernization effort already underway," he said.
Several Assembly members, led by Assemblymember Liz Ortega, sharply questioned DIR about performance. Ortega cited a reported 31% vacancy rate, a backlog of 47,000 wage-theft claims, an average wait time of roughly 854 days for wage-theft claim resolution, and low collection rates for CalOSHA fines. "If you're asking for additional resources and additional departments, I suggest you start doing your jobs with the ones we have now because this is a failure in your leadership," Ortega said, pressing the department on concrete outcomes.
DIR and the LAO said the problems are multi-causal and that modernization and hiring alone may not fully resolve delays; workload studies and classification reviews are ongoing with CalHR and the State Personnel Board. The department said earlier BCPs included performance goals for some enforcement units, and that new IT investments are intended to yield efficiencies such as enabling office and field staff to access files remotely and reduce administrative friction.
The LAO suggested the committee and administration work together to diagnose drivers of the long wait times before committing substantial new funding targeted at outcomes.
Ending: The subcommittee held DIR items open and asked the department to provide additional outcome metrics, vacancy data, and clearer links between proposed investments and expected changes in case-processing times and collections.
