MINUTES
FOR THE REGULAR MEETING
CALIFORNIA UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE APPEALS BOARD
Docket No. 5723
Open Session
The Appeals Board meeting convened at 11:00 a.m., March 11, 2026, with Chair Michael Allen presiding.
1. Roll Call: Members Present Absent
Michael Allen, Chair x
Laura Kent-Monning, Vice-Chair x
Mike Eng x
Bob Wieckowski x
Richard Roth x
2. Approval of Minutes:
The Board approved the February 18, 2026, Meeting Minutes.
3. Chair's Report:
Since the last meeting, the Board resolved approximately 820 second-level appeals, all of which were processed through CAMS. Chair Allen expressed his appreciation for all levels of the organization. Chair Allen also thanked the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and shared his hopes for peaceful and quick resolutions to current global conflicts.
4. Board Member Reports:
Vice-Chair Kent-Monning reported on her recent visit to the Bay Area Office of Appeals and thanked the office for the invitation.
5. Public Comment:
There was no public comment.
6. Chief ALJ/Executive Director, Michael Cutri Report:
In February, the average daily appeals intake remained consistent with levels over the past two years. The field offices issued nearly 14,778 decisions, closing 45.6% of first-level appeals within 30 days, and 85.4% within 45 days. The average case age was 29.4 days.
Since the last Board meeting, CUIAB moved over 1,400 cases between field offices through CAMS to normalize wait times.
There were no security incidents.
Chief Cutri congratulated ALJ Carol Bosch of the Bay Area Office of Appeals on her recent appointment to the Superior Court, County of Contra Costa. She is the fifth CUIAB ALJ appointed to the superior court since 2020.
Vice-Chair Kent-Monning congratulated ALJ Bosch on her appointment.
Member Wieckowski inquired about the rates of changing field office case assignments in CAMS. Chief Cutri advised that CUIAB is working with EDD to realign zip codes associated with each field office, which will likely reduce the numbers of cases reassigned in CAMS.
Member Roth asked about CUIAB’s anticipated performance with case aging metrics. Chief Cutri anticipates that CUIAB will continue to meet 45-day standards and will reach compliance with 30-day standards by summer.
7. Supervising ALJ for Appellate Operations, Rebecca Bach Report:
In February, 59.5% of second-level appeals were resolved within 45 days and 69.5% within 75 days. The average case age was 39.3 days, significantly ahead of the national average.
SJ Bach congratulated ALJ Bosch on her appointment to the Superior Court.
Chair Allen inquired about the status of tax cases. SJ Bach advised that field offices are moving forward with the transition of tax cases into CAMS and second-level appeals is anticipated in the second quarter.
Vice-Chair Kent-Monning thanked SJ Bach for her work and guidance with complex cases.
Member Wieckowski asked about the implications of meeting the DOL timeliness targets and whether there would be formal recognition of this. Chief Cutri advised that DOL would not issue a formal commendation, but that DOL is aware of CUIAB’s progress.
Member Roth inquired about the handing of tax cases once integrated into CAMS. Chief Cutri explained that approximately 12,000 cases will be available to be distributed throughout the field offices.
Member Wieckowski noted the comparatively small percentage of tax cases that are appealed to the second level. Chief Cutri reported that many of the tax cases settle at the first level and therefore do not reach the Board for second level review.
8. Chief Information Officer, John Caampued Report:
Chief Information Officer Caampued reported that migrating the Office of Tax Petitions to CAMS remains IT’s top priority and remains on track to be completed in the second quarter of 2026. IT continues to work on CAMS enhancements and modernizing technology platforms.
Vice-Chair Kent-Monning asked about the migration of physical tax files. CIO Caampued and Chief Cutri explained that while most tax materials are already scanned, they still require migration to the CAMS platform.
Member Wieckowski asked about the goal for retiring the legacy system. Chief Cutri confirmed that CUIAB intends to completely retire the legacy system by the end of the second quarter.
9. Chief of Administrative Services, Robert Silva Report:
Chief Silva reported on a targeted recruitment for the Los Angeles record control unit which closed on March 2. All cost centers have submitted budget requests for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Furniture and equipment approvals are being processed ahead of the April 22 purchasing deadline.
Administrative Services received the personnel and operating expenses budget call letters for state fiscal year 2026-2027 from all field offices. The budget requests from each program within CUIAB will be consolidated and reviewed.
Chief Silva reported that CUIAB is currently engaged with EDD’s Programs Estimate Unit to project the Unemployment and Disability Appeals workload for the State Fiscal Year 2026-2027.
Vice-Chair Kent-Monning asked about capacity to handle sudden workload increases. Chief Silva advised that CUIAB can utilize overtime and workload movement to address sudden surges.
Member Roth asked if the budget allows for unexpected contingencies. Chief Silva clarified that CUIAB’s resource justification model is based on three-year workload averages.
Closed Session:
There was no closed session.
Adjournment