MINUTES
FOR THE REGULAR MEETING
CALIFORNIA UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE APPEALS BOARD
Docket No. 5727
Open Session
The Appeals Board meeting convened at 11:00 a.m., July 15, 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 June 17, 2026, Meeting Minutes, with Board member Eng recusing himself due to technical interruptions in his remote appearance during that meeting.
3. Chair's Report:
Since the last meeting, the Board resolved approximately 1,057 second-level appeals, all of which were processed through CAMS. Chair Allen thanked the Board and the members of the CUIAB organization for their work and dedication.
4. Board Member Reports:
Vice-Chair Kent-Monning and Member Eng thanked Supervising Judge Bach and the AO ALJs for conducting the training sessions on tax petitions.
5. Public Comment:
ALJ Carol Kim commented on working conditions and telework.
ALJ Elena Rivkin commented on working conditions and telework.
ALJ Laily Maleki commented on working conditions and telework.
6. Chief ALJ/Executive Director, Michael Cutri Report:
In June, the average daily appeals intake continued the past ten-month trend of relatively low incoming appeals. The field offices issued 15,101 decisions, closing approximately 22% of first-level appeals within 30 days and 65% within 45 days. The average case age was approximately 31 days.
To normalize statewide wait times, CUIAB transferred 2,100 cases between field offices through CAMS.
There were no security or threat incidents during the past month.
Chair Allen acknowledged the public comments regarding working conditions and indicated that the issues would be reviewed.
Member Eng inquired about cases in the legacy system for the Board. Chief Cutri confirmed that the Board will no longer be assigned cases from the legacy system.
Member Wieckowski asked about monthly fluctuations in the number of cases closed and transferred between offices. Chief Cutri explained that the fluctuations are attributable to a variety of factors, including ALJ attrition and employee leaves in various offices.
7. Supervising ALJ for Appellate Operations, Rebecca Bach Report:
In June, 77.5% of second-level appeals were resolved within 45 days and 96.1% within 75 days. The average case age was 21.9 days, significantly ahead of the national average.
Supervising Judge Bach congratulated Legal Support Supervisor Mary Werner on her recent retirement.
Chair Allen thanked SJ Bach for providing training materials for tax petitions.
Vice-Chair Kent-Monning congratulated Mary Werner on her retirement.
Member Eng expressed his appreciation for the tax training.
Member Roth congratulated AO on its performance in meeting DOL timeliness standards.
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 that the work is progressing. IT continues to work on CAMS enhancements and modernizing technology platforms.
Chair Allen thanked IT for their ongoing work.
Vice-Chair Kent-Monning and Member Eng thanked the IT team for their progress transitioning tax petitions to CAMS and implementing ongoing enhancements.
9. Chief of Administrative Services, Robert Silva Report:
In May, CUIAB conducted its biannual bilingual audit. Three of the 41 employees who participated in the audit did not meet the bilingual-use thresholds for receiving bilingual pay. One of these employees chose to discontinue receiving bilingual pay due to limited use. The two remaining employees will submit monthly reports until CUIAB can determine that they are eligible to receive bilingual pay.
Chief Silva reported that under the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act, CUIAB is required to conduct a biennial public contact language survey. CUIAB will conduct this survey from July 27-August 7 and will report its results to the Board when they are available.
CalHR has begun holding language access roundtables for state departments. The next roundtable will be held on September 2, 2026.
Chief Silva reported that he intends to present the proposed budget for state fiscal year 2026-2027 at the August Board meeting.
Chair Allen commented on the importance of collaboration within CUIAB in developing the budget. Chair Allen also thanked Chief Silva for ensuring that CUIAB employees have a healthy and safe working environment.
Vice-Chair Kent-Monning asked how soon the two employees who did not meet the 10% bilingual-use threshold could resume receiving bilingual pay after meeting the threshold. Chief Silva advised that they would be eligible to resume receiving bilingual pay in the month after meeting the threshold.
Member Eng asked whether CUIAB had experienced a lapse in its ability to provide bilingual services. Chief Silva stated that CUIAB has both bilingual employees and a contracted interpreter service to ensure that there is no lapse in language access. Member Eng also asked about the languages required on CUIAB’s forms. Chief Silva advised that Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese are required for CUIAB’s vital documents. Member Eng asked whether the format of the language survey had substantively changed from 2024 to 2026. Chief Silva indicated that it had not. Lastly, Member Eng inquired about the methods available to address matters raised during public comment concerning office working conditions, including the availability of water. Chief Silva explained that certain types of concerns are addressed through the property managers of the leased facilities. Other matters, such as ergonomic evaluations and equipment requests, are addressed as soon as possible. Chief Silva stated that he will confirm the availability of drinking water at the facilities identified.
Member Roth inquired about the threshold for receiving the bilingual-pay differential. Chief Silva explained the applicable requirements.
Closed Session:
There was no closed session.
Adjournment