Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals

Key discussions during the meeting included management updates regarding fiscal notes, the start date for Wendi Gunther, and the deployment of laptops to administrative staff. Updates were also provided concerning a hearing run change, kudos for communication during that change, and the transition away from the BAMS project manager. The Chief Legal Officer reported on fiscal notes and a recent RFP. A public comment was made regarding the appointment of counsel and potential rulemaking considerations. The meeting concluded with welcoming two new Industrial Appeals Judges (IAJ4s).

Key discussions included clarifying an agenda item to focus on Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) interviews and results, and adding CAO Salary discussions. Approved actions included filling an additional scheduler position and allowing scheduler positions to be filled following internal promotions or lateral transfers. A discussion took place regarding recording the Board Continuing Legal Education (CLE), which was deferred to a future meeting. Candidate selection for the CAO position was made, pending final approval from the Governor's office. Management updates covered LA2 recruitment, bargaining demands, a run change, retirements, PFR assignments, and BAMS training schedules. Public comments addressed position filling, BAMS slowness, support for recording the CLE, concerns from judges regarding DocuSign and templates prioritization, and questions about laptop deployment and resource constraints in New Appeals regarding automation requests. The board unanimously approved the CAO salary range during the Executive Session.

The meeting convened briefly with an Executive Session held for the purpose of conducting interviews for the Chief Administrative Officer position. No formal actions were taken during the Executive Session. Following the Executive Session, there was no public comment, and the meeting was adjourned.

Key discussions included approval for sending representatives to the IAIABC Forum in South Carolina and the September convention. A hiring exception was approved to backfill two positions upon retirement or resignation. Management updates covered a hearing run change scheduled for February, progress on resolving a memory issue with laptops via a Windows patch, status of recruitments (LA2 and LA3), finalization of Chief Administrative Officer interview questions, and updates on fiscal notes and legislative bills. A guest commented on scheduler stress regarding the upcoming run change and confirmed their planned retirement.

Key discussion items included the approval of a hiring exception request to backfill a retiring position, confirmation of a twice-a-month schedule preference based on a staff poll, and setting December 11, 2026, for the All Staff Meeting, with recognition to be discussed later. The 2026 Operational Plan was approved. Management provided updates on CAO interviews, the employee survey, legal matters including rulemaking, and staffing changes scheduled for February 2. Public comments addressed concerns regarding the synchronization of hearing run changes, scheduling unit morale, and clarity on documenting survey results and Hanford case data for the Board. A special meeting was scheduled for January 22, solely for executive session interviews for the Chief Administrator Officer position. New Industrial Appeals Judges were welcomed.