CSD Accomplishments
- Goal #1: Provide timely, impartial administrative hearings for Montana’s citizens.
- Maintain a current hearing docket for all cases appealed to the Hearings Bureau. This typically requires completion of 1,200 Unemployment insurance (UI) appeals and 200 other appeals annually.
- The Hearings Bureau is maintaining a current docket for all cases. In FY 2006, the bureau docketed more than 390 non-UI appeals.
- Complete 80% of UI hearings and decisions within 30 days of appeal and 90% within 45 days. Meet all other UI quality standards.
- In FY 2006 the Hearings Bureau completed 88% of UI hearings and decisions within 30 days and 97% within 45 days. All other UI quality standards were met in FY 2006.
- Complete 75% of non-UI decisions within 45 days of submission and 100% within 75 days of submission.
- Preliminary reports indicate that in FY 2006 the Hearings Bureau completed 58% of non-UI decisions within 45 days of submission and 80% within 75 days.* These numbers are the result of a doubling of the non-UI caseload and of a substantial vacancy period for one of the three administrative law judge positions.
- Maintain a high quality of hearing processes and well written, legally correct decisions.
- The Hearings Bureau continues to maintain and a high standard for its hearings. Reviewing courts frequently find the bureau’s decisions to be well written and legally correct.
- Maintain a current hearing docket for all cases appealed to the Hearings Bureau. This typically requires completion of 1,200 Unemployment insurance (UI) appeals and 200 other appeals annually.
- Goal #2: Streamline Bureau operations for ease of user navigation/search.
- Continually develop and enhance automated systems to include: improvements to the case tracking system and other utilization of technology
- In FY 2006, the Hearings Bureau developed further enhancements to the CAT (case tracking) database to assist users with ease of navigation. The Bureau also introduced the use of digital recording for its hearings in order to provide better quality recordings, reduce media storage costs and reduce duplicating time.
- Continually develop and enhance automated systems to include: improvements to the case tracking system and other utilization of technology
* A group of 39 cases that went to district court before the agency issued its final decision in those cases is not included in the reporting data due to its circumstances and its distortionary affect on the summary data. Some individual cases that also went to district court before the administrative decision was rendered are included because their impact on the data was less substantial.
Centralized Services Division Website: http://dli.mt.gov/csd/csd.asp
