Cases Stuck in Queue: Troubleshooting

Cases (clinical reviews, appeals, grievances) are assigned to work queues and routed to users via auto-assignment rules. When a case enters a queue but never reaches a user, it is stuck. This guide covers six diagnostic steps in order of likelihood.

Step 1: Confirm the Case Is Actually Stuck

Not every case sitting in a queue is stuck. Low-priority cases wait behind higher-priority work. Some queues have intentional hold periods.

1. Go to Care Management > Queue Monitor.

   The Queue Monitor displays all cases currently in queue with priority rank and time-in-queue.

2. Locate the case by ID or member name. Check Priority and Time in Queue.

   Healthy: time-in-queue is within SLA and case has a priority rank behind other active work. Problem: time exceeds SLA (shown in red) or no priority rank assigned.

3. Check the Status column. Confirm the case is not in Pending Outreach or Scheduled Hold.

   These statuses are intentional pauses. The case re-enters active routing when the hold expires.

If the case exceeds SLA and is in Ready status with no hold, it is stuck. Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Check Auto-Assignment Rules

Missing or misconfigured assignment rules are the most common cause.

1. Go to Admin > Queue Configuration > Assignment Rules.

   All rules display grouped by queue.

2. Find the queue. Expand its rule set and verify:
   • At least one rule is Active
   • Rule criteria (line of business, case type, category) match the stuck case
   • Assign To points to a valid user group with active members

   Healthy: rules match the case and the target group has users. Problem: no matching rule, or target group is empty/disabled.

3. If missing, create or update the rule. Case routes on the next cycle (within 5 minutes).

Step 3: Verify the Routing Job Is Running

The Queue Router is a background job that evaluates assignment rules every 5 minutes. If it stops, nothing routes from any queue.

1. Go to Admin > System > Background Jobs.
2. Locate QueueRouter. Check Last Run and Status.

   Healthy: Last Run within 5 minutes, Status is Completed. Problem: Last Run stale (15+ minutes), Status is Failed or Hung, or job missing entirely.

3. If failed, select it and click Restart. Monitor for two cycles to confirm.

If multiple cases across different queues all got stuck at the same time, this is almost certainly the cause.

Step 4: Check Queue Capacity

Rules can be correct and the job running, but cases still won't route if there's nowhere to send them.

1. Go to Admin > Queue Configuration. Select the queue. Check Max Cases Per User.

   If all eligible users are at this cap, the router skips the queue until a slot opens.

2. Go to Admin > Users > Availability. Filter by the assigned user group.

   Healthy: at least one user is Available with case count below max. Problem: all users Unavailable, Out of Office, or at max.

3. Options if at capacity:
   • Increase Max Cases Per User temporarily
   • Add users to the group
   • Manually assign via Queue Monitor > Reassign

Step 5: Check Workflow Engine and Rule Evaluation Logs

If Steps 2 through 4 look correct, the workflow engine itself may be the problem. The router evaluates rules through the engine, and evaluation errors silently skip the case.

1. Go to Admin > System > Workflow Engine. Verify status shows Running.

   If Degraded or Stopped, the engine needs a restart by platform admin.

2. Go to Admin > System > Logs > Rule Evaluation. Filter by the stuck case ID.

   Healthy: log shows evaluation with outcome Assigned or Queued. Problem: Evaluation Error, No Match, or no entry at all.

3. If Evaluation Error, expand the entry. Common causes:
   • Rule references a deleted or renamed custom field
   • Circular dependency between rules
   • Case data missing a required field the rule expects

   Fix the rule or case data, then trigger re-evaluation from Queue Monitor > Actions > Re-evaluate.

Step 6: Escalation

If none of the above resolves it, escalate to platform support with the following:

Include	Details
Case ID(s)	Affected case IDs
Queue	Where cases are stuck
Environment	Production, Staging, or UAT
Steps completed	What you checked and what you found
Timeline	When it started, how many cases affected
Business impact	SLA risk, member volume, regulatory deadlines

Submit via Support > New Request > Platform Issue. For SLA-critical cases needing immediate movement, request manual reassignment in the same ticket.