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Post by roadrunner on Aug 24, 2009 10:15:56 GMT -5
To those who might consider the idea of an appeal of their ALJ rating, be forewarned. I appealed my below-40 rating from the 2008 ALJ examination. Today, I received an e-mail from OPM stating that the ALJ Appeals Panel had decided that my Accomplishment Record (AR) score was no longer among the highest group of eligibles, that my status on the ALJ exam changed from eligible to ineligible, and that my name was removed from the ALJ register.
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tab58
Full Member
Posts: 63
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Post by tab58 on Aug 24, 2009 10:48:54 GMT -5
OUCH!!!
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Post by hope on Aug 24, 2009 13:19:51 GMT -5
Wow--that's pretty harsh! Sorry that you were taken off the list.
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Post by carjack on Aug 24, 2009 15:26:20 GMT -5
that's more like ugly harsh.
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Post by tricia on Aug 24, 2009 17:02:04 GMT -5
Roadrunner, I just can't believe this. No, I do believe it. I've been reading this board for almost two years.
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Post by nonamouse on Aug 25, 2009 0:20:04 GMT -5
Oh my! Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse! I cannot imagine how OPM got to that decision unless they compared the AR to the latest batch and those were "better" under whatever method they used to give points. Very odd, but not unheard of on the old register. I was warned before we got our scores in 2007 that an appeal had been known to lower someone's score on the old register. I guess some things never change.
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Post by masondixon on Aug 25, 2009 22:43:33 GMT -5
I know 3 people who appealed. One got 2+ points added to their rating. The second got about 1 and 1/4 points, while the third lost around 1 point. None of the three got any explanation whatsoever from OPM. Some things never change.
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Post by valkyrie on Aug 27, 2009 8:51:43 GMT -5
To those who might consider the idea of an appeal of their ALJ rating, be forewarned. I appealed my below-40 rating from the 2008 ALJ examination. Today, I received an e-mail from OPM stating that the ALJ Appeals Panel had decided that my Accomplishment Record (AR) score was no longer among the highest group of eligibles, that my status on the ALJ exam changed from eligible to ineligible, and that my name was removed from the ALJ register. Not that it makes you feel any better, but obviously the below 40 rating wouldn't have gotten you anywhere anyway. I can definitely see the added insult to injury, but at least you know that your application in its current form is a nonstarter and you can make adjustments for the next opening of the register, which likely isn't too far away. |
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Post by Pariah on Aug 27, 2009 10:14:31 GMT -5
I apealed and my rating of 58.64 was sustained. Now my question is this: Does it mean anything that OPM decided this round of appeals comparitively quickly this time?
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Post by valkyrie on Aug 27, 2009 10:23:28 GMT -5
I apealed and my rating of 58.64 was sustained. Now my question is this: Does it mean anything that OPM decided this round of appeals comparitively quickly this time? Don't forget that this was a new application form, so I would think that any appeals would be a relatively fresh experience for those in charge. It probably took them at least one time around to get familiar with things. |
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Post by CarpeDiem on Sept 1, 2009 4:57:56 GMT -5
As a public service announcement, I received my notice that my score on the register would remain the same, no points added and no points deducted based on my appeal. Like others, I received no response to specific issues raised in my appeal, particularly irregularities involving the interview. Given roadrunner's nightmare I guess that I should consider myself "lucky." Fortunately, I enjoy my work as a Senior attorney. Unfortunately, the recent policy change to promote any staff attorney with one year of experience to "Senior" attorney is going to fundamentally change the nature of the work for the worse, from independent decision making to the law clerk function of drafting ALJ decisions. Just when I thought that I was going to put away the little poor me violin...oh well, life happens.
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Post by valkyrie on Sept 1, 2009 8:01:32 GMT -5
As a public service announcement, I received my notice that my score on the register would remain the same, no points added and no points deducted based on my appeal. Like others, I received no response to specific issues raised in my appeal, particularly irregularities involving the interview. Given roadrunner's nightmare I guess that I should consider myself "lucky." Fortunately, I enjoy my work as a Senior attorney. Unfortunately, the recent policy change to promote any staff attorney with one year of experience to "Senior" attorney is going to fundamentally change the nature of the work for the worse, from independent decision making to the law clerk function of drafting ALJ decisions. Just when I thought that I was going to put away the little poor me violin...oh well, life happens. A senior attorney should be spending 25% of their time on their own decisions no matter how many senior attorneys are in their office. Sometimes it may be necessary for the senior attorneys to concentrate more on the ALJ decisions, but a good HOD will recognize this, and be able to explain the situation to the senior attorneys. |
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Post by southernmiss on Sept 12, 2009 15:20:59 GMT -5
I appealed my score (below 55) and it stayed the same. No comments. Just a statement.
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Post by tricia on Oct 15, 2009 15:32:34 GMT -5
Is something going on as far appeals are concerned? In August of 2008, I sent this email to the ALJ Help Desk:
As noted below, I applied for the ALJ job in
May of 2007. I failed to give the date on which I was first licensed on
the correct line of the application. I appealed and lost my appeal. On
the USAJOBS website, I requested that I receive an email when the job
re-opened. I did not receive an email last week when the job re-opened.
I did not hear about the re-opening of the application period until
after it closed. Is there anything that can be done at this point?
Under these circumstances, could I re-apply now that the period is
closed? Could I re-open my appeal? Thank you.
Today, fourteen months later, I received a return email saying that they have recently received my email, and they are working on an answer.
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Post by hod on Oct 16, 2009 12:29:05 GMT -5
So now you know one of the great truths of life-Time and accuracy only refer to you, not the government. You miss a deadline by one minute and you are out of the running. You fail to put a meaningless/obvious date on an application-you are dead on arrival. However, the government can make any mistake, lose your application, bend the rules, fail to respond, play a shell game, give out erroneous information- and usually nothing happens, or if it does happen, it occurs so much later that the original people harmed are no longer viable. To all that have appealed and hope to make the process more open, I applaud you. I hope you have patience-you will need it.
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care
Full Member
Posts: 56 
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Post by care on Oct 20, 2009 11:36:00 GMT -5
You cannot depend on the USAJOBS site to get you email notice of a reopening of the application process in a timely manner. The emails have gone out about the time the application process closes. For example, the last reopening was announced in advance several weeks ahead of time. Word got out through several sources that you have to keep in touch with, i.e. this board or via your friends who are ALJs. Once you know an opening of applications is going to occur check USAJOBs daily (This check is different from the email notification feature). The last time applications closed in 2 days and the court has ruled that is fine--apparently as long as OPM tries to give widespread advanced warning (notice to bar associations, etc.) that it will soon be taking applications again.
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Post by Legal Beagle on Oct 27, 2009 11:46:01 GMT -5
FWIW, in response to the President's request for ideas that would save the government money, I sent in the suggestion that OPM be removed from the ALJ selection process altogether, since SSA duplicated their interview and background searches, and when the Azdell litigation was going on, the other agencies just let SSA carry the freight and poached its ALJs.
If I make a million dollars off that suggestion . . . oh wait! Is that one of those student loan caveats?!?! Oh Thingy!
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tater
Full Member
Posts: 73
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Post by tater on Oct 28, 2009 15:54:46 GMT -5
Wow...that is kinda like a doctor telling you that not only do you have a terminal illness, but you are dead already. Cold man cold. They must get ticked off at appeals.
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Post by privateatty on Oct 28, 2009 18:48:35 GMT -5
FWIW, in response to the President's request for ideas that would save the government money, I sent in the suggestion that OPM be removed from the ALJ selection process altogether, since SSA duplicated their interview and background searches, and when the Azdell litigation was going on, the other agencies just let SSA carry the freight and poached its ALJs. If I make a million dollars off that suggestion . . . oh wait! Is that one of those student loan caveats?!?! Oh Thingy! I assume this is a joke, right? Allowing SSA to do the work that OPM should be doing (and should always do) in announcement, testing and scoring would be like letting Rush Limbaugh certify election results in Ohio.  With all due respect, your justification(s) holds no water. Agencies don't poach, people leave. |
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