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Post by hod on Jun 4, 2010 17:21:32 GMT -5
Pinky! Take a Xanax! :-) I have worked in the agency for over twenty years and I have done more than my share of gripping and moaning, but really! Suicides, yes it happens, and one is too many, but in all my years there have only been a few. Further, if we are notified that someone is suicidal-we move them to the front of the line. Clerical Staff-well I suppose some may be substandard whatever that describes, but most people are pretty helpful and try to get the job done. Lots of times it is merely a matter of communication. As for writers, there are people who require "heavy editing" and this is in direct proportion to how "picky" one is about the drafts. I, myself, can barely let anyone sign a Christmas card without thinking I should edit something. There are others who do not pay as much attention. I think the key is to make sure that the decision is grammatically accurate and hits the important points. Some people do better than others. But isn't that like all jobs? Actually, one doesn't have to prepare, hear and issue decisions on 70 cases each month. Some cases do not have hearings, and some cases are dismissed. The average the agency is trying to hit is doable, with vacation and sick days even. The daily reminders-yes they are a grind, but you do what you can to move the cases and if you have a real issue, most of the time all it takes is an explanation. Frankly, I have lost track of the occasional case and am grateful for the reminder. Further-it is not just ALJs who are pressed to move the cases, all the staff is tasked with getting work done in a reasonable amount of time.
The tragedy is there before you get to the case. Hoefully you are providing a service by making the decision in the case. Dying children-not so common. Really the state agency does a fairly good job of catching the individuals who are terminal. Not that one doesn't ever see a terminal case. But again, if notified, we move them to the head of the line. We cannot change the situation, but we can respond to the need.
All in all, working for Social Security is what you make it. It is probably one of the best jobs out there. Look at all the ALJs who are well past what would be considered retirement age. They don't hang on because the job is awful. There are bad days-but show me a job that doesn't have bad days. I am sure that the job is not for everyone, but if you have represented people in private practice or have worked in ODAR for a number of years, you know if you can handle the "pressure." Really, compared to private practice, where I hung out for six years, -there isn't any.
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Post by ALJD on Jun 4, 2010 18:21:46 GMT -5
Agreed. Pinky, A Custom Title has been awarded to you after reviewing your prior posts. Feel free to delete your account and start over if you disagree.
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Post by wallace on Jun 4, 2010 19:07:46 GMT -5
[/quote] Agreed. Custom Title awarded after reviewing prior posts. Feel free to delete your account and start over if you disagree. [/quote] [/i] LOL
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Post by Orly on Jun 4, 2010 20:19:30 GMT -5
A Custom Title has been awarded to you after reviewing your prior posts. Feel free to delete your account and start over if you disagree. ROTFLMAO
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Post by onepingonly on Jun 4, 2010 20:55:25 GMT -5
For what it's worth, I agree with Hod. I spent a dozen years working in the New York City child abuse and neglect system. I will spare you any description of the misery and depravities I witnessed. People would ask, How can you stand it? The answer is, as Hod observes, that the suffering and tragedy were already there. At least I and my colleagues could do something about it -- never as much as we wanted, but we made a real difference to real kids. I don't think it's any exaggeration to say we saved some lives, and we certainly put a stop to many evils. We made decisions every day that could spell salvation or ruin for families. We often had only a matter of hours to decide whether to remove children from their parents. The wrong decision was a tragedy. Even the right decision brought a lot of agony. There weren't many second chances to get it right.
The prosecutors got to work in offices and courhouses. The investigators had to work in the field. They got spat on, sometimes stabbed or shot. For this work, they made about the same as a GS-5. Some couldn't take it, and left quickly. There's no shame in that. Others are still out there doing it every day, for decades on end, mostly with a great deal of grace. The resilience of the innocent children we served was a humbling and sobering rebuke to the pettiness of our own grievances. Helping them was its own reward, and was worth the tears.
By comparison to this experience, and to the experience of many other judges who have been called upon in prior roles to make life-and-death decisions quickly and with imperfect information, the work at SSA is not stressful. ALJs are privileged to be able to help people in real need. Ignorance of human suffering may be bliss, but if everyone is blissful, who will help the needy? Making decisions that affect people's lives is inherently very hard to do truly well. It is a great responsibility, and it can get to you. The solution is to work hard, take it seriously, keep perspective, do what you can do, and realize that we are only human. We are all fallible, and we all have our limits. The system isn't perfect, and neither are we.
Any judge who is sincerely doing his or her best is doing a great service. It's not for everybody, and there is a personal price. Many, many ALJs love the job and embrace its rewards, even with a healthy awareness of its challenges. Still, there's a whole world of other jobs out there where people can make a difference, or simply earn an honest living, and it seems a shame for anyone to be miserable as an ALJ when they are free to leave, and make space for another applicant who will be happy, fulfilled, and successful in the role. It's a win-win. There's a long line of new judges and current and future aspirants, and I wish them every opportunity to join the ranks and share in this great calling.
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Post by privateatty on Jun 5, 2010 9:17:01 GMT -5
pinky has a point of view that appears negative, exaggerated and (at least in the mind of ALJD), misguided. pinky got smacked down and we have a pile-on.
Rather reminds me of the elementary school-yard.
Does pinky have a right to express his point of view? What I see from pinky is the effect on him of years of being a SSA ALJ. Y'all may not agree with him, but I don't hear that you have the same number of stripes on your sleeves that he has.
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Post by hod on Jun 5, 2010 12:14:34 GMT -5
Actually, I just disagree with Pinky's comment in this post. I do think it is a bit overstated and geared toward scaring newbies coming into the ALJ program (of course maybe that's the point...heh, more room for me!) :-) I actually agree with his other posts concerning the fact that SSA seems to get a good idea, invites all their friends to tell them what a good idea it is and then implements the good idea everywhere before checking to see if it works. But you have to admire the fact that when it doesn't work, SSA never say-"hey that didn't work." They just give the good idea people an award, no longer refer to the good idea, and pretend the good idea never existed. I suspect scheduling in offices that hold up close and personal hearings rather than video will fall into the category of "the award winning unmentionable good idea that was." Sorry off topic here-but I didn't want PA to think I was kicking Pinky- just disagreeing.
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Post by leprechaun on Jun 7, 2010 16:10:49 GMT -5
Thanks, Ladywordsmith (or should I say VOE?), for bringing back your thread. I am now on my 4th cert, but I think (hope) it's more due to bad timing and limited GAL than to being thrice-stricken. I am all too familiar with the roller-coaster of hope and disappointment each time. Like you, I am thankful for what I have - but would happily replace *any* dissatisfied ALJ out there who is looking to leave! :-)
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GaALJ
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Post by GaALJ on Jun 8, 2010 8:49:07 GMT -5
After 15 years as a state ALJ, I appealed my final numerical rating of 69.02 from the Notice of Results issued on May 12, 2010. However, I still certified and interviewed this week with SSA. Am I missing something and should I withdraw my appeal???
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GaALJ
New Member
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Post by GaALJ on Jun 8, 2010 8:50:13 GMT -5
After 15 years as a state ALJ, I appealed my final numerical rating of 69.02 from the Notice of Results issued on May 12, 2010. However, I still certified and interviewed this week with SSA. Am I missing something and should I withdraw my appeal???
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Post by belgrade on Jun 8, 2010 8:51:20 GMT -5
And what do you think?
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GaALJ
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Post by GaALJ on Jun 8, 2010 9:54:28 GMT -5
Can anyone (besides belgrade) enlighten me as to how my numerical rating of 69.02 on a 100 scale is suffcient to certify and interview? From what I recall from school (many moons ago), a 69 was a "D".
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Post by maxlaw on Jun 8, 2010 10:02:04 GMT -5
Can anyone (besides belgrade) enlighten me as to how my numerical rating of 69.02 on a 100 scale is suffcient to certify and interview? From what I recall from school (many moons ago), a 69 was a "D". What Belgrade is getting at is that a search of past board posts might be helpful to your decision. Our polls (see the Polling Palace section) suggest that your 69.XX is a bit above the mean. Since the federal ALJ exam re-opened in 2007, a score of 69 would land you on each and every certificate that SSA/ODAR has requested (assuming that your GAL included cities for which the agency was hiring). It is, however, too low to make the much smaller certs that are infrequently requested by other agencies. Where you go from there is up to you, but past posters have indicated that state ALJs generally fare well in the ODAR hiring process.
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GaALJ
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Post by GaALJ on Jun 8, 2010 11:46:12 GMT -5
Thank you Maxlaw. Your information was very helpful.
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Post by 71stretch on Jun 8, 2010 12:08:47 GMT -5
I had a similar reaction when I saw my score, until I came here and compared notes. Maxlaw is correct... look at the polls for this cert and prior ones, and you get your answer. From reading here, I also learned that ome people who appealed their scores (and it takes a LONG time to get an answer) actually ended up with a somewhat LOWER score. I realize that with my score, like yours, I am not going to make a smaller cert, but I also decided I could not raise my score enough by appeal to reach that level. So, (and I'm a state ALJ too) I will take my shot(s) with ODAR and go from there.
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