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Post by saaao on Feb 18, 2013 16:54:10 GMT -5
I have a question about the 10 point veteran's application re-opening provision. If you submit an application under an open annoucement but don't score high enough to be eligible to sit for the written demonstration, can you still re-open the application after it closes and try again?
To take a step further, if you actually get to the written demonstration and SI but either don't score high enough to get on the register, or just don't score as high as you would like, can you then re-open the closed application and start over again?
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Post by costco on Feb 18, 2013 17:58:37 GMT -5
if you actually get to the written demonstration and SI but either don't score high enough to get on the register, In the past, if you made the post AR cut, and completed both the WD and SI, then you made it to the register. There was no second cut. Regarding the rest of your question, I don't know.
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Post by jibtrimmer on Feb 18, 2013 18:30:42 GMT -5
I’m a recent ALJ. My hearings are set one-hour apart. I hold the hearings in 35 to 45 minutes and spent 10 to 15 minutes writing my instructions. At the end of the day, my hearings and instructions are finished. So, at this point, I’m averaging 40 hours but there is very little time for chit-chat or anything else. Also, I’m still learning. I’m always looking for (legitimate) short-cuts and ways to do things faster. If you ask 1,500 ALJs how to do something, then you'll get 1,500 different ways of doing something. And how long does it take you to review a file and prepare? Do you have a streamlined method?
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Post by philliesfan on Feb 18, 2013 19:41:14 GMT -5
How long it takes to review a file depends, in part on the file. If there ar 5 exhibita in the "F" section (medical records), with 5-10 page each, not long. On the otherhand, if there are 60 exhibits in the "F" section, with voluminous hospital, treatment, snd VA records, a lot longer. Some offices have a lot more of the former than the latter, but in some it is the other way around.
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Post by marten77 on Feb 19, 2013 8:40:36 GMT -5
How the case is worked up will also help in your ability to do an efficient review of the MER. If there are good case techs, the process is a lot smoother. If there are poor case techs who do not know how to properly scan, enter dates or just label everything "medical evidence of record", then it can become more cumbersome. I speak only from the decision writer stand point, however. Nonetheless, as everyone already know, we have our production standards to meet as well.
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Post by maquereau on Feb 19, 2013 13:03:24 GMT -5
I am an extremely fast reader. I don't think I've put less than 60 hours into a workweek since I've been an ALJ. Under ideal circumstances it may be possible to get your work done in 40 hours, but I am forever finding things buried in the record that must be brought to the writer's attention or they will go unmentioned in the decisions. Lots of people want supplemental hearings. Most decisions require substantial editing. It is an extremely rare case where adequate instructions can be written in 15 minutes or less. Of course I don't pay very many cases, so maybe that's an area where I could "improve." I saw the recent study showing a strong correlation between a high pay percentage and a high disposition rate.
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Post by arkstfan on Feb 19, 2013 15:09:39 GMT -5
I put in a 40 hour week or more accurately about a 42 hour a week because I like to get some credit hours. I exceeded the 700 decision threshold last year by a fair margin (but I'm in an area where 12% to 15% dismissal rates aren't uncommon) and my pay rate was below the national average. I walk into hearings with pretty detailed notes, primarily things that support disability with the red and yellow flag items that call it into question there as well with date and exhibit number.
I may have one hypo typed before I go in based on where I think the case is before seeing and hearing the claimant and then add/subtract and build off it as the hearing goes on. By the end of the hearing the only thing left for me to do is either instruct the case tech to leave it open for more submissions by the rep, or get added development started, or tell the DW which hypo is the case RFC. I've usually uploaded my instructions before the hearing monitor is ready to bring the next claimant in.
The hearing in some ways is the least important part of the process. I live and die off pre-hearing note-taking. Without those notes I would be lost. My notes tell me the claimant made $8000 last year. The hearing helps me learn if that income came from working part-time answering phones in the family business or hauling scrap metal. The hearing is where I often learn that a person believes that their education and work experience prevents sedentary or light work, but they believe they could do such work if they had the chance. I want to know why the person told the doctor that their back is killing them since moving furniture. Are they doing odd jobs or is mom sick and in the nursing home and someone had to get the furniture out of her old apartment.
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Post by arkstfan on Feb 19, 2013 15:30:11 GMT -5
Other factors that affect the amount of time you spend in the office relate to how long your hearings run. I know of ALJs who hold 2 hour hearings, routinely, but most run less than 1 hour. Also how long are your decision writing instructions? When I was a Senior Attorney, I would see ALJ instructions that ran to 10 pages. I believe less is more. I do not endorse smiley faces, but you should, in most cases, be able to generate adequate FIT instructions in 2 pages or less. In addition, when reviewing draft decisions, if you let style get in the way of substance, you will spend a lot of time revising drafts that really isn't necessary. Hear hear. All excellent points by philliesfan. Especially on hearing length. Hearing length is key to keep case processing manageable. An average hearing should be between 30-45 minutes with VE testimony. On rare occasions, a complex cases may take a little longer. However, if a normal hearing for you is 1-2 hours, 40 hours a week is definitely not enough if you want to hit 500+ for the year. I tend to take about 35 minutes per hearing but I don't think one-size fits all. I could easily shave 10 minutes off hearings by eliminating a lot of the routine questions but I keep them in order to get the claimant comfortable and to give me a chance to watch the claimant and get a feel for their demeanor before jumping into the harder questions when their reactions and answers will shape my belief about their veracity. I also figure that most people have waited 18 months to have a hearing and if I run them in and out in 20 minutes they may feel like they got jobbed. Even though I tell them I've read the records, I still see surprise on the faces of claimants and reps when I ask some questions from deep within the file. I can understand someone who is stronger with auditory learning relying on a longer hearing to better process the information. I wouldn't want to be in one of those hearings but justice isn't always pretty. I also know some ALJ's absolutely won't type notes during a hearing and need post-hearing time to convert their handwriting to typed notes.
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