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Post by Administrator ALJ on May 15, 2013 10:07:48 GMT -5
As someone who has never been inside a Social Security Administration building, I'm curious about the set up of the ALJ quarters (acknowledging that each localities' amenities will be different). Do the ALJs have their own offices or are they relegated to cubicles? Do ALJs have legal secretaries/law clerks/assistants?
I'm looking for pragmatic details from those in the position now that will allow me to compare my current situation with what may(or may not) be offered by the federal government.
Thanks so much all!
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sbr
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Post by sbr on May 15, 2013 10:32:39 GMT -5
SSA ALJ's have their own offices. The union contract requires that the offices be a minimum size. Most ALJ offices I've seen have windows, but in some places that are short on space, ALJ's are sometimes put in window-less offices. Most hearing offices don't have enough hearing rooms for each ALJ, so ALJ's need to share hearing room space, which can sometimes be a problem (most ALJ's like Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday hearings). ALJ's in regular hearing offices do not have any assigned staff that they directly supervise, but in most offices, you have an assigned SCT (administrative assistant), and share a pool of decision writers. ALJ's in National Hearing Centers (perform video hearings), have two assigned decision writers that they supervise. NHCs ALJs also have an assigned Case Manager (SCT equivalent), but do not directly supervise that individual. Because NHC ALJ's perform video hearings, there are no hearing rooms at the NHC, as all hearings are done directly from the ALJ's office.
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Post by bartleby on May 15, 2013 10:41:38 GMT -5
In some offices, ALJ's do not have any assigned help and have a scheduler and a pre-post person of which they have no authority over and very little influence. In these offices it is problematic. In an office with an assigned SCT, one at least feels that they have a team, albeit a small one and someone that has their best interest at heart and helps as judicial support. The above post was posted while I was drafting mine. And there is the rub, the Agency would like you to do 50-60 cases a month and the above proposes 30 minute hearings. I find my hearings last usually an hour. The Agency would like you to take all shortcuts possible to reach the 50-60 a month, but if you can't ethically do so, you have a problem..
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Post by saaao on May 15, 2013 11:03:13 GMT -5
SSA ODAR ALJs do have their own offices, and by contract have to be a certain size which generally means they are the largest in the office. You will have a legal assistant as well as support staff that you will work as a pool for your group (in my office there were 3-5 ALJs per group). There will also be decision writers (generally younger attorneys or paralegals) who will write your decisions based on your instruction. The quality of the staff will range from excellent to dead weight, as will all Fed agencies.Unfortunately bad employees that get past probation are almost never fired except for actions approaching criminal behavior.
My hearing office had about seven hearing rooms, where the hearing was conducted. There was a raised dais with desk overlooking a small conference table big enough for a claimant, rep and couple of witnesses. You will also have a VHR court reporter (not the same thing as real court reporter) Who is in charge of recording the hearing and typing brief notes (NOT STENOGRAPHER QUALITY). You will have to watch them, because they often drop the ball on recordings, and if the hearing is not properly recorded, it is grounds for automatic remand from the Appeals Council. Hearings range from twenty to fourty minutes average, with some ALJ's going as low as ten minutes and some going as long as two hours. You can request Vocational Expert (which you almost always should) and Medical Experts to testify at the hearings, which will be arranged by the office. You can also request that claimant's be sent to medical examinations provided by the Agency.
The law (techinically regs) is fairly mechanical and most of the time easy to apply, but you will be dealing in high volume that has to move quickly so you can't overthink things. For all the legal professionals in the hearing office, from decision writer to ALJ, the actual legal questions are simplistic and the work gets very repetitive and it feels like a factory job almost.You will constantly hear, "production, production, production", except when something blows up when one too many corners were cut, which is when you will hear about quality. The most complex legal question you are likely to come across would be something that you would normally assign to a Law Student Clerk in a private firm. It's probably very similar to being a small claims court judge. If you genuinely enjoy complex law and the litigation experience, you will likely not enjoy the job. In fact the the ALJ's I saw struggle the most were the one's who had the most impressive backgrounds. The skills you hone in litgation, especially highly complex litigation, can very much be a detriment to an SSA ALJ, though they are probably helpful in other agencies, particularly EPA and SEC. I spent a great deal of time as a decision writer explaining to one judge, who had an incredible professional history, why you cannot grant a claim at Step 4 of the sequential evaluation process, as well as other basic issues applicable to disability law. It's also important to remember it is a non-adverserial process and while you can question inconsistencies, it is inappropriate to cross examine claimants as you would a hostile witness in court, so if you enjoy that aspect of lawyering you will be out of luck.
This is from my experience as a decision wiriter and Senior Attorney Adjudicator and my conversations with ALJ's in my old office.I am sure the actual ALJ's can give you better insights into the parts I was not privy too. The good news is that you do have the satisfaction of making a very real differance in people's lives, and unlike adversarial jobs, you don't have to argue for positions that you don't personally believe in. You just have to do what you think is right, within the confines of the law.vThere is also the work/life balance, which for the salary you are unlikely to find anywhere else.
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Post by Administrator ALJ on May 15, 2013 11:06:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses! I'm wondering about the video hearings mentioned by sbr. I assume that's a video conference. Since they are conducted in the ALJ's office, are they done via Skype/Facetime? How does that work? As it stands, I share hearing rooms with other ALJs so I'm comfortable with that.
Some offices are enormous...is there employee parking vs. parking reserved for the public (especially given the amount of people coming in every day for hearings)?
A question that some already in the position may not feel comfortable answering but one that I think is important to future hires: what is the general attitude toward disability claimants (e.g., jaded, sympathetic, cynical) in the agency? Among ALJs? I think a lot of us would like to think this job can make a difference in the lives of the people appearing before us; however, given the rocket docket reality and governmental bureaucracies, that altruism may get replaced over time with something else.
Much appreciation!
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Post by Administrator ALJ on May 15, 2013 11:22:33 GMT -5
SSA ODAR ALJs do have their own offices, and by contract have to be a certain size which generally means they are the largest in the office. You will have a legal assistant as well as support staff that you will work as a pool for your group (in my office there were 3-5 ALJs per group). There will also be decision writers (generally younger attorneys or paralegals) who will write your decisions based on your instruction. The quality of the staff will range from excellent to dead weight, as will all Fed agencies.Unfortunately bad employees that get past probation are almost never fired except for actions approaching criminal behavior. My hearing office had about seven hearing rooms, where the hearing was conducted. There was a raised dais with desk overlooking a small conference table big enough for a claimant, rep and couple of witnesses. You will also have a VHR court reporter (not the same thing as real court reporter) Who is in charge of recording the hearing and typing brief notes (NOT STENOGRAPHER QUALITY). You will have to watch them, because they often drop the ball on recordings, and if the hearing is not properly recorded, it is grounds for automatic remand from the Appeals Council. Hearings range from twenty to fourty minutes average, with some ALJ's going as low as ten minutes and some going as long as two hours. You can request Vocational Expert (which you almost always should) and Medical Experts to testify at the hearings, which will be arranged by the office. You can also request that claimant's be sent to medical examinations provided by the Agency. The law (techinically regs) is fairly mechanical and most of the time easy to apply, but you will be dealing in high volume that has to move quickly so you can't overthink things. For all the legal professionals in the hearing office, from decision writer to ALJ, the actual legal questions are simplistic and the work gets very repetitive and it feels like a factory job almost.You will constantly hear, "production, production, production", except when something blows up when one too many corners were cut, which is when you will hear about quality. The most complex legal question you are likely to come across would be something that you would normally assign to a Law Student Clerk in a private firm. It's probably very similar to being a small claims court judge. If you genuinely enjoy complex law and the litigation experience, you will likely not enjoy the job. In fact the the ALJ's I saw struggle the most were the one's who had the most impressive backgrounds. The skills you hone in litgation, especially highly complex litigation, can very much be a detriment to an SSA ALJ, though they are probably helpful in other agencies, particularly EPA and SEC. I spent a great deal of time as a decision writer explaining to one judge, who had an incredible professional history, why you cannot grant a claim at Step 4 of the sequential evaluation process, as well as other basic issues applicable to disability law. It's also important to remember it is a non-adverserial process and while you can question inconsistencies, it is inappropriate to cross examine claimants as you would a hostile witness in court, so if you enjoy that aspect of lawyering you will be out of luck. This is from my experience as a decision wiriter and Senior Attorney Adjudicator and my conversations with ALJ's in my old office.I am sure the actual ALJ's can give you better insights into the parts I was not privy too. The good news is that you do have the satisfaction of making a very real differance in people's lives, and unlike adversarial jobs, you don't have to argue for positions that you don't personally believe in. You just have to do what you think is right, within the confines of the law.vThere is also the work/life balance, which for the salary you are unlikely to find anywhere else. Thanks SAAAO! That is a very thorough evaluation. I figured that ALJs would have offices, if for no other reason than the need to limit access to the confidential medical information one receives on claimants. Yet I didn't want to assume (ass-u-me). Actually, the medical component seems fascinating or at least interesting. (Thinking maybe I should have went to med school instead.) This, for me, is where the intellectual stimulation would exist. I also think it would be rewarding to know that you, as the decision maker, are helping the disabled. The non-adversarial process sounds similar to how I (and my colleagues) handle pro se litigants. We generally explain the mechanics in much greater depth and give a wider latitude than we would normally give attorney-represented parties.
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Post by saaao on May 15, 2013 11:34:38 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses! I'm wondering about the video hearings mentioned by sbr. I assume that's a video conference. Since they are conducted in the ALJ's office, are they done via Skype/Facetime? How does that work? As it stands, I share hearing rooms with other ALJs so I'm comfortable with that. Some offices are enormous...is there employee parking vs. parking reserved for the public (especially given the amount of people coming in every day for hearings)? A question that some already in the position may not feel comfortable answering but one that I think is important to future hires: what is the general attitude toward disability claimants (e.g., jaded, sympathetic, cynical) in the agency? Among ALJs? I think a lot of us would like to think this job can make a difference in the lives of the people appearing before us; however, given the rocket docket reality and governmental bureaucracies, that altruism may get replaced over time with something else. Much appreciation! The video hearings are done by Polycom system. It is similar to Skype. Sometimes it can be done from an office computer and somestimes the haring office sets up a hearing room for the video hearing. Parking is dependant on the office. As for ALJ attitudes, while not an ALJ, I have had plenty of opportunity to observe them and their decisions as well as adjudicate my own OTR cases. The most common attitude among the ALJ's I know is that each case is judged by its facts, and they tend to be objective and thoughtful. I have also seen ALJ's who believed every single complaint they heard, some ALJ's who never met a sick person in their life and some who felt that they were making moral judgments on people's life styles rather than simply asessing whether the claimant met the disability criteria but those are outliers, and I doubt the job changed their attitudes from what it was prior to getting the job.
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Post by bartleby on May 15, 2013 11:45:17 GMT -5
saaao noted, "as well as other basic issues applicable to disability law. It's also important to remember it is a non-adverserial process and while you can question inconsistencies, it is inappropriate to cross examine claimants as you would a hostile witness in court" Actually it is our duty to question inconsistentcies and give the claimant every opportunity to present their side of it. Sometimes this gets into a "hostile witness" situation. We do not have all day to coax claimant's into number 1, admitting their inconsistency, and number 2, correcting or explaining the inconsistency. This whole system is a lot more complex than saaao would have you believe. As for medical records, welcome to the average case in my office being 300-500 and my large case this week of 2656 pages. You may think you enjoy medical records, trust me, you won't..
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Post by saaao on May 15, 2013 12:12:56 GMT -5
saaao noted, "as well as other basic issues applicable to disability law. It's also important to remember it is a non-adverserial process and while you can question inconsistencies, it is inappropriate to cross examine claimants as you would a hostile witness in court" Actually it is our duty to question inconsistentcies and give the claimant every opportunity to present their side of it. Sometimes this gets into a "hostile witness" situation. We do not have all day to coax claimant's into number 1, admitting their inconsistency, and number 2, correcting or explaining the inconsistency. This whole system is a lot more complex than saaao would have you believe. As for medical records, welcome to the average case in my office being 300-500 and my large case this week of 2656 pages. You may think you enjoy medical records, trust me, you won't.. I apologize, I should have worded that better. I meant agressive and partisan cross examination as you would perform as a litigator in trial. I didn't mean to suggest that an ALJ should not ask a claimant to explain why he testified to A while the record shows B. As for the complexity of the system, obviously I have not provided an exhaustive explanation, and I will defer to the ALJs as to what their review, hearing and decision process entails. As for the law however, the complexities arise primarily from the volume of cases that must be disposed of and how fast they need to be moved through the system. The actual law itself is relatively simple and straight forward, as compared to other practice areas, relatively being the key word. There are plenty of unusual issues that arise that are not neatly addressed by mechanical application of regs and rulings, and require time to research without adequate time to do the research provided. The complexities arise due to the logisitics. I would not suggest that anyone stepping into this system is going to have an easy time learning it, because things move very quickly. However the actual legal issues that are considered aren't going to have you pulling an all nighter in the law library to resolve.
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Post by Administrator ALJ on May 15, 2013 13:23:47 GMT -5
... As for medical records, welcome to the average case in my office being 300-500 and my large case this week of 2656 pages. You may think you enjoy medical records, trust me, you won't.. Thanks, Bartleby. You could be right: I may eventually get tired of examining medical records in the hundreds, if not thousands, of pages. I currently work on cases with hundreds of exhibits (I don't even want to go into the page tally of what that amounts to. , but I don't have the time constraints that SSA ALJs work under and am able to wade through the technical data in the cases I process in a timely but realistic manner. What worries me is the adjustment I would have to make in dealing with such high volume/high pressure work situations (hence the thread). I think it's good to find out what the atmosphere and work load are like before getting to the interview stage (fingers crossed I make it that far) because, quite frankly, SSA may not be for me. It won't deter me from continuing on in the hiring process since not all agencies process cases like SSA, but it would (at least potentially) impact any decisions I might have to make about SSA. SAAAO: thanks for the information, especially regarding the attitude question. It's good to know that the general behaviors amongst ALJs don't reflect cynicism. I would imagine that much depends upon location, supervisors, co-workers, et cetera, just like any other work place. In my experience, the more appreciated a worker feels, the higher the morale. But that's just a theory...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2013 14:08:31 GMT -5
I was a writer for two years and am cynical by nature. While each case has to be viewed on its own merits I always thought that the majority of the folks that filed fell victim to the huge disability industrial complex if you will that advertises heavily in newspapers, phone books, radio and television. I also saw them handing out fliers at the unemployment offices. When I did see a case that was pro se the ALJ would usually give the claimant every opportunity to get a representative. In my two years as a DW I saw just one person proceed pro se.
I was shocked at some of the cases that were paid, especially the SSI ones. Some folks had never been employed for more than a few months at a time in unskilled labor then spent years in and out of jail with more unskilled work for short periods of time and then all of a sudden they were asking for disability at the ripe old age of 35.
The medical records were interesting at first, I even took a course in medical terminology and quickly became familiar with where to find the meat if you will of the records. I kept seeing the same specialist sayin the same thing over and over. Most of these specialists would send in an RFC that was contrary to their own treatment notes and could not be given controlling weight. I actually enjoyed writing denials more so than cases that were paid.
Every claimaint should get their day to an honest and fair review of their case but if the record does not support their claims and they clearly came accross as not being credible at the hearing then they should not get disability benefits. But what seems to make this task difficult is the pressure to meet unofficial quotas that will supposedly reduce the backlog. As Bartlely says 20-30 minute hearings are perfunctury and do not really result in the best decisions but if you are taking an hour to do a hearing you cannot make the goals.
I also noticed that judges came in two types, those that pay a lot of their cases and those that pay few of their cases. Judges are individuals and each one tends to lean a certain way and if I ever become an ALJ I have a feeling of which way I would lean towards.
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Post by saaao on May 15, 2013 14:15:22 GMT -5
... SAAAO: thanks for the information, especially regarding the attitude question. It's good to know that the general behaviors amongst ALJs don't reflect cynicism. I would imagine that much depends upon location, supervisors, co-workers, et cetera, just like any other work place. In my experience, the more appreciated a worker feels, the higher the morale. But that's just a theory... Well let me add a caveat as to morale. When I left my last hearing office, there was a great deal of gnashing of teeth among the ALJ's due to poor support from the administrative staff, particularly in terms of scheduling. This is an office specific issue, but I'm sure my office was not the only office where there were problems. I have never seen morale affect the judgement or performance of the ALJ's I worked with. After all they are professional and bound by ethics. However quite a few of them point blank said the did feel unappreciated, and morale issues were also related to increasing expectations by the agency not just local issues in my office. When I said it feels a bit like a factory environment, I wasn't kidding. I have seen quite a few ALJs post on this board about expected widgets, and from what I observed that is quite accurate of how Attorneys and ALJ's are treated in a hearing office. Honestly the only reason I am making a run for ALJ is that I loved my work as a Senior Attorney and I am steeped enough in the system at this point that I feel I can probably keep up with the production demands if I get selected. If Senior Attorney were a GS-14 position rather than a GS-13 position I would not pursue ALJ, and I can tell you there are plenty of other ODAR insiders who feel the same way.
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Post by southeastalj on May 15, 2013 14:15:22 GMT -5
I really find it nonsense for people to say they can't hold hour long hearings and issue 500 dispositions a year. I hold hour to hour and a half hearings and have issued 600 decisions or so every year. If you only do 12 cases a week for only 45 weeks out of the year you've heard 540 cases and taken almost 2 months off. If you can't manage that you've chosen the wrong position.
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sbr
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Post by sbr on May 15, 2013 14:29:06 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses! I'm wondering about the video hearings mentioned by sbr. I assume that's a video conference. Since they are conducted in the ALJ's office, are they done via Skype/Facetime? How does that work? As it stands, I share hearing rooms with other ALJs so I'm comfortable with that. Some offices are enormous...is there employee parking vs. parking reserved for the public (especially given the amount of people coming in every day for hearings)? A question that some already in the position may not feel comfortable answering but one that I think is important to future hires: what is the general attitude toward disability claimants (e.g., jaded, sympathetic, cynical) in the agency? Among ALJs? I think a lot of us would like to think this job can make a difference in the lives of the people appearing before us; however, given the rocket docket reality and governmental bureaucracies, that altruism may get replaced over time with something else. Much appreciation!
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sbr
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Post by sbr on May 15, 2013 14:55:44 GMT -5
"I'm wondering about the video hearings mentioned by sbr. I assume that's a video conference. Since they are conducted in the ALJ's office, are they done via Skype/Facetime? How does that work?"
Just to clarify, for the video hearings at the NHC, the ALJ conducts the hearing from their office on a desktop Polycom unit, but everyone else, including the claimant, the claimant's representative, and hearing reporter, are all in a hearing room in another location using the hearing room Polycom unit; VEs (vocational experts) and MEs (medical experts), if used, are called over the telephone. ALJs at hearing offices also conduct video hearings from the hearing rooms (or if you are HOCALJ, from your office, since HOCALJs have the same desktop Polycom equipment used by NHC ALJs in their offices) for "remote" locations, usually at SSA field offices that have a hearing room space. Otherwise, ALJs have to travel to the remote location and conduct in person hearings. For most hearing offices, the remote locations are within driving distance, so you typically do not stay overnight unless scheduling consecutive hearing days.
The technology is fairly reliable, but there are some instances when there just aren't enough connections. For instance, if an NHC ALJ conducts a video hearing for a claimant who requires an interpreter (most judges use the telephone interpreter, rather than an in person interpreter because it requires a lot more leg work to get an in person interpreter scheduled, and most ALJs don't even know they need an interpreter for a case until a few days before the hearing), then you need to call the VE with your desktop phone, rather than calling thru the Polycom, or have the hearing reporter call the VE thru the Polycom in the hearing room (some hearing reporters know how to do it, but some don't). A different problem arises at hearing offices when you use the tele-interpreter, because sound quality isn't always the best through the hearing room speakerphone.
Most offices that I know of have reserved parking for employees, which is an extra monthly parking fee, but there are also offices with free employee parking. Just depends on the area.
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Post by moopigsdad on May 15, 2013 14:59:29 GMT -5
I was a writer for two years and am cynical by nature. While each case has to be viewed on its own merits I always thought that the majority of the folks that filed fell victim to the huge disability industrial complex if you will that advertises heavily in newspapers, phone books, radio and television. I also saw them handing out fliers at the unemployment offices. When I did see a case that was pro se the ALJ would usually give the claimant every opportunity to get a representative. In my two years as a DW I saw just one person proceed pro se. I was shocked at some of the cases that were paid, especially the SSI ones. Some folks had never been employed for more than a few months at a time in unskilled labor then spent years in and out of jail with more unskilled work for short periods of time and then all of a sudden they were asking for disability at the ripe old age of 35. The medical records were interesting at first, I even took a course in medical terminology and quickly became familiar with where to find the meat if you will of the records. I kept seeing the same specialist sayin the same thing over and over. Most of these specialists would send in an RFC that was contrary to their own treatment notes and could not be given controlling weight. I actually enjoyed writing denials more so than cases that were paid. Every claimaint should get their day to an honest and fair review of their case but if the record does not support their claims and they clearly came accross as not being credible at the hearing then they should not get disability benefits. But what seems to make this task difficult is the pressure to meet unofficial quotas that will supposedly reduce the backlog. As Bartlely says 20-30 minute hearings are perfunctury and do not really result in the best decisions but if you are taking an hour to do a hearing you cannot make the goals. I also noticed that judges came in two types, those that pay a lot of their cases and those that pay few of their cases. Judges are individuals and each one tends to lean a certain way and if I ever become an ALJ I have a feeling of which way I would lean towards. I have no doubt which way you would lean either. An ALJ shouldn't lean one way or the other, but be as neutral as poosible and let the medical records and claimant testimony speak for itself. An ALJ should not let his predisposition cloud a fair and impartial decision on every case. It doesn't matter if a claimant has a checkered work history or none (an SSI claim) because he/she deserves a fair and impartial decision on the merits. If you can't do that fairly, then perhaps another field of work would suit those thinking about becoming an ALJ.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2013 15:15:43 GMT -5
With some exceptions ALJs lean one way or another, just look at their statistics that are available on the ODAR website. That does not mean that they do not give their claimants the fair and impartial hearing on the merits or an unfair hearing. The reality is that the hearing is only a part of the deliberative process and every claimant that comes in will tell you that they cannot work in any work whatsoever.
Judges are individuals who do not make decisions in a vaccum, if they were robots they would all have the same denial/approval rates. I've litigated both criminal and civil cases and every judge generally has a disposition that is friendlier to one side than the other, in some cases it is pronounced in other cases they do the best to hide it but it is there.
If an ALJ cannot take into account a checkered work history as part of their deliberative process then they should also not credit a long work history of a claimant. A disability decision should be based on more than just the medical records or the claimant testifying that they cannot do any work.
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Post by moopigsdad on May 15, 2013 15:31:47 GMT -5
With some exceptions ALJs lean one way or another, just look at their statistics that are available on the ODAR website. That does not mean that they do not give their claimants the fair and impartial hearing on the merits or an unfair hearing. The reality is that the hearing is only a part of the deliberative process and every claimant that comes in will tell you that they cannot work in any work whatsoever. Judges are individuals who do not make decisions in a vaccum, if they were robots they would all have the same denial/approval rates. I've litigated both criminal and civil cases and every judge generally has a disposition that is friendlier to one side than the other, in some cases it is pronounced in other cases they do the best to hide it but it is there. If an ALJ cannot take into account a checkered work history as part of their deliberative process then they should also not credit a long work history of a claimant. A disability decision should be based on more than just the medical records or the claimant testifying that they cannot do any work. I think you do look at a work history to some extent, but not to the point of allowing or disallowing someone because of their work history. Being involved in social security disability cases and decisions, in one way or another, for 30 years, ALJs need to decide cases upon the merits, not how an ALJ feels about the claimant or his/her looks. Amyone can come in with a cane and limp and others can be in extreme pain, but be afraid to move due to not wanting to upset the ALJ. Hence, you look at all things prior to making a proper decision, but the decision should be based upon the medical in the file and the claimant's testimony and credibility. Yes, there are ALJ numbers all over the board due to preconceived notions and opinions brought into decision-making. The best ALJs should be nearer the middle of the road versus one extreme or the other, but each case is uniquely different. You can't paint with a broad brush, but a narrow one based upon the totality of circumstances. Lastly, I feel we are getting off topic here regarding the workplace. Hence, this will be my last post on decision-making in this thread.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2013 16:27:21 GMT -5
Agreed, I think I started going down a different path in regards trying to add to some of the comments by other posters....
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Post by Administrator ALJ on May 15, 2013 17:19:39 GMT -5
"I'm wondering about the video hearings mentioned by sbr. I assume that's a video conference. Since they are conducted in the ALJ's office, are they done via Skype/Facetime? How does that work?" Just to clarify, for the video hearings at the NHC, the ALJ conducts the hearing from their office on a desktop Polycom unit, but everyone else, including the claimant, the claimant's representative, and hearing reporter, are all in a hearing room in another location using the hearing room Polycom unit; VEs (vocational experts) and MEs (medical experts), if used, are called over the telephone. ALJs at hearing offices also conduct video hearings from the hearing rooms (or if you are HOCALJ, from your office, since HOCALJs have the same desktop Polycom equipment used by NHC ALJs in their offices) for "remote" locations, usually at SSA field offices that have a hearing room space. Otherwise, ALJs have to travel to the remote location and conduct in person hearings. For most hearing offices, the remote locations are within driving distance, so you typically do not stay overnight unless scheduling consecutive hearing days. The technology is fairly reliable, but there are some instances when there just aren't enough connections. For instance, if an NHC ALJ conducts a video hearing for a claimant who requires an interpreter (most judges use the telephone interpreter, rather than an in person interpreter because it requires a lot more leg work to get an in person interpreter scheduled, and most ALJs don't even know they need an interpreter for a case until a few days before the hearing), then you need to call the VE with your desktop phone, rather than calling thru the Polycom, or have the hearing reporter call the VE thru the Polycom in the hearing room (some hearing reporters know how to do it, but some don't). A different problem arises at hearing offices when you use the tele-interpreter, because sound quality isn't always the best through the hearing room speakerphone. Most offices that I know of have reserved parking for employees, which is an extra monthly parking fee, but there are also offices with free employee parking. Just depends on the area. Thanks sbr! I appreciate the thorough and informative reply. A further question about process: when the ALJ conducts the hearing, I assume he/she creates an exhibit list (we do this in our state administrative proceedings). Does the ALJ play a role in getting the evidentiary record (i.e., exhibits from the hearing) together for review on appeal?
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