What is it like?

[privateatty]

One thread that I have not seen and I think would be helpful to aspiring SSA Judges is what is it like to be a SSA ALJ in a small town? I think living in a city big enough to support a professional sports team is something that most have done once in their lives and that you can be pretty anonymous there. You can spit on the sidewalk and not get outed or be the subject of some kind of complaint.

Obviously that is not true in smaller ODAR towns and cities. I don't know as I don't work for SSA but I have lived in a small town and while I loved the community, anonyminity can have its advantages. People know who you are. You have denied and paid them. You walk into a diner and people yell "Hi, Judge!"

So maybe some of you Judges out there can talk (in generalities of course) about living in a smaller town. As deltajduge has said, some of them are "jewels".

[decadealj]

With the exception of the deep south, e.g. Alexandria, LA, I don't believe you will find many ODAR offices in "small towns", which are usually satellite hearing sites. Most ODAR offices serve several other hearing sites. For many years, Rochester, NY was a satellite office for Buffalo. Honolulu has one alj for all of Hawaii. If you take a look at all the ODAR hearing offices, there aren't many small towns that have a hearing site, let alone ODAR office. And the longer you serve as an ALJ, you would be surprised how often you will approached in medium sized cities. Norfolk serves towns and cities from Williamsburg to Chesapeake, and used to include eastern NC. You will also gain a reputation for temperment and fairness which will begin on day one no matter where you serve.

[redryder]

A judge living in a small town is no different that being a judge in a big city. I don't wear my robe outside of the office. No one calls me "judge." In fact, most people do not even know that I am a judge. No claimants have ever confronted me outside of the office or called my house even though I am still listed in the phone book. The only thing I am very careful about is to avoid being seen out and about with any representatives, vocational experts or medical experts. And that is to avoid any potential impression of partiality. But that should be true of judges everywhere, even in big cities.

As for the benefits of living in a small town. This job is stressful and demanding enough. I like the simplicity of my life. The "commute" to work is less than 10 minutes. I don't pay for parking. I can go home for lunch. People in the office are interested in my life and what is happening to me. When I hit a rough patch, they provide an unbelievable amount of support. The camaraderie is priceless. So the shopping and the entertainment may be less than desired. But they are not unattainable. They just require a little more planning.

You can attend a school function with your child without having to take the entire day off (unless it is a field trip). Same for doctor and dental appointments.

So if you want to slow down and have time to have a life, come on down, y'all.

[JudgeRatty]

Aug 30, 2013 15:54:39 GMT -5 redryder said:

A judge living in a small town is no different that being a judge in a big city. I don't wear my robe outside of the office. No one calls me "judge." In fact, most people do not even know that I am a judge. No claimants have ever confronted me outside of the office or called my house even though I am still listed in the phone book. The only thing I am very careful about is to avoid being seen out and about with any representatives, vocational experts or medical experts. And that is to avoid any potential impression of partiality. But that should be true of judges everywhere, even in big cities.

As for the benefits of living in a small town. This job is stressful and demanding enough. I like the simplicity of my life. The "commute" to work is less than 10 minutes. I don't pay for parking. I can go home for lunch. People in the office are interested in my life and what is happening to me. When I hit a rough patch, they provide an unbelievable amount of support. The camaraderie is priceless. So the shopping and the entertainment may be less than desired. But they are not unattainable. They just require a little more planning.

You can attend a school function with your child without having to take the entire day off (unless it is a field trip). Same for doctor and dental appointments.

So if you want to slow down and have time to have a life, come on down, y'all.

Amen to that! Great post! Thanks redryder.

[deltajudge]

As privatatty said, and as I said before there are some jewels in small towns hidden out there. You just have to check them out. Now, I never worked in a small town, but held hearings in remote hearing sites, e.g., small towns. Regardless, based on advice from seasoned ALJs when I was a shavetail, never listed my phone number, as it also includes your address. Strictly non-published. I also learned early on, never openly let the world know you are an ALJ. People just don't have to know that unless you want them to. I knew some AlJs that all but used a megaphone to let everybody know they were a "judge." A low profile with the public and management is the best way to go. Just do your job, and do it right.




















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