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Post by sealaw90 on Jun 16, 2014 8:25:44 GMT -5
Well here's some additional fodder, taken from the AALJ June newsletter;
". . . ODAR/OCALJ has received a certification for those who are eligible to be Judges. There are 47 locations for assignment and there is a separate list for each location. Once ODAR makes an offer to someone on the list, ODAR cannot go on to the next city until a response is received, if any of the same names appear on the next list. ODAR received 2200 names on the 47 lists from OPM, but there were in actuality only 158 different names. . . there are fewer names on the list of those with agency experience, as OPM is seeking more litigation and trial experience for applicants."
Hmmm, it sounds like we will see rolling offers being made. I still think the offers will start arriving by the end of this month, and keep rolling out through July. How long have candidates had in the past to accept or reject the offer?
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Post by Ace Midnight on Jun 16, 2014 8:32:19 GMT -5
Hmmm, it sounds like we will see rolling offers being made. I still think the offers will start arriving by the end of this month, and keep rolling out through July. How long have candidates had in the past to accept or reject the offer? If they give every candidate 24 business hours to accept, this is 10 weeks - if they have to do one at a time. If they can find a work around to the "before they move to the next city" (and the language appears to allow this) - in other words, make simultaneous offers to candidates that do not have other cities on their list (which might even make a restrictive GAL a slight advantage in this case), they may be able to do it a little faster. Heck, is it possible we'll see offers this week? ETA: Realistically, many will accept the offer on the phone call from Bob - so, he might be able to go to the next name on the list and fill several in a single day.
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Post by cubbietax on Jun 16, 2014 8:42:12 GMT -5
Does Bob make the call or does someone else?
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Post by westernalj on Jun 16, 2014 8:45:23 GMT -5
It seems they have to plan for some offer responses taking the 24 hours, even if many will accept on the phone. So it seems they have to start making offers sooner, particularly with the announced plan to hire another 100 by the end of the year.
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Post by sealaw90 on Jun 16, 2014 8:46:32 GMT -5
I agree completely, there are some variables that would make this a faster process. Ten weeks is crazy and unproductive. I think the idea that simultaneous offers to candidates who are not on the other cities list makes sense, and those cities will be rolled out first. The newsletter also seemed to confirm that the additional 110 ALJs will be hired in FY15, not now, so that leads me to believe our timeline for a second certificate is a few months away...sigh...
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Post by sandiferhands (old) on Jun 16, 2014 8:52:46 GMT -5
Well here's some additional fodder, taken from the AALJ June newsletter; ". . . ODAR/OCALJ has received a certification for those who are eligible to be Judges. There are 47 locations for assignment and there is a separate list for each location. Once ODAR makes an offer to someone on the list, ODAR cannot go on to the next city until a response is received, if any of the same names appear on the next list. ODAR received 2200 names on the 47 lists from OPM, but there were in actuality only 158 different names. . . there are fewer names on the list of those with agency experience, as OPM is seeking more litigation and trial experience for applicants." Hmmm, it sounds like we will see rolling offers being made. I still think the offers will start arriving by the end of this month, and keep rolling out through July. How long have candidates had in the past to accept or reject the offer? Wow--2200 names yielded only 158 unique names? This seems to say that most of those on the 1st cert had very narrow GALs. If OPM controls the decision regarding re-opening GALs then it seems ODAR will have no choice but to request a second cert soon to keep hiring to the level needed. It also may be that the interview and hiring process for the 1st cert will proceed quickly as a huge number of those making the first cert will be quickly recognized as essentially "unemployable" due to their narrow GALs.
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Post by westernalj on Jun 16, 2014 8:55:49 GMT -5
Logically, this doesn't make sense to me though, because SSA can fill the slots in any order it wants. Isn't someone turning down an offer and thus having that selection be done again, effectively the same as filling that position last? It would be different if SSA had to perform the selections in a specific order.
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Post by southerner on Jun 16, 2014 9:25:37 GMT -5
AALJ Newsletter notes the following hiring, OT and other info for 2014 and 2015
20. Budget and Staffing Update (OBFS)
Don Hartline reported the following to the Committee:
• up to 90 ALJs will be hired this fiscal year; interviews are going on now. • 200 clericals and writers will be hired and assigned to the National Case Assistance Centers (NCACs) (Baltimore and St. Louis) for case pulling and writing; 405 will be hired and distributed to Regional Office (he was unable to say whether these staffers would end up in the hearing offices). He noted that current staff to Judge ration that the Agency uses is 4.5:1. Mr. Hartline affirmed that staff to Judge ratio in hearing offices will fall. • For FY 2015, 110 ALJs and associated staff will be hired. Mr. Hartline could not identify how many Judges would be going to hearing offices and how many to the NHCs. • As of the end of April 2014, there were 1,465 ALJs in ODAR. • Overtime has been allotted to the Hearing Offices and additional OT will offered; it is in abundant supply.
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Post by moopigsdad on Jun 16, 2014 9:57:24 GMT -5
Thanks southerner for sharing the information about ODAR and staffing for 2014 and 2015.
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Post by Ace Midnight on Jun 16, 2014 10:31:40 GMT -5
Does Bob make the call or does someone else? I'm using our traditional use of "Bob", but I believe he has made all the offer phone calls for some time now. Of course, I could be wrong.
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Post by Ace Midnight on Jun 16, 2014 10:34:57 GMT -5
Logically, this doesn't make sense to me though, because SSA can fill the slots in any order it wants. Isn't someone turning down an offer and thus having that selection be done again, effectively the same as filling that position last? It would be different if SSA had to perform the selections in a specific order. Honestly - this is where I can see the priority system help them outside of just relocation expenses - they factor it in for the high scorers with relatively expansive GALs - figuring - the candidate put this city in his/her top 5, or 6, good chance of an acceptance, particularly the closer to a #1 you can get. Anything can happen, but if a person goes so far as to put a number priority for a city (and I understand a good percentage of our folks did not do that) - good chance it will be accepted if offered.
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Post by westernalj on Jun 16, 2014 10:37:50 GMT -5
Every location should be accepted if offered though. That's why they just had us verify that we would accept the locations on our original GAL.
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Post by 71stretch on Jun 16, 2014 10:56:14 GMT -5
Does Bob make the call or does someone else? I'm using our traditional use of "Bob", but I believe he has made all the offer phone calls for some time now. Of course, I could be wrong. Bob or one of his assistants make the calls. I do NOT see the offer process taking weeks, under ANY circumstances, no matter what changes in the mechanics of it are occasioned by the new process. A week, tops.
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Post by Ace Midnight on Jun 16, 2014 11:10:07 GMT -5
Every location should be accepted if offered though. That's why they just had us verify that we would accept the locations on our original GAL. Yeah - I should have worded that better - I should have said, "Accepted during the offer call." Some random candidate in New Hampshire who left Harlingen, Texas on his list (perhaps one of those who did not prioritize cities), might ask, "Bob - how long do I have to accept the offer." Again, I suspect we will be at, roughly, a 90% acceptance rate during the call from Bob, and the higher this rate is, the more quickly it will be resolved.
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Post by hopefalj on Jun 16, 2014 11:12:27 GMT -5
Every location should be accepted if offered though. That's why they just had us verify that we would accept the locations on our original GAL. Agreed, but we are dealing with human beings. It's one thing to say you'll do something and another to actually be faced with doing it. That said, I'm not sure there's any requirement for SSA to give a candidate 24 hours to make a decision once they get in touch with that person for that very reason. Phone tag could be another potential delay, although they can theoretically move on to another city since they won't have actually offered the job to the person that can't/doesn't answer their phone.
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Post by hopefalj on Jun 16, 2014 11:16:34 GMT -5
Every location should be accepted if offered though. That's why they just had us verify that we would accept the locations on our original GAL. Yeah - I should have worded that better - I should have said, "Accepted during the offer call." Some random candidate in New Hampshire who left Harlingen, Texas on his list (perhaps one of those who did not prioritize cities), might ask, "Bob - how long do I have to accept the offer." Again, I suspect we will be at, roughly, a 90% acceptance rate during the call from Bob, and the higher this rate is, the more quickly it will be resolved. You're probably right. If you go back and look at the offer threads from the past, the vast majority of posters say something like, "Recieved a call from Bob! Accepted, of course, with a report date of..."
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Post by JudgeRatty on Jun 16, 2014 11:20:15 GMT -5
Well here's some additional fodder, taken from the AALJ June newsletter; ". . . ODAR/OCALJ has received a certification for those who are eligible to be Judges. There are 47 locations for assignment and there is a separate list for each location. Once ODAR makes an offer to someone on the list, ODAR cannot go on to the next city until a response is received, if any of the same names appear on the next list. ODAR received 2200 names on the 47 lists from OPM, but there were in actuality only 158 different names. . . there are fewer names on the list of those with agency experience, as OPM is seeking more litigation and trial experience for applicants." Hmmm, it sounds like we will see rolling offers being made. I still think the offers will start arriving by the end of this month, and keep rolling out through July. How long have candidates had in the past to accept or reject the offer? There is another new thread on this.
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Post by gary on Jun 16, 2014 11:30:52 GMT -5
Didn't we have word from Bob that there were 168 different names, not including Puerto Rico?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2014 12:04:29 GMT -5
Yes but it appears some people dropped cities and maybe some changed their mind.
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Post by hal3000 on Jun 16, 2014 12:50:39 GMT -5
This new process actually makes prioritizing locations seem to mean something. If they want as many quick acceptances as possible they have an incentive to try and put people where they want to be. Huge difference from past practices.
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