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Post by JudgeRatty on Jun 3, 2015 23:40:57 GMT -5
I have heard from 3 different people now (directly and indirectly) that those who are offered June 29th as a start date are NOT being given an option to delay the start as in other classes.
Now, don't go getting into a frenzy of trying to figure out some reason for this. It could be as simple as they need to fill the class at hand and have no delays. It could be they are worried about how long OPM will return certs if they have asked for more cities for the next group. We do NOT know any details. ALL we know for sure is that there are NO delayed starts with this group. Fact.
So think about this when you prepare to get the call. Do not assume you get a delay. It is clearly not an option (at least for this class).
Good luck to all! |
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Post by luckylady2 on Jun 3, 2015 23:49:44 GMT -5
Wow - Thanks for the intel, SrAtty! And congrats! again!
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Post by Patience on Jun 3, 2015 23:57:19 GMT -5
My vote is that it means that they are going to try to hire for all of the cities in this group of certs for the June 29 class!
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Post by moopigsdad on Jun 4, 2015 7:13:41 GMT -5
My vote is that it means that they are going to try to hire for all of the cities in this group of certs for the June 29 class! It may mean SSA wants two full classes, not one class with deferrals to the next start date. SSA is trying to meet its hiring goal. |
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Post by saaao on Jun 4, 2015 19:40:39 GMT -5
I thought I read in the other thread that someone was told that they could not defer because no future classes had been scheduled at this time. I find it surprising that a future class is not even penciled in at this point. I wonder if something has happened with OPM. Even if the register is running low there should be plenty of names for two or three more classes at least.
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Post by gary on Jun 4, 2015 20:07:19 GMT -5
I thought I read in the other thread that someone was told that they could not defer because no future classes had been scheduled at this time. I find it surprising that a future class is not even penciled in at this point. I wonder if something has happened with OPM. Even if the register is running low there should be plenty of names for two or three more classes at least. They said the next class is not scheduled at this time. That does not mean they aren't planning to have one, possibly soon. |
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Post by JudgeRatty on Jun 4, 2015 20:12:57 GMT -5
I thought I read in the other thread that someone was told that they could not defer because no future classes had been scheduled at this time. I find it surprising that a future class is not even penciled in at this point. I wonder if something has happened with OPM. Even if the register is running low there should be plenty of names for two or three more classes at least. They said the next class is not scheduled at this time. That does not mean they aren't planning to have one, possibly soon. Exactly. Don't read into this. |
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Post by ibnlurkin on Jun 4, 2015 20:34:40 GMT -5
They said the next class is not scheduled at this time. That does not mean they aren't planning to have one, possibly soon. Exactly. Don't read into this. As much as it may make my life very difficult..... If I ever get the call....the no deferral policy seems to makes sense. isn't it just one more moving part to keep track of ? |
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Post by luckylady2 on Jun 4, 2015 20:40:36 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm not sure I get it. It seems to me that if you aim to hire 40 for a particular class, and out of the first 40 acceptances, 3 ask to defer to the next class, wouldn't you do the next 3 hires on the list to fill in the current class? We've seen late fill-ins before.
It just seems that there's some other reason that they're responding like that, and it certainly could be purely administrative - like still trying to get instructors in place around vacation season. Totally outsider SWAG on my part.
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Post by gary on Jun 4, 2015 20:58:55 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm not sure I get it. It seems to me that if you aim to hire 40 for a particular class, and out of the first 40 acceptances, 3 ask to defer to the next class, wouldn't you do the next 3 hires on the list to fill in the current class? We've seen late fill-ins before. It just seems that there's some other reason that they're responding like that, and it certainly could be purely administrative - like still trying to get instructors in place around vacation season. Totally outsider SWAG on my part. Maybe SSA is trying at the eleventh hour to do 4 classes (inclusive of the 6/29 class) rather than 3 and hasn't managed to totally line things up to start an end of July class. I can see them being unwilling to defer a start date to an undetermined date. |
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Post by JudgeRatty on Jun 4, 2015 21:03:13 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm not sure I get it. It seems to me that if you aim to hire 40 for a particular class, and out of the first 40 acceptances, 3 ask to defer to the next class, wouldn't you do the next 3 hires on the list to fill in the current class? We've seen late fill-ins before. It just seems that there's some other reason that they're responding like that, and it certainly could be purely administrative - like still trying to get instructors in place around vacation season. Totally outsider SWAG on my part. Maybe SSA is trying at the eleventh hour to do 4 classes (inclusive of the 6/29 class) rather than 3 and hasn't managed to totally line things up to start an end of July class. I can see them being unwilling to defer a start date to an undetermined date. EXACTLY! |
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Post by 71stretch on Jun 5, 2015 1:31:20 GMT -5
My SWAG: The lack of deferrals and no start date for next class could be explained by the fact that the next class would run into FY 16. It looks like there is going to be a fight over the FY 16 funding levels, and some agencies are finding it hard to plan. I don't think so. I think it is more likely that they are not ready to pin down a start date for the next group, and don't want to leave offers open for some indefinite date. It's either 6/29 or nothing, this time around. |
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Post by Missundaztood on Jun 5, 2015 7:20:05 GMT -5
My SWAG: The lack of deferrals and no start date for next class could be explained by the fact that the next class would run into FY 16. It looks like there is going to be a fight over the FY 16 funding levels, and some agencies are finding it hard to plan. That is not correct, unless it has changed since I practiced federal fiscal law. Once funding is there (for the FY '15 hires), they just need to be brought onboard before the FY ends. There is a huge rush at the end of the FY in most agencies to make sure this happens. And the common thought is you need to use the money allotted or Congress will think the agency doesn't need it, and fund accordingly the following FY. |
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Post by Pixie on Jun 5, 2015 8:00:48 GMT -5
My SWAG: The lack of deferrals and no start date for next class could be explained by the fact that the next class would run into FY 16. It looks like there is going to be a fight over the FY 16 funding levels, and some agencies are finding it hard to plan. That is not correct, unless it has changed since I practiced federal fiscal law. Once funding is there (for the FY '15 hires), they just need to be brought onboard before the FY ends. There is a huge rush at the end of the FY in most agencies to make sure this happens. And the common thought is you need to use the money allotted or Congress will think the agency doesn't need it, and fund accordingly the following FY. That's right; new employees only need to be brought onboard before the end of the FY. Pix. |
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Post by Gaidin on Jun 5, 2015 8:02:38 GMT -5
My SWAG: The lack of deferrals and no start date for next class could be explained by the fact that the next class would run into FY 16. It looks like there is going to be a fight over the FY 16 funding levels, and some agencies are finding it hard to plan. That is not correct, unless it has changed since I practiced federal fiscal law. Once funding is there (for the FY '15 hires), they just need to be brought onboard before the FY ends. There is a huge rush at the end of the FY in most agencies to make sure this happens. And the common thought is you need to use the money allotted or Congress will think the agency doesn't need it, and fund accordingly the following FY. This is why I think they aren't canceling it but may have more moving parts like an additional class, OPM's problems, or something else slowing them down. |
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Post by JudgeRatty on Jun 5, 2015 8:18:14 GMT -5
That is not correct, unless it has changed since I practiced federal fiscal law. Once funding is there (for the FY '15 hires), they just need to be brought onboard before the FY ends. There is a huge rush at the end of the FY in most agencies to make sure this happens. And the common thought is you need to use the money allotted or Congress will think the agency doesn't need it, and fund accordingly the following FY. This is why I think they aren't canceling it but may have more moving parts like an additional class, OPM's problems, or something else slowing them down. Completely agree. I posted starting dates in some other thread but there were 3 specific dates in the works (one of which is June 29th) with a potential 4th but that date was not solid. The mantra has not changed. They still plan to hire all through this fiscal like they have been saying all along. There is no need to doubt this.
Simply because they have said no delays does not translate to cancelled plans. Remember how long it took to get certs back the last time? If they are waiting on additional certs for some (a few, several, who knows how many) to fill the next class, they would be reluctant to give dates for the next start. If they gave that delayed date, and then things did not work out it could be quite the mess. And frankly, maybe there is nothing strange going on. Maybe they simply want a yes to the date given with no complications or delayed starts. Hard to say, but the bottom line is that more hires will happen, the money is there for this fiscal as others have already noted.
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Post by anotherfed on Jun 5, 2015 9:03:53 GMT -5
Another thing to consider: if offers have to go out in a certain order for ODAR to be able to reach who they want to reach, a deferral may mean the next 10 people can't be hired. We know that once an offer is extended, a 24 hour "let me think about it, this is all so sudden" will halt the entire process. Until a new hire is on board, s/he is still a prospect. So that prospect's city is still in limbo. That could explain the relatively small classes we have seen thus far from this Register. Now that we're getting close to the end of the fiscal, time's a wastin' and ODAR can't afford to be as flexible as for prior classes. It would have been nice to have more than 3 weeks to wrap up my life before I headed out, but that's the nature of the game. As I was cramming as much as I could into my little hatchback, I envied the former military people who know how to relocate on a dime in an organized, efficient manner. I may never find my wool socks (I know they must be somewhere in my car).
I know the lack of a deferral will be a hardship to some who have to close out practices, but for most of us it is an inconvenience. Go with the flow and enjoy the adventure -- it can be exhilarating. Yes, it's hard to move away from your home and family, but it can be done -- our military folks do it every day. And everything doesn't have to be done at once -- you are the only one who has to be there on the reporting date.
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Post by gary on Jun 5, 2015 9:06:36 GMT -5
If they are going to have 4 more classes (inclusive of the 6/29 class) before the end of the current FY, and if they are not going to use another site (like a hotel) for some of the training, the classes have to be for new ALJs reporting for work on: 6/29, 7/27, 8/24, and 9/21.
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Post by prescient on Jun 5, 2015 9:37:41 GMT -5
If they are going to have 4 more classes (inclusive of the 6/29 class) before the end of the current FY, and if they are not going to use another site (like a hotel) for some of the training, the classes have to be for new ALJs reporting for work on: 6/29, 7/27, 8/24, and 9/21. My guess is there will just be 2 classes after 6/29, 8/10 and 9/21. Based on how things have gone, I don't get the impression that they are able to squeeze classes in every 4 weeks. |
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Post by redryder on Jun 5, 2015 9:55:31 GMT -5
Being an adherent of the KISS philosophy, your speculations are way too complex for me. Have you ever considered that granting deferrals causes problems with working the transfer list? When the job for a particular site is offered, the transfer list has been worked and no sitting ALJ accepted the transfer. But remember that transfer list is always in flux. If candidate defers and asks for a later report date, there is a vacancy in that spot when the next round of hires starts. And a sitting ALJ who got the transfer list after the deferral but before the report date has a legitimate claim that he should be offered the opporturnity to transfer before a new hire is put in that site.
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