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Post by sunshine51 on Aug 23, 2013 12:59:48 GMT -5
Any word on the Carolinas or Virginia?
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Post by robespierre on Aug 23, 2013 13:01:45 GMT -5
Huh. Yeah, I assumed Eugene is one of those places that wouldn't be available to new hires. Please explain that comment for relative newbies? What sorts of locations are typically available to new hires? (PLEASE don't say only very out of the way, undesirable locations.) Thanks!
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Post by sunshine51 on Aug 23, 2013 13:04:47 GMT -5
Thanks Patiently!
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Post by bartleby on Aug 23, 2013 16:32:32 GMT -5
After spending 18-20 months in Toledo, I will say I miss it. It has fantastic staff. Brand new office, It is beatiful, view is unbelievable, everything works, no bad habits as of yet. They are used to Judges arriving and leaving and they act like they want everyone to stay. If I hadn't had 15 semi-trucks of 30 years collection in a home and commercial building, I probably would have stayed. Great airport in Detroit, 45 minutes away, can fly home almost any time. Many, many mom and pop restaurants that you will miss when you leave there. Great place to life is Perrysburg, like the Residents at Carronade. off of 20. A street with everything within 1/2 mile. If you would like, pm me and I will tell you of places to eat, like Shorty's for the best beef ribs in the world..
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Post by mcb on Aug 23, 2013 17:00:33 GMT -5
After spending 18-20 months in Toledo, I will say I miss it. It has fantastic staff. Brand new office, It is beatiful, view is unbelievable, everything works, no bad habits as of yet. They are used to Judges arriving and leaving and they act like they want everyone to stay. If I hadn't had 15 semi-trucks of 30 years collection in a home and commercial building, I probably would have stayed. Great airport in Detroit, 45 minutes away, can fly home almost any time. Many, many mom and pop restaurants that you will miss when you leave there. Great place to life is Perrysburg, like the Residents at Carronade. off of 20. A street with everything within 1/2 mile. If you would like, pm me and I will tell you of places to eat, like Shorty's for the best beef ribs in the world.. All true.
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Post by DreamNalj on Aug 26, 2013 8:17:52 GMT -5
Was only one offer made for Greenville, SC. It is my understanding they are down 3 ALJs?
CONGRATULATIONS to those of you who got the call!!!
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Post by funkyodar on Aug 26, 2013 8:52:12 GMT -5
Was only one offer made for Greenville, SC. It is my understanding they are down 3 ALJs? CONGRATULATIONS to those of you who got the call!!! I think that's about right. Prior to these offers going out I had heard there were 90+ vacancies so it appears they hired for only a third of those. Wether that is the new reality and will be the same ratio when those of us on the new register start getting calls I dunno. I know that my office had 3 vacancies (4 now as one of our aljs just got notice they were picked as HOCALJ for another office) and from the rumors I have heard here and in the office, we got 1 new hire last week. So still leaves 3 open slots.
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Post by Ace Midnight on Aug 26, 2013 9:17:08 GMT -5
I think this is it for this register. The new register will be completed - by my estimation, between Halloween and Christmas Day.
The first certificate off the new register will be something like January 2014 (small cert), then February, ODAR cert, with interviews March/April for a 100 to 125 person hire, offers in May, report in June, training July/August. Obviously, I could be off a month either way - perhaps much more.
However, that would match the battle rhythm of past hirings.
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cmet8
Full Member
Posts: 39
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Post by cmet8 on Aug 26, 2013 9:38:05 GMT -5
Does anyone know what cities had vacancies that were filled other than the 7 mentioned on the board?
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Post by funkyodar on Aug 26, 2013 9:50:56 GMT -5
This is all rumor and hearsay, but from what I have heard from people close to people that were involved (so, like third and sometimes fourth hand) there is no way there will be another cert off the old register. SSA didnt really want to do this one. Supposedly SSA wanted new testing and a new register and OPM took the position that there were still plenty of qualified folks on the old register. After fights in congress and congressional commitees, a compromise was reached. OPM would do new testing and create a new register and SSA would do one more small hire from the old register (if they had hiring authority/budget authorization).
Thus, this last hiring was a result of an unprecedented chance for those on the register to expand their GAL and was an additional cert well beyond the number of certs issued from regsiters in the past. And, if the rumors and hearsay can be believed, was done to fulfill SSA's agreement with OPM and but for that agreement would never have been done. In fact, because SSA had the caveat that they would only do it if they had budgetary hiring authority, there was some real concern that they would not even make the hire, instead hiding behind the budget loophole.
So, chalk me up as one that thinks there is no way another cert or hiring from the old register happens. I've been wrong in the past 9once or twice maybe, I'll have to check with Mrs. funky for the actual numbers) but I just cant see another hire when the new register is thisclose to be in place.
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Post by sealaw90 on Aug 26, 2013 9:52:29 GMT -5
Thanks Ace, I like your predicted timeline. Will someone please post any other cities that folks on this last cert got offered? I know this board doesn't reach everyone, but maybe we could cobble together a complete list. I'd love to know which region 3 offices got a new hire off this cert.
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Post by funkyodar on Aug 26, 2013 9:54:37 GMT -5
From what I recall (without going back thru the thread) we have reports of hires for Middlesboro KY, Dallas North, Mt. Pleasant, Toledo, Tupelo MS, Valpraiso and......?
EDIT: Also Eugene OR
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Post by funkyodar on Aug 26, 2013 9:59:36 GMT -5
This is all rumor and hearsay, but from what I have heard from people close to people that were involved (so, like third and sometimes fourth hand) there is no way there will be another cert off the old register. SSA didnt really want to do this one. Supposedly SSA wanted new testing and a new register and OPM took the position that there were still plenty of qualified folks on the old register. After fights in congress and congressional commitees, a compromise was reached. OPM would do new testing and create a new register and SSA would do one more small hire from the old register (if they had hiring authority/budget authorization). Thus, this last hiring was a result of an unprecedented chance for those on the register to expand their GAL and was an additional cert well beyond the number of certs issued from regsiters in the past. And, if the rumors and hearsay can be believed, was done to fulfill SSA's agreement with OPM and but for that agreement would never have been done. In fact, because SSA had the caveat that they would only do it if they had budgetary hiring authority, there was some real concern that they would not even make the hire, instead hiding behind the budget loophole. So, chalk me up as one that thinks there is no way another cert or hiring from the old register happens. I've been wrong in the past 9once or twice maybe, I'll have to check with Mrs. funky for the actual numbers) but I just cant see another hire when the new register is thisclose to be in place. On a somewhat related note, any intel out there on CMS? They haven't had a certificate in a long time. I'm guessing they are also holding out on requesting a cert and waiting on this new Register to be in place. Sorry P...I dont have any friends with them so no inside info...but I imagine you are right.
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Post by cinderella on Aug 26, 2013 11:14:33 GMT -5
Does anyone know if there were any declinations and if so, will they back fill them with alternates?
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Post by JudgeRatty on Aug 26, 2013 11:45:10 GMT -5
I think this is it for this register. The new register will be completed - by my estimation, between Halloween and Christmas Day. The first certificate off the new register will be something like January 2014 (small cert), then February, ODAR cert, with interviews March/April for a 100 to 125 person hire, offers in May, report in June, training July/August. Obviously, I could be off a month either way - perhaps much more. However, that would match the battle rhythm of past hirings. I wonder if the scoring will take place after all the exams have been administered or if it is being done as we speak. I wish they would do the scoring as groups finish but even if they do, all the NORs will come out at the same time after everyone finishes. Who knows! I imagine doing them as they roll out would be better than holding onto all of them to do all at once, especially if they want to be ready with the register as quickly as possible. Then again it may be an issue of staffing. We may never know, but it would be interesting to find out.
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Post by bartleby on Aug 26, 2013 11:51:23 GMT -5
As far as the filling of only 30 slots out of 90, this is not the recent past practice. Astrue wanted every ALJ desk filled. I do not know what the desire of the Acting Commissioner will be. Rumor had it she was an operations person, so there may be more push on the operations/field side of the Agency. Time will tell. Can't work down the back log without Judges though. I am sure that after offers are excepted there will be an official list posted as to who got what where, so be patient. There may be one or two refusals or offer turn downs, so there may be a tiny bit more action..
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Post by sealaw90 on Aug 26, 2013 12:13:55 GMT -5
As far as the filling of only 30 slots out of 90, this is not the recent past practice. Astrue wanted every ALJ desk filled. I do not know what the desire of the Acting Commissioner will be. Rumor had it she was an operations person, so there may be more push on the operations/field side of the Agency. Time will tell. Can't work down the back log without Judges though. I am sure that after offers are excepted there will be an official list posted as to who got what where, so be patient. There may be one or two refusals or offer turn downs, so there may be a tiny bit more action.. Thanks Bartleby, again, the outsiders rely on the insiders to provide us posts of official lists, and other good nuggets of info. I will be patient - afterall, I have to wait a few more months for the new register, so what's a few weeks for the list of new ALJs from the last cert!
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Post by funkyodar on Aug 26, 2013 12:18:17 GMT -5
As far as the filling of only 30 slots out of 90, this is not the recent past practice. Astrue wanted every ALJ desk filled. I do not know what the desire of the Acting Commissioner will be. Rumor had it she was an operations person, so there may be more push on the operations/field side of the Agency. Time will tell. Can't work down the back log without Judges though. I am sure that after offers are excepted there will be an official list posted as to who got what where, so be patient. There may be one or two refusals or offer turn downs, so there may be a tiny bit more action.. But that's just it, Bart. I'm afraid the current, unspoken policy is to not deal with the backlog. Congress screaming at SSA about "paying down" the backlog all the while cutting SSA's budget. SSA's response: severely curtail the Senior Attorney Adjudicator program, start "quality over quantity" campaign complete with quality review boards, do away with the office monthly dispositional goals (while keeping the Judge goals) and not filling all or even most of the vacant alj slots. Maybe I'm too big of a conspiracy nut, but it certainly looks like dealing with the backlog is no longer SSA's priority. In fact, kinda looks like maybe they want the backlog to grow so people get upset and maybe congress gets off SSA's back and gives them the funds they "need." Couple the background of the acting commissioner (that you cited) with the fact that field offices have been unable to hire for years and I think you have a recipe for only minimal alj hiring (actually hoping for 1/3 like the current hire).
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cmet8
Full Member
Posts: 39
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Post by cmet8 on Aug 26, 2013 12:37:29 GMT -5
As far as the filling of only 30 slots out of 90, this is not the recent past practice. Astrue wanted every ALJ desk filled. I do not know what the desire of the Acting Commissioner will be. Rumor had it she was an operations person, so there may be more push on the operations/field side of the Agency. Time will tell. Can't work down the back log without Judges though. I am sure that after offers are excepted there will be an official list posted as to who got what where, so be patient. There may be one or two refusals or offer turn downs, so there may be a tiny bit more action.. Thanks, Bartley! Your insight is always appreciated!
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Post by redryder on Aug 26, 2013 12:45:36 GMT -5
Vacant ALJ offices are just part of the hiring consideration. If there are low receipts per ALJ for the area served, there is less incentive to put a body into that office. Another consideration is the staff to ALJ ratio. Having been here through hiring highs and lows, no office wants another ALJ if there is an insufficient number of support staff. Some things can be farmed out for assistance like working up cases and writing decisions, but others can only be done in-house. And finally there is that matter of a budget. No money means no hires. When it comes to when and how many ALJs will be hired by any agency at this time, it is anybody's guess. My guess is that there won't be any action taken until the budget is resolved. For several years, that has not been resolved until April or May.
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