mabel
New Member
Posts: 10 
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Post by mabel on Mar 31, 2014 16:37:27 GMT -5
Is everyone assuming these new ALJ classes will receive the generous relocation, househunting, etc., benefits that previous classes have received? SSA has greatly reduced such benefits for other new hires, and at least one leader in my ODAR office has expressed skepticism that we can assume this. Thoughts?
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Post by funkyodar on Mar 31, 2014 17:50:18 GMT -5
I anticipate the relo packages will be the standard entitlements fed employees have got in the past. I could certainly be wrong.
But relo was noted to be authorized in the announcement (IIRC). And I have to think ssa had the forethought to budget relo costs into its new hire budget before they decided how many to hire.
One benefit of this register being insider light, ssa will have fewer insiders to hire and, therefore less relo to pay.
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Post by chessparent on Mar 31, 2014 18:48:37 GMT -5
Course, that could be one way to save money also. Don't hire any insiders. Did I just say that. Forget it. Hire all the insiders!!
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Post by JudgeRatty on Mar 31, 2014 19:13:42 GMT -5
Course, that could be one way to save money also. Don't hire any insiders. Did I just say that. Forget it. Hire all the insiders!! Ouch! Dang it! LOL! |
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Post by futuressaalj on Mar 31, 2014 19:27:25 GMT -5
Is everyone assuming these new ALJ classes will receive the generous relocation, househunting, etc., benefits that previous classes have received? SSA has greatly reduced such benefits for other new hires, and at least one leader in my ODAR office has expressed skepticism that we can assume this. Thoughts? I am a fed employee and i would nottake the job if offerred without relo. My pay is not that far behind what aljs make and i am not going to move to a not so great location when compared to where i live now without relocation pay |
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Post by chessparent on Mar 31, 2014 19:58:36 GMT -5
Is everyone assuming these new ALJ classes will receive the generous relocation, househunting, etc., benefits that previous classes have received? SSA has greatly reduced such benefits for other new hires, and at least one leader in my ODAR office has expressed skepticism that we can assume this. Thoughts? I am a fed employee and i would nottake the job if offerred without relo. My pay is not that far behind what aljs make and i am not going to move to a not so great location when compared to where i live now without relocation pay I'm with you. I think very few of us would. |
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Post by JudgeRatty on Mar 31, 2014 20:18:38 GMT -5
I am a fed employee and i would nottake the job if offerred without relo. My pay is not that far behind what aljs make and i am not going to move to a not so great location when compared to where i live now without relocation pay I'm with you. I think very few of us would. Yep. |
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Post by crab on Mar 31, 2014 21:07:32 GMT -5
Even if the register is SSA insider light, it doesn't mean it's fed light so relo expenses would still need to be shelled out. I'd bet a lot of feds would move without relo expenses ... Do I hear a poll in the making?  |
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Post by funkyodar on Mar 31, 2014 21:10:59 GMT -5
To be honest, I'd probably take it even without relo. The salary bump is enough of a justification.
Though, were relo not offered, I'd likely cut some of my gal. And some would only remain on my list if I felt I could transfer quickly rather than permanently move there.
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Post by minny on Mar 31, 2014 21:38:15 GMT -5
I'm with you. I think very few of us would. Yep. Yep, again. |
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Post by Highlander on Mar 31, 2014 22:18:13 GMT -5
What does relocation consist of? Just actual moving expenses? Or more than that?
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Post by JudgeRatty on Mar 31, 2014 22:30:16 GMT -5
What does relocation consist of? Just actual moving expenses? Or more than that? Rather than reinvent the wheel look at prior discussions on this. Here is one thread but if you use the search function you can find many others as well: aljdiscussion.proboards.com/post/44124/thread |
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Post by Friant on Apr 1, 2014 7:32:13 GMT -5
Do current ALJs who request transfer get relocation expenses?
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Post by JudgeRatty on Apr 1, 2014 8:14:59 GMT -5
Do current ALJs who request transfer get relocation expenses? No they do not. This is a huge factor to consider when taking a position in an in which you do not think you will stay. They will pay for your first move if you are a federal employee, and then if you later get a HOCALJ position. They also pay to transfer to a NHC but last I heard, that may change. I have not heard that is in stone though, so these 3 paid moves: 1st time federal employee, HOCALJ, and NHC. |
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Post by moopigsdad on Apr 1, 2014 8:36:25 GMT -5
I wasn't going to say anything because of many "insider" friends, but quite frankly as an "outsider" I don't believe the Federal Government should pay for any transfer for an employee voluntarily taking a position. It's one thing to be moved to another location against your will or choice and a totally different thing to choose to move to another location and job. If you are choosing to take a position, I don't believe you should be entitled to relocation expenses. I know this will upset several of my "insider" friends, but the reality of the situation shouldn't allow such payment IMHO. However, I do know that the Federal Government does offer it and you would be a fool not to take advantage of it as an "insider", if it is offered to you.  |
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Post by JudgeRatty on Apr 1, 2014 8:43:59 GMT -5
I wasn't going to say anything because of many "insider" friends, but quite frankly as an "outsider" I don't believe the Federal Government should pay for any transfer for an employee voluntarily taking a position. It's one thing to be moved to another location against your will or choice and a totally different thing to choose to move to another location and job. If you are choosing to take a position, I don't believe you should be entitled to relocation expenses. I know this will upset several of my "insider" friends, but the reality of the situation shouldn't allow such payment IMHO. However, I do know that the Federal Government does offer it and you would be a fool not to take advantage of it as an "insider", if it is offered to you. I can see your point. Totally doesn't upset me either. I think it is a huge perk to feds and I am very grateful to have it. It is certainly something they could do away with at some point, and that would certainly narrow a lot of GALs. It is one thing to move the family cross country a few hundred miles, and quite another 900 miles...big expense difference. Not to mention the housing, travel, routine moving costs, and the home buy back option. Yep, that would certainly be a factor. I think that may spur a lot of garage sales and clean outs. LOL! |
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Post by funkyodar on Apr 1, 2014 8:44:54 GMT -5
If I understand correctly:
A current federal employee that accepts a job where relo has been authorized (and it was for alj hiring) and the new position is in a different geographical area (apparently defined as more than 50 miles from your current residence), the employee is entitled to relo benefits. Those benefits are very generous and include:
1. a househunting trip for you and your spouse where the gov pays for your travel, accommodation and per diem for like 3 days to allow meeting with a realtor and seeing houses, apartments, etc.
2. temporary housing and per diem for each member of your family for like 60 to 90 days.
3. They pay for professional movers to pack you and deliver your possessions to your new place or to storage. They also pay for some period of storage.
4. you can sell your home yourself or go thru one of a couple different gov sponsored methods. If it doesn't sell within the time period you choose in the gov method, they will buy your home. What the time periods are and how they determine the market value they pay is not within my limited knowledge.
A couple other tidbits:
You can choose to keep receipts or take a prefigured lump sum for expenses they cover.
As sratty noted, you only get this to your initial duty station. So, if you are in city X and they assign you to city Y but you want to transfer to city Z, you can't save the benefit and use it to move from X to Z. You do have some period (a year, 2?) to claim the benefits tho. Relo will only be paid to existing judges if its for a hocalj job, the move was at the request of ssa or if its to an nhc (though I think I read they ceased doing it for nhc).
If you take the relo benefits and then don't stay where they sent you for at least a year (maybe 2?) you have to pay it back.
You don't have to take all the benefits. You can just take the ones you need.
Ok, that's what I got from reading the board and the regs (a while back). Let me know what I got wrong.
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Post by funkyodar on Apr 1, 2014 8:46:19 GMT -5
I wasn't going to say anything because of many "insider" friends, but quite frankly as an "outsider" I don't believe the Federal Government should pay for any transfer for an employee voluntarily taking a position. It's one thing to be moved to another location against your will or choice and a totally different thing to choose to move to another location and job. If you are choosing to take a position, I don't believe you should be entitled to relocation expenses. I know this will upset several of my "insider" friends, but the reality of the situation shouldn't allow such payment IMHO. However, I do know that the Federal Government does offer it and you would be a fool not to take advantage of it as an "insider", if it is offered to you. I agree completely. But, if its offered, my funky momma didn't raise no fool. |
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Post by owl on Apr 1, 2014 10:23:29 GMT -5
I wasn't going to say anything because of many "insider" friends, but quite frankly as an "outsider" I don't believe the Federal Government should pay for any transfer for an employee voluntarily taking a position. It's one thing to be moved to another location against your will or choice and a totally different thing to choose to move to another location and job. If you are choosing to take a position, I don't believe you should be entitled to relocation expenses. I know this will upset several of my "insider" friends, but the reality of the situation shouldn't allow such payment IMHO. However, I do know that the Federal Government does offer it and you would be a fool not to take advantage of it as an "insider", if it is offered to you. I will politely disagree. Relo is not an uncommon benefit in large private sector employers, because it has benefits for the employer as well as the employee. Fed pay for lawyers - especially experienced ones - already lags the private sector significantly. While I have no problem with some pay disparity because I believe in the concept of public service, I think the public is well served when the gov't does some of what the private sector does to attract and retain good workers. Relo doesn't cost that much in the grand scheme of things. If I were king I would pay it to outsiders as well!  |
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Post by moopigsdad on Apr 1, 2014 10:52:58 GMT -5
I wasn't going to say anything because of many "insider" friends, but quite frankly as an "outsider" I don't believe the Federal Government should pay for any transfer for an employee voluntarily taking a position. It's one thing to be moved to another location against your will or choice and a totally different thing to choose to move to another location and job. If you are choosing to take a position, I don't believe you should be entitled to relocation expenses. I know this will upset several of my "insider" friends, but the reality of the situation shouldn't allow such payment IMHO. However, I do know that the Federal Government does offer it and you would be a fool not to take advantage of it as an "insider", if it is offered to you. I will politely disagree. Relo is not an uncommon benefit in large private sector employers, because it has benefits for the employer as well as the employee. Fed pay for lawyers - especially experienced ones - already lags the private sector significantly. While I have no problem with some pay disparity because I believe in the concept of public service, I think the public is well served when the gov't does some of what the private sector does to attract and retain good workers. Relo doesn't cost that much in the grand scheme of things. If I were king I would pay it to outsiders as well! My attempt wasn't to pick on "insiders" at all.. As to private businesses you are somewhat correct, but it is almost universally the company transferring the worker, not the worker asking for transfer that gets relocation costs. So, much like my earlier post, I personally believe relocation costs should only be paid for an individual transferred not by his or her choice. If you make the choice yourself to move for a job, then you should pay your own relocation costs, IMHO. People differ on opinions as we seem to do on this topic. I don't blame you for taking advantage of the relocation costs, if they are offered to you, as I would probably do the same if I was in your shoes. |
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