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Post by sandiferhands (old) on Sept 15, 2014 9:38:00 GMT -5
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Post by hilltopper on Sept 15, 2014 17:12:31 GMT -5
Greetings from Falls Church/Pentagon City:
It was a good first day. Low stress. Nice Intro.
The training rooms are now set up with a 2-monitor system at each position - like we have in our home offices. It makes navigating the digital materials and data systems a lot more "user friendly." In the past, each attendee had a one-screen system that made it tougher to navigate into the windows that were hidden from view.
The training cadre is excellent, professional and quite diverse in their backgrounds. Even those of us who are NODARS have folks we can relate to in the cadre who came to their position as an ALJ with the Agency from outside.
Deputy Chief ALJ John Allen Greeted us and acknowledged the presence of TigerLaw, FunkyODAR, BagLady, DukeHoops, AgilityMom and others by their board moniker. DCALJ Allen acknowledged amazement that often times he was reading info posted by Funky that had been put out just an hour before Funky posted. So, it is apparent that Funky's sources run deep. ... And management reads the board. [Side soap box: Be careful what you post. Play nice.]
SSA Deputy Commissioner for Disability Adjudication and Review, Glenn Sklar spoke to us for about 15 minutes. For you folks still on the Register - take heart. During his talk he confirmed that he is hopeful that ODAR will be able to add between 150 and 300 more judges in the next year - in order to get the ranks back up to the point where it can handle the 980,000 cases currently pending.
Commissioner Sklar summarized the current lack of adequate staffing as the result of: (1) the worst recession in 50+ years which lead to a substantial increase in applications as folks became unemployed; (2) the Sequester; and (3) a new selection process that has taken over 2 years to implement and navigate. It was good to meet the the man who is responsible for the 10,000+ employees in ODAR and hear his vision for where we have been and where we are going.
Both DCALJ Allen and Commissioner Sklar expressed hope that a 2nd cert would come soon but were purposefully vague about timeframes. [So, repeating my mantra ... stay calm. Breathe in. Breathe out. The Cert will happen. And even though worrying gives you something to do ... it doesn't get you anywhere.]
After their remarks, it was into the materials on a walk before you run basis. The Outlines are straight-forward. The materials we use are well-done and under constant scrutiny and revision to make them better. I especially like the integration of hyperlinks into the Agenda that take you directly to the course materials. It makes keeping up with the trainers quite a bit easier. And having two screens is so much easier.
To summarize: It was one of the best first days I have had in a government environment. We were welcomed; given a good history and overview; provided with understandable and easy to use materials; and, we started crawling before walking, so we will be ready to move more quickly in the next couple of weeks.
And all of this was done without making us NODARS feel like we were crippled or lagging behind. Hopefully, we will be able to keep up.
One final note: I am amazed at the diversity of talent in the room among the newly appointed ALJs. Some have done things we hear about on the news. Many have been dedicated public servants at both the state and federal level for years. About a third are ODAR insiders and, (I think the number I heard was that) about 70% come from some form of federal/government service (including the ODAR insiders). So, it appears we are a balance of insiders, outsiders and public servants.
ht
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witty
Full Member
i tawt i taw a puddy tat (Livingston/Foster/May/ made famous by Tweety B.)
Posts: 66
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Post by witty on Sept 15, 2014 17:24:01 GMT -5
HT, thank you for the info.
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Post by bikingnut on Sept 15, 2014 17:41:00 GMT -5
Hi Hilltopper,
Not sure if this is the right place to put this, but any idea of whether the 300 planned new ALJs may be coming from the current list or when a new process might be needed? I missed the process for this list. Planning in case I'm not selected for the IJ positions for which I applied. Thanks.
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Post by futuressaalj on Sept 15, 2014 18:01:30 GMT -5
HT thank you for the information, it has been very quiet lately and I am glad you were able to give us some more fuel to keep us going. Interesting that Management has been reading the board like the rest of us wannabes.
Bikingnut, you have arrived to the party late but in any case, welcome. The current register was just established a few months ago and they just hired the first batch of people. Estimates are that the register is 900-1000 people and they have only looked at 168 peole for 70 positions that were hired. The testing process took over a year and conventional wisdom is that there will not be a refresh (testing) of the register or a new register for at least a couple of years.
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Post by zepplin on Sept 15, 2014 18:06:08 GMT -5
Hilltopper- thank you for breaking the silence. And... of course a request... what does "within the next year" mean?
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Post by gary on Sept 15, 2014 18:30:29 GMT -5
ht, thanks for the extremely interesting and informative post.
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Post by yellowrose on Sept 15, 2014 18:32:07 GMT -5
Hilltopper: Love that TigerLaw, FunkyODAR, BagLady, DukeHoops, AgilityMom were all mention on Day One. Thanks for the update and please keep them coming!
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Post by agilitymom on Sept 15, 2014 19:52:16 GMT -5
Hilltopper- thank you for breaking the silence. And... of course a request... what does "within the next year" mean? I took it to mean that it would be within the next year (as in calendar). Just keep in mind that it would most likely involve multiple rounds of selection vice one big hire. But who's to say. Exact numbers and dates were not disclosed.
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Post by BagLady on Sept 15, 2014 20:09:44 GMT -5
There's wine in my room (and, technically, in my glass). ETA: I met Funky at check-in. The man, the myth, the legend. Is he really 8 feet tall, with arms to make Paul Bunyan jealous, and a Santa Claus like twinkle in his eyes? He really is.
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Post by BagLady on Sept 15, 2014 20:14:41 GMT -5
OMG, I snorted wine. Sandi, that was fantastic!
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Post by hilltopper on Sept 15, 2014 20:40:30 GMT -5
Hilltopper- thank you for breaking the silence. And... of course a request... what does "within the next year" mean? I took it to mean that it would be within the next year (as in calendar). Just keep in mind that it would most likely involve multiple rounds of selection vice one big hire. But who's to say. Exact numbers and dates were not disclosed. Agreed AM. The new FY begins October 1. So, here's an instance where the 150 - 300 number mentioned by Commissioner Sklar "in the next year" could be either the next FY (which would be within the next 12 month period) ... or the next calendar year. Again, folks, keep taking deep breaths. I got the sense that management wants it to happen soon. Good luck. ht
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Post by bikingnut on Sept 15, 2014 20:40:54 GMT -5
FutureSSAALJ: Thanks--yes, I am late to the party. I was figuring the current register would be quite robust since there was no limit to how many could apply for the process. I'll keep hanging around. Thank you so much for the info!
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Post by mamaru on Sept 15, 2014 21:23:47 GMT -5
Bikingnut, there's a wealth of information on the Board, with info as to pitfalls in the application process, how to select a GAL, all sorts of good stuff that will help you enormously when your time to apply comes. In the meantime, welcome.
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Post by 71stretch on Sept 15, 2014 23:32:17 GMT -5
Hi Hilltopper, Not sure if this is the right place to put this, but any idea of whether the 300 planned new ALJs may be coming from the current list or when a new process might be needed? I missed the process for this list. Planning in case I'm not selected for the IJ positions for which I applied. Thanks. They spent a fortune and a lot of time getting this register together. Any hiring that happens in the next 18 months, at least, will come from the current register, with the possible addition of those with successful appeals, although those involved have no idea what's going on there. If an IJ is offered, it is the proverbial bird in the hand. Only you can decide what to do.
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Post by saaao on Sept 16, 2014 5:33:05 GMT -5
Hilltopper- thank you for breaking the silence. And... of course a request... what does "within the next year" mean? I have no information in regards to ALJ hiring, but the Government is set to be operating under a short term continuing resolution until an omnibus appropriations bill can be passed. While there is two years of overall budget authority, the money still has to be divied up each year. Last I read in Politico the deal for this continuing resolution was to run it to December 11th, to let the mid-terms get out of the way, but still let this Congress vote on this years appropriations. Agencies don't usually like to hire, give overtime, etc. when operating under a continuing resolution unless it is for a long term (like a year). Also late November starts vacation season for Feds, and everyone is running with large amounts of staff on leave. Given those to two factors, I would strongly suspect that the next year refers to January or later. On the flip side if they do issue certs prior to that, it would probably be the first week of the FY (October), to try and get everything done before everyone goes on leave. All of that is a semi-educated guess of course, and the ALJ hiring process is byzantine even by the standards of federal government hiring. But my bet would be next year means start of the actual calendar year.
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Post by bikingnut on Sept 16, 2014 7:39:27 GMT -5
Hi Hilltopper, Not sure if this is the right place to put this, but any idea of whether the 300 planned new ALJs may be coming from the current list or when a new process might be needed? I missed the process for this list. Planning in case I'm not selected for the IJ positions for which I applied. Thanks. They spent a fortune and a lot of time getting this register together. Any hiring that happens in the next 18 months, at least, will come from the current register, with the possible addition of those with successful appeals, although those involved have no idea what's going on there. If an IJ is offered, it is the proverbial bird in the hand. Only you can decide what to do. God is in control of my life--there's a reason why I missed the last ALJ testing process but happened to see all of the IJ positions as they were posted. I'm not saying I'm a sure thing for IJ by any means, but it must have been not the right time for me for ALJ. I'm just waiting to see what will unfold.
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Post by sealaw90 on Sept 16, 2014 8:01:08 GMT -5
Hilltopper- thank you for breaking the silence. And... of course a request... what does "within the next year" mean? I have no information in regards to ALJ hiring, but the Government is set to be operating under a short term continuing resolution until an omnibus appropriations bill can be passed. While there is two years of overall budget authority, the money still has to be divied up each year. Last I read in Politico the deal for this continuing resolution was to run it to December 11th, to let the mid-terms get out of the way, but still let this Congress vote on this years appropriations. Agencies don't usually like to hire, give overtime, etc. when operating under a continuing resolution unless it is for a long term (like a year). Also late November starts vacation season for Feds, and everyone is running with large amounts of staff on leave. Given those to two factors, I would strongly suspect that the next year refers to January or later. On the flip side if they do issue certs prior to that, it would probably be the first week of the FY (October), to try and get everything done before everyone goes on leave. All of that is a semi-educated guess of course, and the ALJ hiring process is byzantine even by the standards of federal government hiring. But my bet would be next year means start of the actual calendar year. saaao, it is true we will be operating under a CR till December 11, but I saw this interesting language buried in the CR - Section 114(b) " The reduction in section 101(b) of this joint resolution shall not apply to— . . . (2) amounts made available by section 101(a) by reference to the second paragraph under the heading ‘‘Social Security Administration—Limitation on Administrative Expenses’’ in division H of 25 Public Law 113–76." So, it looks to me that there is no 5.54% decrease in SSA's budget. Now, the December 11th date gets interesting. Does ODAR try to get hires (certs, interviews and offers) completed prior to that date, with the actual report dates and training in FC in January/February 2015? that would be doable IF someone has requested city certs from OPM sometime about now. Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part.
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Post by JudgeRatty on Sept 16, 2014 8:19:41 GMT -5
I have no information in regards to ALJ hiring, but the Government is set to be operating under a short term continuing resolution until an omnibus appropriations bill can be passed. While there is two years of overall budget authority, the money still has to be divied up each year. Last I read in Politico the deal for this continuing resolution was to run it to December 11th, to let the mid-terms get out of the way, but still let this Congress vote on this years appropriations. Agencies don't usually like to hire, give overtime, etc. when operating under a continuing resolution unless it is for a long term (like a year). Also late November starts vacation season for Feds, and everyone is running with large amounts of staff on leave. Given those to two factors, I would strongly suspect that the next year refers to January or later. On the flip side if they do issue certs prior to that, it would probably be the first week of the FY (October), to try and get everything done before everyone goes on leave. All of that is a semi-educated guess of course, and the ALJ hiring process is byzantine even by the standards of federal government hiring. But my bet would be next year means start of the actual calendar year. saaao, it is true we will be operating under a CR till December 11, but I saw this interesting language buried in the CR - Section 114(b) " The reduction in section 101(b) of this joint resolution shall not apply to— . . . (2) amounts made available by section 101(a) by reference to the second paragraph under the heading ‘‘Social Security Administration—Limitation on Administrative Expenses’’ in division H of 25 Public Law 113–76." So, it looks to me that there is no 5.54% decrease in SSA's budget. Now, the December 11th date gets interesting. Does ODAR try to get hires (certs, interviews and offers) completed prior to that date, with the actual report dates and training in FC in January/February 2015? that would be doable IF someone has requested city certs from OPM sometime about now. Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part. I think as long as they "hire" by the Dec 11th date that is what matters. We are still within shot to get another round of certs/hires by then! I still have not heard anyone say they have received a confirmation of interview dates though....a few months ago the November time frame was goal for interviews, but no absolute dates by any potential interviewers yet. This will be the next key piece of evidence since we already know the transfer list is being worked.
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Post by orchid on Sept 16, 2014 8:25:40 GMT -5
saaao, it is true we will be operating under a CR till December 11, but I saw this interesting language buried in the CR - Section 114(b) " The reduction in section 101(b) of this joint resolution shall not apply to— . . . (2) amounts made available by section 101(a) by reference to the second paragraph under the heading ‘‘Social Security Administration—Limitation on Administrative Expenses’’ in division H of 25 Public Law 113–76." So, it looks to me that there is no 5.54% decrease in SSA's budget. Now, the December 11th date gets interesting. Does ODAR try to get hires (certs, interviews and offers) completed prior to that date, with the actual report dates and training in FC in January/February 2015? that would be doable IF someone has requested city certs from OPM sometime about now. Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part. I think as long as they "hire" by the Dec 11th date that is what matters. We are still within shot to get another round of certs/hires by then! I still have not heard anyone say they have received a confirmation of interview dates though....a few months ago the November time frame was goal for interviews, but no absolute dates by any potential interviewers yet. This will be the next key piece of evidence since we already know the transfer list is being worked. historically what is the time frame given to potential interviewers that services are requested?
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