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Post by lawdog98 on Apr 14, 2008 14:07:23 GMT -5
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Post by testtaker on Apr 14, 2008 14:08:57 GMT -5
I can't access that link. Maybe its intranet.
thanks, though.
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Post by morgullord on Apr 15, 2008 10:33:50 GMT -5
From the link--
ALJ Hiring
Mission: To hire additional ALJs to increase ODAR’s adjudicatory capacity.
Background: The Agency was precluded from hiring ALJs due to a Merit Systems Protection Board decision in 1999 that closed the ALJ register. Other than a one-time exception in September 2001, SSA was precluded from hiring ALJs until the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit allowed the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to reopen the ALJ register in late 2003. During the time the register was closed, ODAR lost almost 200 judges through normal attrition.
Goals: To appoint senior judges, hire ALJs from other agencies and hire new ALJs.
Process: An assessment is developed to determine the ALJ need based on where the heaviest workloads are located. Pending requests for ALJ reassignment are processed pursuant to Article 20 of the negotiated agreement. OPM forwards a list of eligible candidates upon request of the Agency. Background checks are performed on the candidates. Interviews are scheduled and conducted. Selections are made and forwarded to OPM for approval.
Progress to date: In FY 07, four ALJs were hired from other agencies. All had prior SSA experience. Twelve intermittent (part-time) Senior ALJs and four rehired annuitant (full-time) ALJs were hired at the end of FY 07. On 10/03/07, OPM established a new register for ALJs. Based on the certificate of eligible candidates provided by OPM, ODAR interviewed candidates from January 8, 2008 to February 8, 2008. ODAR made 144 selections in the last week of February and received 135 acceptances. In January 2008, ODAR received authority to hire additional ALJs. After analysis to identify locations for additional ALJs, ODAR requested a second certificate from OPM.
Next Steps: New ALJs will report to their hearing offices for two weeks of orientation before reporting to Baltimore, Maryland for four weeks of formal training. ODAR is planning several training classes, which will be held from April through July of 2008. ODAR anticipates hiring up to 40 additional ALJs which will bring the total new ALJ hires in FY 08 to 175.
Management Information Source :
Last Update: 4/14/08
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Post by corrina on Apr 15, 2008 10:53:17 GMT -5
Thank you very much M for taking the time to place the (rather ambiguous) information where we all can see it.
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Post by aljsouth on Apr 15, 2008 15:55:02 GMT -5
Here is the coss's email to ssa, I send only the material relevant to new hiring.
A Message To All SSA And DDS Employees
Subject: Important Issues Update
Last November, I said that I would update you on important issues. What follows is some information about our staffing situation, our efforts to reduce the disability backlog, our progress on some of our online service initiatives and other recent developments.
Staffing
I am pleased to report that we recently received this year’s appropriation, which gave us an extra $148 million and has allowed me to lift our current hiring freeze and provide some needed hiring flexibility to all components. This is the first time in 15 years that we have received an appropriation above the President’s budget. These resources will put us in a better position in FY 2009 to improve service to the public.
Each component will have at least one-for-one hiring authority; i.e., each will be able to hire as many employees as have left or will leave the Agency this year. We also will use the extra funding to strengthen our direct service components and for our plan to reduce the hearings backlog. To that end, I have given Operations permission to hire 3,900 employees, 1,300 employees more than the expected losses for this year. Also, out of those 3,900 additional staff, we will bolster the 800‑number operation by hiring 835 employees, which is a replacement rate of about two employees hired for each employee who leaves. ODAR will be able to hire 175 administrative law judges (ALJs), plus additional ALJs for a new National Hearing Center (NHC) in Albuquerque and to expand the Falls Church NHC. It also will add 143 additional support staff by the end of the fiscal year. We also will be able to continue with automation improvements.
As you may know, the President recently submitted his request to Congress for our FY 2009 funding. He has asked for $10.46 billion, which is a 6 percent increase over this year’s funding. If we are given that amount, it would be the largest percentage increase that we will have received in many years.
...
To help with the hearings backlog, we recently hired 135 ALJs and will select another 40 before the end of the fiscal year and additional ALJs for the NHCs. While cases pending continue to rise (although at a lower rate than in the recent past), average processing time is down slightly, and we continue to eliminate the oldest cases in an impressive fashion. Since the hearings staff has increased its production, a difficult situation is improving rather than worsening.
Looking forward, we have reason for optimism about driving down the hearings backlog. By the end of this calendar year, we expect that the paper cases should be substantially gone. Next year, our new ALJs should be fully productive. When we reach these two milestones (and assuming we are not under a continuing resolution for a significant period of time), we expect to hit a “tipping point” and to see the number of pending hearings begin to drop dramatically.
Michael J. Astrue
Commissioner
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Post by Pixie on Apr 16, 2008 19:19:32 GMT -5
Well, well, well, the plot thickens! Will Patriotsfan get his Region 1 wish? Will Jagghagg score on the second round? Will Pixie accept the appointment as new Commissioner of SSA? Stay tuned, my friends, for yet another episode. PF: I don't know how, or where, you got your information, but let me be perfectly clear that I will not even consider the idea unless the current Commissioner announces his resignation. I am very happy here on the Scottish Moors. Not sure I want to change my lifestyle quite that much. Pix. |
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Post by morgullord on Apr 17, 2008 6:44:12 GMT -5
If you take the job we will all promise to set out milk in Limoge china saucers every night...
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Post by lawdog98 on Apr 17, 2008 9:29:57 GMT -5
Welcom back morgullord-BTW.  |
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Post by Pixie on Apr 17, 2008 21:30:30 GMT -5
Morg, that sounds enticing, but you forgot the cookies! Welcome back. Pix.
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Post by aljsouth on Apr 18, 2008 8:48:42 GMT -5
Morg, that sounds enticing, but you forgot the cookies! Welcome back. Pix. Gee, around here Pixies prefer single malt. |
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