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Post by intothewild on May 4, 2020 14:23:35 GMT -5
We are about to or entering a severe recession if not a depression. The agency will be flooded with old age and disability applications for the foreseeable future. And the agency is already operating with reduced staffing that will be further reduced through attrition. They would be crazy to reduce staff. However, I would not be surprised if they start a re-engineering project to change hearing processes such as eliminating ALJ requirement We might be on the verge of the greatest economic collapse in American history
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Post by uboat on May 4, 2020 16:18:15 GMT -5
We are about to or entering a severe recession if not a depression. The agency will be flooded with old age and disability applications for the foreseeable future. And the agency is already operating with reduced staffing that will be further reduced through attrition. They would be crazy to reduce staff. However, I would not be surprised if they start a re-engineering project to change hearing processes such as eliminating ALJ requirement We might be on the verge of the greatest economic collapse in American history We also might only be on the verge of a mild and shallow recession. The next few weeks and possibly months will tell.
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Post by uboat on May 4, 2020 18:14:06 GMT -5
Can someone explain this to me? If the writers are being given busy work, why not give them a little more time to work on the decisions they are assigned? Better decisions = less time spent in EDIT = more time to better prep for cases. Moreover, better decisions = fewer remands. because there are no decisions This is what prompted my original post.
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Post by monopoly on May 4, 2020 22:14:07 GMT -5
Can someone explain this to me? If the writers are being given busy work, why not give them a little more time to work on the decisions they are assigned? Better decisions = less time spent in EDIT = more time to better prep for cases. Moreover, better decisions = fewer remands. For an agency more obsessed with numbers than The Count from Sesame Street?! Not a chance. I am not a person, only a statistic/percentage.
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Post by roymcavoy on May 5, 2020 5:38:27 GMT -5
because there are no decisions This is what prompted my original post. having represented clients at various stages of catastrophe in my life before SSA, everything going on right now feels like the result of mid/high level management not knowing what to do but wanting to justify their importance and not wanting to have to answer “nothing” if asked what they are doing to deal with CV issues... even though inaction is often the best possible action in many instances
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Post by uboat on May 5, 2020 14:02:29 GMT -5
Have any SAA's out there been informed as to whether or not they will be making these "enhanced Covid-19" contact calls, or whether this is strictly for non SAA decision-writers?
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Post by nylawyer on May 5, 2020 14:55:16 GMT -5
Have any SAA's out there been informed as to whether or not they will be making these "enhanced Covid-19" contact calls, or whether this is strictly for non SAA decision-writers? We just had a conference call and I believe senior attorneys are not making the calls as if now.
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Post by lspst888 on May 5, 2020 19:39:09 GMT -5
Have any SAA's out there been informed as to whether or not they will be making these "enhanced Covid-19" contact calls, or whether this is strictly for non SAA decision-writers? At my office, SAAs are not doing the calls. Right now, their only duties are reviewing cases for OTRs and writing up case review reports summarizing the medical evidence and making recommendations.
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Post by nappyloxs on May 5, 2020 20:14:15 GMT -5
Have any SAA's out there been informed as to whether or not they will be making these "enhanced Covid-19" contact calls, or whether this is strictly for non SAA decision-writers? At my office, SAAs are not doing the calls. Right now, their only duties are reviewing cases for OTRs and writing up case review reports summarizing the medical evidence and making recommendations. Same in my office
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Post by nappyloxs on May 5, 2020 20:31:31 GMT -5
Can someone explain this to me? If the writers are being given busy work, why not give them a little more time to work on the decisions they are assigned? Better decisions = less time spent in EDIT = more time to better prep for cases. Moreover, better decisions = fewer remands. because there are no decisions Exactly! Number of hearings being held is probably 1/2 of regular times and many of those are going to POST indefinitely, because we can’t always get MER, can’t order CEs, can’t get school records, etc. The long this goes, even if reps and claimants agree to telephone hearings, we still won’t have updated records on all cases, so more cases to POST. I haven’t looked lately and memory is hazy from correcting CEO process, but UNWR was under 10k last I checked. NCACs and DWUs don’t have cases for CEO, so UNWR cases go to them. My office has actually had steady stream of case in UNWR. Last Friday, all but 2-5 were sent out to DOUT. The downward trajectory in UNWR was going down before CV19 and was going to be a workload problem. CV19 just axed it. IMO, CEO process will be here to stay in a revised manner. PHCs, PHDCs, SAA reviews, some PTB wanting more of NHC model. SES can’t go back to TPTB and say CEO was just to keep people employed. They won’t say it was unsuccessful or failed. In order to pat themselves on the back, it will be successful. In the future, probably some balance of majority of time DW and a small bit of time on CEO/PHDC.
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Post by SPN Lifer on May 5, 2020 21:38:46 GMT -5
CEO = ?
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Post by nappyloxs on May 5, 2020 22:33:43 GMT -5
CV19 expedited outreach. I could be wrong about E. Might be “experimental.” One of the better acronyms. SHOP = Sweatshop. OHO - SMH
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Post by natethegreat on May 5, 2020 23:13:56 GMT -5
CV19 expedited outreach. I could be wrong about E. Might be “experimental.” One of the better acronyms. SHOP = Sweatshop. OHO - SMH I believe the E is for Enhanced
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Post by roymcavoy on May 6, 2020 7:55:37 GMT -5
CV19 expedited outreach. I could be wrong about E. Might be “experimental.” One of the better acronyms. SHOP = Sweatshop. OHO - SMH I believe the E is for Enhanced the status for CEO cases in CPMS (Case Processing Management Systtem) is UNAP. That’s about right.
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Post by nappyloxs on May 6, 2020 19:33:59 GMT -5
CV19 expedited outreach. I could be wrong about E. Might be “experimental.” One of the better acronyms. SHOP = Sweatshop. OHO - SMH I believe the E is for Enhanced Thanks. I always get it wrong since I just call it CEO.
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Post by uboat on May 6, 2020 19:43:36 GMT -5
Have any SAA's out there been informed as to whether or not they will be making these "enhanced Covid-19" contact calls, or whether this is strictly for non SAA decision-writers? At my office, SAAs are not doing the calls. Right now, their only duties are reviewing cases for OTRs and writing up case review reports summarizing the medical evidence and making recommendations. virtual Still keeping SAA's in my region, or at least this SAA, in the dark. There were several SAA's at our regional training today and, despite the fact that the trainers have universally said that "decision-writers" will be doing the calls, I've still not heard anything one way or the other from local management. It will be a bitter pill to swallow IMO if any SAA's get this s**t detail.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2020 19:49:42 GMT -5
Can someone explain this to me? If the writers are being given busy work, why not give them a little more time to work on the decisions they are assigned? Better decisions = less time spent in EDIT = more time to better prep for cases. Moreover, better decisions = fewer remands. because there are no decisions Some AAs are still getting decisions to write... and some can’t do CEO because they don’t have softphones. They are doing OTR reviews when there’s a lack of UNWR.
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Post by lawyeredbylaws on May 7, 2020 12:45:47 GMT -5
At my office, SAAs are not doing the calls. Right now, their only duties are reviewing cases for OTRs and writing up case review reports summarizing the medical evidence and making recommendations. virtual Still keeping SAA's in my region, or at least this SAA, in the dark. There were several SAA's at our regional training today and, despite the fact that the trainers have universally said that "decision-writers" will be doing the calls, I've still not heard anything one way or the other from local management. It will be a bitter pill to swallow IMO if any SAA's get this s**t detail. LOL... this is beyond funny. A SAA complaining about potentially having to actually do work instead of doing on the record (OTR) reviews. It was absurd that they took SAAs off of writing in the first place. An OTR is probably the easiest task for any attorney in the agency. You skim evidence put brief summaries and have to do no real writing. There is no reason why SAA shouldn't have to make the calls too. SAAs being so self entitled and expecting to do no work is why I've been stuck as a GS-12 for 10 plus years.
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Post by lurkerbelow on May 7, 2020 13:38:05 GMT -5
LOL... this is beyond funny. A SAA complaining about potentially having to actually do work instead of doing on the record (OTR) reviews. It was absurd that they took SAAs off of writing in the first place. An OTR is probably the easiest task for any attorney in the agency. You skim evidence put brief summaries and have to do no real writing. There is no reason why SAA shouldn't have to make the calls too. SAAs being so self entitled and expecting to do no work is why I've been stuck as a GS-12 for 10 plus years. You say it like having a job for 10 plus years at a GS-12 pay band is a bad thing. Have you not gotten step increases and raises? Vacation time? I have classmates who would trade their most precious possessions for that type of job security, especially right now. I've been a DW and a GS-12 for several years as well, not as long as you, but enough to see a fair bit. And I have been a member of this forum for some time as well. This is the first post I have seen on this forum where I disagree with everything an individual has said. Especially the last sentence.
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Post by ohodiablo on May 7, 2020 13:55:43 GMT -5
I'm giving laweredbylaws a pass because this enhanced outreach detail is so so so awful. I have a new found respect for the Agency's field office and front line workers. It is understandable to feel bitter towards the SAA's who have been spared this task.
In my previous life as a litigation attorney, the client management and interaction with opposing counsel were the parts I most detested. Now that is the totality of my job. At least before I was taking depositions, managing trials and arguing briefs. Now it's just a daily slog.
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