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Post by nylawyer on Oct 8, 2020 17:28:09 GMT -5
I for one prefer the wandering, meandering road.
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Post by neufenland on Oct 8, 2020 18:47:21 GMT -5
When I see this thread get bumped, I get excited. Then I read the post that did it, and get dismayed. Now, I guess, I'm contributing to the problem by bumping it with no substantive info to share.
I had a pretty nice NOR score on that last 2018 OPM test and I'm still ticked about the whole deal...
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Post by superalj on Oct 8, 2020 19:27:23 GMT -5
For my friends on the board wanting to be ALJs, I sure hope so. However, I’m still waiting for receipts to go up. With unemployment so high and the suffering “long haulers” still recovering from Covid, I thought we would definitely need another class. Instead, wait time for a hearing is less than 9 months in some areas, docket assistance requests are taken over immediately, and schedulers are having trouble filling our hearing slots.
Maybe it’s the quiet before the storm or it might be a while before ALJ hiring is considered. My humble advice, keep doing whatever you can to develop and hone your skills so you’re ready when the call comes.
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Post by nappyloxs on Oct 9, 2020 2:04:57 GMT -5
For my friends on the board wanting to be ALJs, I sure hope so. However, I’m still waiting for receipts to go up. With unemployment so high and the suffering “long haulers” still recovering from Covid, I thought we would definitely need another class. Instead, wait time for a hearing is less than 9 months in some areas, docket assistance requests are taken over immediately, and schedulers are having trouble filling our hearing slots. Maybe it’s the quiet before the storm or it might be a while before ALJ hiring is considered. My humble advice, keep doing whatever you can to develop and hone your skills so you’re ready when the call comes. I will try to get DDS numbers tomorrow. Cases are being held up at DDS for a number of reasons and people aren’t able to apply in person. When receipts go up, it will be a Tsunami. Plus, 15-20% of those pending at OHO have probably declined telephone hearings. I easily see 200+ ALJs within months of being called back to office. Some ALJs will fall in at-risk class and will hang on until f/t telework ends for them, so there will be another 100 there. Consequently, the number of ALJ may drop significantly as receipts spike. History repeats itself.
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Post by johnthornton on Oct 9, 2020 6:46:40 GMT -5
For my friends on the board wanting to be ALJs, I sure hope so. However, I’m still waiting for receipts to go up. With unemployment so high and the suffering “long haulers” still recovering from Covid, I thought we would definitely need another class. Instead, wait time for a hearing is less than 9 months in some areas, docket assistance requests are taken over immediately, and schedulers are having trouble filling our hearing slots. Maybe it’s the quiet before the storm or it might be a while before ALJ hiring is considered. My humble advice, keep doing whatever you can to develop and hone your skills so you’re ready when the call comes. I will try to get DDS numbers tomorrow. Cases are being held up at DDS for a number of reasons and people aren’t able to apply in person. When receipts go up, it will be a Tsunami. Plus, 15-20% of those pending at OHO have probably declined telephone hearings. I easily see 200+ ALJs within months of being called back to office. Some ALJs will fall in at-risk class and will hang on until f/t telework ends for them, so there will be another 100 there. Consequently, the number of ALJ may drop significantly as receipts spike. History repeats itself. I think this is a fair observation. Our office has 300 cases ready to be heard but for the telephone opt outs. I can see a lot of ALJs deciding to retire after f/t telework ends for them. Going through Covid has a tendency to get you to focus on what is important in life. Hanging on in a job that you hate is not one of those things. The DDS numbers are important. I don't know if there will be a tsunami but I would anticipate an increase in cases at the OHO level. They told our office yesterday that CEs are finally starting again. I would anticipate future hiring but I don't think it will be for awhile.
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Post by carrickfergus on Oct 9, 2020 7:01:33 GMT -5
ALJs have told me that they are not going to return to the office and will retire when (if?) they are called back in. I love my job, but if I were eligible to retire I would probably do the same.
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Post by Pixie on Oct 9, 2020 8:21:10 GMT -5
When I see this thread get bumped, I get excited. Then I read the post that did it, and get dismayed. Now, I guess, I'm contributing to the problem by bumping it with no substantive info to share. I had a pretty nice NOR score on that last 2018 OPM test and I'm still ticked about the whole deal... A good NOR and a quarter won't even get you a cup of coffee these days. And I don't blame you for being ticked about the whole experience, especially with the out of pocket expenses. Pixie
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Post by neufenland on Oct 9, 2020 8:34:49 GMT -5
When I see this thread get bumped, I get excited. Then I read the post that did it, and get dismayed. Now, I guess, I'm contributing to the problem by bumping it with no substantive info to share. I had a pretty nice NOR score on that last 2018 OPM test and I'm still ticked about the whole deal... A good NOR and a quarter won't even get you a cup of coffee these days. And I don't blame you for being ticked about the whole experience, especially with the out of pocket expenses. Pixie It won't even give me half of what I need for a can of soda at the vending machine...
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Post by Thomas fka Lance on Oct 9, 2020 11:25:06 GMT -5
ver While the problem may be widespread, it is not national. I have throughout the pandemic requested and received 50 (or more if I dare take a vacation, lol) hearings per month. Those slots were filled. For various reasons not all went to hearing, but it was not for lack of cases. Buddy you’re in the same quagmire as the rest of us, your CSU and office staff are just better at keeping you feeling comfortable. *insert Gatsby champagne gif* I have no doubt some offices are having issues, however plenty of offices have receipts over 3,000 up to over 7,000. While it may be less than other years, these receipts are still leading to wait times in excess of a year in some of these offices. All stats readily available at ssa.gov in appeals (OHO offices)
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Post by nylawyer on Oct 9, 2020 12:14:34 GMT -5
Specific data for FY 2020- www.ssa.gov/appeals/DataSets/02_HO_Workload_Data.htmlI'm on my phone so I can't do a deep dive into the data. But, just eyeballing it, it sure looks like dispositions outpaced receipts, in some cases dramatically. That is with a pretty huge disruption in dispostions, between cancelled hearings and half a year of almost no dismissals.
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Post by aljhopefully on Oct 9, 2020 17:11:13 GMT -5
Specific data for FY 2020- www.ssa.gov/appeals/DataSets/02_HO_Workload_Data.htmlI'm on my phone so I can't do a deep dive into the data. But, just eyeballing it, it sure looks like dispositions outpaced receipts, in some cases dramatically. That is with a pretty huge disruption in dispostions, between cancelled hearings and half a year of almost no dismissals. Great for the taxpayer. Not so great for us ALJ hopefuls
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Post by roymcavoy on Oct 9, 2020 21:43:38 GMT -5
Specific data for FY 2020- www.ssa.gov/appeals/DataSets/02_HO_Workload_Data.htmlI'm on my phone so I can't do a deep dive into the data. But, just eyeballing it, it sure looks like dispositions outpaced receipts, in some cases dramatically. That is with a pretty huge disruption in dispostions, between cancelled hearings and half a year of almost no dismissals. I’m not saying there is going to be a hire soon—I think there are 100 obstacles: election, budget in Dec, etc—but I think all the case numbers we are seeing are skewed really low. For example... CDRs have been on hold for several months and those were just opened up. CEs have not been happening, so those cases that needed them were apparently on pause. With no inperson intake, it’s likely some applicants have not filed because they don’t have telephone or internet access. Additionally, the stimulus package with extended unemployment benefits expired only last month. I am not a gambling man but I would also be willing to wager that the weirdness and Covid changes likely resulted in a litany of remands that will wind their way back to various hearing offices. On the other side, it’s possible that telework allowed ALJs who might have otherwise retired to stay on a little longer. I am often the most optimistic person here but I don’t even think a hire is imminent. But I think that the numbers we are seeing are POSSIBLY skewed really low with cases and a little low with the actual number of ALJs who plan to physically walk back into a hearing office.
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Post by marathon on Oct 9, 2020 21:45:35 GMT -5
I for one prefer the wandering, meandering road. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
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Post by bowser on Oct 10, 2020 17:57:46 GMT -5
I've had a number of hearings recently in cases where the AOD is not even 12 mos ago, and several where it was just over a year.
As for telephone opt-outs - fine, just let 'em sit. Or remove the option of opting out.
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Post by sunshinedaydream on Dec 31, 2020 13:02:18 GMT -5
So will any outsider ever be hired for a federal ALJ position again, or is this like Waiting for Godot?
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Post by Pixie on Dec 31, 2020 13:48:16 GMT -5
So will any outsider ever be hired for a federal ALJ position again, or is this like Waiting for Godot? Beckett may have a better answer for you, but I would say it will be a long time for outsiders before Godot actually appears. Pixie
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Post by sunshinedaydream on Dec 31, 2020 13:49:51 GMT -5
So will any outsider ever be hired for a federal ALJ position again, or is this like Waiting for Godot? Beckett may have a better answer for you, but I would say it will be a long time for outsiders before Godot actually appears. Pixie Never happened. Happy New Year, though!
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Post by nylawyer on Dec 31, 2020 16:55:11 GMT -5
So will any outsider ever be hired for a federal ALJ position again, or is this like Waiting for Godot? At least at SSA, the issue is that there is no ALJ hiring on the horizon, rather than insider versus outsider. In fact, it is certainly possible that we will be heading back to the old OPM hiring system. (Btw- anyone else surprised SSA didn't even attempt to hire a class of favored insiders while they had the chance? I wonder if the pandemic impacted that.)
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Post by jagvet on Dec 31, 2020 18:13:21 GMT -5
So will any outsider ever be hired for a federal ALJ position again, or is this like Waiting for Godot? (Btw- anyone else surprised SSA didn't even attempt to hire a class of favored insiders while they had the chance? I wonder if the pandemic impacted that.) No. I don't think TPTB like any insiders. Even before pandemic, they didn't take advantage of new hiring process.
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Post by aljhopefully on Jan 3, 2021 13:14:28 GMT -5
When you say "outsider," do you mean someone not already working for SSA or someone who is not a federal employee?
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