Cautionary tale about video hearings...

[barkley]

Sept 2, 2020 20:16:10 GMT -5 Thomas fka Lance said:

Part of the "slowdown" returning judges to the office is that it isn't just about us.

If we are in the office, so are at least some staff, a guard, management, and cleaning staff. Prolly missed some folks needed. Even if we are doing phone hearings, or video hearings while there, they are required to be there too.

May not be appropriate given social distancing.

Also, on an office-by-office basis would be constantly shifting, as COVID cases increase and decrease. Tough to guestimate 90 days (even 20) in advance.

Actually, in my office the cleaning staff is still going in. They are employed by the building owner who has a contract to provide services. Our managers are each going to the office at least one day a week anyway to process mail, check faxes etc. If we are not having in person hearings, no need for a guard. I dont know if the clerks could still do the hearings from home, but I have had several say they would like to go into the office once a week because there are some tasks easier to do in office. It would be worth it to me to have more reliable internet to do the hearings.

I wish they would look at it office by office, but I have never seen SSA use that much common sense. We are One OHO, after all.

[ssaogc]

I would like to go into office for these video hearings. I do not want to do video from home. But sure enough the towers in the hearing rooms do not have cameras to support the microsoft teams? I gather i can go to office and stay in my office and do the hearings from there. The internet will be so much better and i can separate my home and work life when it comes to hearings.

[tripper]

I am hoping we will get a choice of going in or not. I completely understand why some would prefer to do the hearings from the office. I would too except I am one of those in the last many years who never got a “transfer home”, and yet my home is in the 2 hour window so I have been home every day for the first time in almost five years. I know I am not the only one. I will make video from home work.

[okthen]

Sept 4, 2020 21:16:09 GMT -5 tripper said:

I am hoping we will get a choice of going in or not. I completely understand why some would prefer to do the hearings from the office. I would too except I am one of those in the last many years who never got a “transfer home”, and yet my home is in the 2 hour window so I have been home every day for the first time in almost five years. I know I am not the only one. I will make video from home work.

100%. Many of our peers were sold a bill of goods on the ability to transfer. And video from home might be the only way we can make a normal home life situation work again. I welcome the video from home option. I would gladly give up scheduling control of my docket and hear cases from all over the country to have the option of working from home permanently. I am absolutely better at my job right now because I don’t have to deal with the stresses of trying balance a long distance commute/work with my family.

[nylawyer]

So I come back from an extended weekend, go through my emails.

There are two from last Thursday or Friday describing the excitement of video hearings soon becoming a reality.

Bookending those emails were messages on multiple days advising me that the agency is aware that all of it's systems are having problems and they are working to correct it.

So, again, I'm skeptical.

[Pixie]

Sept 8, 2020 19:48:49 GMT -5 nylawyer said:

So I come back from an extended weekend, go through my emails.

There are two from last Thursday or Friday describing the excitement of video hearings soon becoming a reality.

Bookending those emails were messages on multiple days advising me that the agency is aware that all of it's systems are having problems and they are working to correct it.

So, again, I'm skeptical.

Whenever they speak about a change being "exciting," there is always good cause for a healthy dose of skepticism. Pixie