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Post by nylawyer on Jun 8, 2021 19:06:13 GMT -5
So, a little perspective: federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2021/06/with-bidens-2022-budget-civilian-agencies-are-due-for-a-hiring-spree/If you follow the link, you can see a helpful chart that shows the proposed increase in SSA staff hiring is essentially the same (or less) as what is being proposed across the board in all federal agencies. So, it's not so much that the budget is focused on a perceived need at SSA so much as it is throwing money everywhere. Which brings us to this- the fate of SSA hiring, ALJ or otherwise, is tied not so much to need; rather, it is will depend on how much of Biden's budget will survive the coming months. |
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Post by roymcavoy on Jun 8, 2021 22:57:03 GMT -5
So, a little perspective: federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2021/06/with-bidens-2022-budget-civilian-agencies-are-due-for-a-hiring-spree/If you follow the link, you can see a helpful chart that shows the proposed increase in SSA staff hiring is essentially the same (or less) as what is being proposed across the board in all federal agencies. So, it's not so much that the budget is focused on a perceived need at SSA so much as it is throwing money everywhere. Which brings us to this- the fate of SSA hiring, ALJ or otherwise, is tied not so much to need; rather, it is will depend on how much of Biden's budget will survive the coming months. Like many of you, I have friends on the other side of the disability bar. Over distanced cocktails, they have told me that they worry about the ability to handle the onslaught of hearings that are double and triple deep on the same day. The “backlog” is real, it’s just not pressing to SSA in the manner that would cause ALJs to be hired at this point. Many will fall away. So who knows… |
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Post by jlawj on Jun 9, 2021 14:47:44 GMT -5
For those of us who got the FOAD e-mail... here's to hoping for a retraction of the FOAD and reimplementation of the old Register!!! Fingers crossed, eyes crossed, legs crossed, even the chicken crossed the road... anything!!!
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Post by christina on Jun 9, 2021 15:50:46 GMT -5
Good luck 🍀 and patience to all!
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Post by Pixie on Jun 9, 2021 16:16:13 GMT -5
For those of us who got the FOAD e-mail... here's to hoping for a retraction of the FOAD and reimplementation of the old Register!!! Fingers crossed, eyes crossed, legs crossed, even the chicken crossed the road... anything!!! I think you are seeing pigs in flight. That train left the station several years ago. The last thing SSA wants when it starts hiring, is to be tied to the register. Unless it is required by Congress or Executive Order, I don't see it happening. Pixie. |
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Post by roymcavoy on Jun 10, 2021 8:04:41 GMT -5
For those of us who got the FOAD e-mail... here's to hoping for a retraction of the FOAD and reimplementation of the old Register!!! Fingers crossed, eyes crossed, legs crossed, even the chicken crossed the road... anything!!! I think you are seeing pigs in flight. That train left the station several years ago. The last thing SSA wants when it starts hiring, is to be tied to the register. Unless it is required by Congress or Executive Order, I don't see it happening. Pixie. Pixie’s statement is further supported by the fact that the current Admin cancelled the 2019 ALJ hiring. Those ALJ candidates had to have been previously on the register but were also vetted through a subsequent application process. |
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Post by rightspeech on Jun 10, 2021 9:53:35 GMT -5
The future ALJ is a current well liked OHO manager, SSA OGC attorney, AC appeals officer, or some manager/policy person in HQ that happens to have a law degree.
During the register times there was little reason to want to become a hearing office group supervisor. The pay raise from 12 to 13 wasn't really worth it for all the trouble of the job, losing telework, and losing overtime. Now, management can attract high performing writers to become high performing managers with the prospect of ALJ. Writers can't sit back and hope to squeeze in an ALJ position some day with a lucky high register score or veteran's preference. The game changed, TPTB have a new carrot.
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Post by Pixie on Jun 10, 2021 10:07:56 GMT -5
The future ALJ is a current well liked OHO manager, SSA OGC attorney, AC appeals officer, or some manager/policy person in HQ that happens to have a law degree. During the register times there was little reason to want to become a hearing office group supervisor. The pay raise from 12 to 13 wasn't really worth it for all the trouble of the job, losing telework, and losing overtime. Now, management can attract high performing writers to become high performing managers with the prospect of ALJ. Writers can't sit back and hope to squeeze in an ALJ position some day with a lucky high register score or veteran's preference. The game changed, TPTB have a new carrot. You said it better than I could have, and I think you are exactly right. Pixie |
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Post by hopefalj on Jun 11, 2021 10:46:21 GMT -5
The future ALJ is a current well liked OHO manager, SSA OGC attorney, AC appeals officer, or some manager/policy person in HQ that happens to have a law degree. During the register times there was little reason to want to become a hearing office group supervisor. The pay raise from 12 to 13 wasn't really worth it for all the trouble of the job, losing telework, and losing overtime. Now, management can attract high performing writers to become high performing managers with the prospect of ALJ. Writers can't sit back and hope to squeeze in an ALJ position some day with a lucky high register score or veteran's preference. The game changed, TPTB have a new carrot. This is exactly right, but it’s probably even a little worse than that for anyone who’s watched how details or promotions have been awarded within SSA. It’s going to be more about who you know and how well you’re liked rather than competence or ability to do the job. One of the ways to attain the favored status is to get into management, but it’s not the only way. I have serious doubts that I would have my ALJ position without the register despite being a productive writer with a high affirmation rate (#humblebrag). |
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Post by rightspeech on Jun 11, 2021 11:03:33 GMT -5
Yea I suspect there's plenty of OGC general law, OGC privacy and disclosure, OLMER, EEO, OEOHR, executive staff, congressional liaison staff folk with law degrees that could end up ALJs. Plenty of JDs in the agency that have never seen a claim file. Most people in the field don't realize how many people work in Regional Office/Falls Church/Woodlawn and they all seem to be GS13+. I can see people who know people being able to close out a career as ALJ to top out their high 3. I wonder if claimant's reps will ever have a shot now?
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Post by redsox1 on Jun 11, 2021 14:26:58 GMT -5
Yea I suspect there's plenty of OGC general law, OGC privacy and disclosure, OLMER, EEO, OEOHR, executive staff, congressional liaison staff folk with law degrees that could end up ALJs. Plenty of JDs in the agency that have never seen a claim file. Most people in the field don't realize how many people work in Regional Office/Falls Church/Woodlawn and they all seem to be GS13+. I can see people who know people being able to close out a career as ALJ to top out their high 3. I wonder if claimant's reps will ever have a shot now? The irony is that many of those folks are not fans of ALJ’s and have undercut the Corps whenever possible. |
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Post by ba on Jun 11, 2021 16:21:50 GMT -5
Yea I suspect there's plenty of OGC general law, OGC privacy and disclosure, OLMER, EEO, OEOHR, executive staff, congressional liaison staff folk with law degrees that could end up ALJs. Plenty of JDs in the agency that have never seen a claim file. Most people in the field don't realize how many people work in Regional Office/Falls Church/Woodlawn and they all seem to be GS13+. I can see people who know people being able to close out a career as ALJ to top out their high 3. I wonder if claimant's reps will ever have a shot now? The irony is that many of those folks are not fans of ALJ’s and have undercut the Corps whenever possible. That’s a feature, not a bug. |
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Post by christina on Jun 11, 2021 16:29:02 GMT -5
Yea I suspect there's plenty of OGC general law, OGC privacy and disclosure, OLMER, EEO, OEOHR, executive staff, congressional liaison staff folk with law degrees that could end up ALJs. Plenty of JDs in the agency that have never seen a claim file. Most people in the field don't realize how many people work in Regional Office/Falls Church/Woodlawn and they all seem to be GS13+. I can see people who know people being able to close out a career as ALJ to top out their high 3. I wonder if claimant's reps will ever have a shot now? The irony is that many of those folks are not fans of ALJ’s and have undercut the Corps whenever possible. But are happy to take the alj salary |
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Post by jagvet on Jun 11, 2021 18:18:50 GMT -5
I am laughing to recall all those nervous nellies who were convinced that when this change happened, all kinds of politically appointed ne'er-do-wells from the Trump administration and campaign would be simply hired as ALJs. In fact, nothing happened. Without getting too political here, let me just say that federal careerists are just as eager to hire and promote cronies as are politicians. They won't make Hunter Biden an ALJ unless he sang at an OHO Christmas party.
The sky wasn't falling a couple of years ago and it's not falling now.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. SSA will construct some Rube Goldberg hiring system as obtuse as OPM's and the corps will look pretty much the same.
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Post by hopefalj on Jun 11, 2021 18:36:34 GMT -5
I am laughing to recall all those nervous nellies who were convinced that when this change happened, all kinds of politically appointed ne'er-do-wells from the Trump administration and campaign would be simply hired as ALJs. In fact, nothing happened. Without getting too political here, let me just say that federal careerists are just as eager to hire and promote cronies as are politicians. They won't make Hunter Biden an ALJ unless he sang at an OHO Christmas party. The sky wasn't falling a couple of years ago and it's not falling now. The more things change, the more they stay the same. SSA will construct some Rube Goldberg hiring system as obtuse as OPM's and the corps will look pretty much the same. The people panicking about the President appointing buddies or political appointees overestimated the value of the job to those cronies or the interest of the president in SSA. Inside cronyism has long been the concern of long-time insiders who have seen how promotions or other details are assigned. If SSA gets to create its own hiring process and criteria to select ALJs, and you think even 5% will consist of people outside the agency, let alone the more than 50% as seems typical of past hires, then I guess you either haven’t been with us long enough to see how things work or haven’t had to pay attention to how hiring is done internally. |
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Post by nappyloxs on Jun 14, 2021 23:45:50 GMT -5
I am laughing to recall all those nervous nellies who were convinced that when this change happened, all kinds of politically appointed ne'er-do-wells from the Trump administration and campaign would be simply hired as ALJs. In fact, nothing happened. Without getting too political here, let me just say that federal careerists are just as eager to hire and promote cronies as are politicians. They won't make Hunter Biden an ALJ unless he sang at an OHO Christmas party. The sky wasn't falling a couple of years ago and it's not falling now. The more things change, the more they stay the same. SSA will construct some Rube Goldberg hiring system as obtuse as OPM's and the corps will look pretty much the same. The people panicking about the President appointing buddies or political appointees overestimated the value of the job to those cronies or the interest of the president in SSA. Inside cronyism has long been the concern of long-time insiders who have seen how promotions or other details are assigned. If SSA gets to create its own hiring process and criteria to select ALJs, and you think even 5% will consist of people outside the agency, let alone the more than 50% as seems typical of past hires, then I guess you either haven’t been with us long enough to see how things work or haven’t had to pay attention to how hiring is done internally. SSA created a process back in 2018. No clue if it was changed or if it will be the proceed used when they do hire. You’re right about the percentages. |
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Post by fowlfinder on Jun 15, 2021 17:53:34 GMT -5
SSA created a process back in 2018. No clue if it was changed or if it will be the proceed used when they do hire. You’re right about the percentages. The only thing with that process is in 2018/2019, the applicants were only those who were on the registry when it was discontinued. I don't know what the first "weeding" will be based on as there is no registry any more. |
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Post by nylawyer on Jun 15, 2021 18:03:17 GMT -5
Let's assume that OHO does in fact want to be able to hire from it's own ranks unencumbered by OPM or any other similar system.
TPTB still may create a process that does allow for at least some outsiders to make it.
If for no other reason other than if they don't, and the next hiring class is exclusively insiders, Congress and the President might step in and force the OPM process back on them.
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Post by christina on Jun 16, 2021 9:30:16 GMT -5
It stands to reason that since SSA has shot itself in the foot way too many times in the past by giving lifetime ALJ appointments to people who've turned out to be a great big headache and thorn in the side for years to come, that they will now want to know what (or who) they are getting; and the best way to do that is to hire internal employees as much as possible that they know have been tried and true (and have much OHO experience so as to be able to hit the ground running with the least amount training required). Whether there will be some cronyism is only a matter of degree, and may be less than one would expect, but humans are humans... How many rank and file decision writers will be hired will be contingent upon the quantity of ALJs they want to hire. They cannot very well hire all group supervisors and hearing office directors, and gut swaths of management only to be stuck in the awful predicament of having to scramble to replace them with new managers they'll have to train and hope can and will do that job proficiently. It will have to be a reasonable balance probably if they don't want the train to depart the track. Logical other than Oho likes to shoot itself in the foot beyond what was noted above. Why do the next hiring logically when doing so illogically remains an option 😜 |
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Post by ssaogc on Jun 16, 2021 11:58:58 GMT -5
It stands to reason that since SSA has shot itself in the foot way too many times in the past by giving lifetime ALJ appointments to people who've turned out to be a great big headache and thorn in the side for years to come, that they will now want to know what (or who) they are getting; and the best way to do that is to hire internal employees as much as possible that they know have been tried and true (and have much OHO experience so as to be able to hit the ground running with the least amount training required). Whether there will be some cronyism is only a matter of degree, and may be less than one would expect, but humans are humans... How many rank and file decision writers will be hired will be contingent upon the quantity of ALJs they want to hire. They cannot very well hire all group supervisors and hearing office directors, and gut swaths of management only to be stuck in the awful predicament of having to scramble to replace them with new managers they'll have to train and hope can and will do that job proficiently. It will have to be a reasonable balance probably if they don't want the train to depart the track. Where did this so called lifetime appointment belief come from? ALJs do not have a lifetime appointment. They can and have been fired. Problem is management does not have a clue of what they need to do to fire a person who should not be an ALJ. Instead they paint everyone with the same brush. Like ALJ Nagle implying that ALJs actively take steps to undermine the Agency’s mission. Unreal. in my view, a lifetime appointment in US is when you cannot be removed unless congress votes to impeach you. |
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