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Post by beenlurking on Sept 27, 2024 17:56:25 GMT -5
I echo ssaogc’s response almost verbatim except I have only been in my office 2 days in the past year. Avoid ALPO like the plague!!
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Post by rmspringfield on Sept 27, 2024 19:43:08 GMT -5
Do you ALJs like your jobs? Serious question. There is a lot of negative stuff out there in the media about SSA. Do you like being an SSA ALJ? Or if you don’t “like” it, do you at least not hate it? I'm enjoying it so far. I have to be in the office about 4-8 days per month on average. Sometimes more. I seem to have a fair share of cases that are in person vs. virtual. (Rep objects to telephone. Nonrepresented claimants. Child CDRs that are likely to be no shows, etc). My situation is kind of a pain because my ODS is across a state line. But making the commute and staying in a hotel for those days is a lot more cost effective than trying to get a 2nd mortgage at 7 percent interest to buy a house at a crazy inflated price right now. As for the job itself no complaints. Use your decision writing tools, document yourself and your thought process. Don't waste time reinventing the wheel and your cases will move along just fine. From time to time you will get emails and reminders from your HOCALJ or HOD. Usually if it's close to the end of the month or they're trying to make some kind of goal regarding numbers. It's no big deal so long as you do your job. ALPO isn't the plague if you use it when you need to. Sometimes you aren't going to have an immediate answer when you close the hearing. Sometimes you need to put some more thought as to whether the alleged onset date is really in line with the evidence. Or maybe counsel brings something to your attention that you overlooked and now you need to consider a Listing you didn't think you needed to. That's fine. That's your role as an adjudicator is to consider the evidence and testimony. Have your mind changed by the hearing if it's warranted. Just don't fall into the trap of letting everything linger in ALPO for a month. Make the call Favorable or Unfavorable when that's where the evidence is pointing. Use ALPO to give yourself time to figure it out when it could go either way. If you do a good job of documenting your reasons the decision writers should not be guessing your rationale for decisions. Edits should go quick. From time to time you may see an Edit that has to go back because the decision writer didn't follow instructions. If it happens all the time....it's you. Fix your instructions. Do that and the work will flow just fine. Management will basically see your numbers are in line with everybody else, your ALPO is minimal, your EDITs move to mail status quickly, and will for the most part leave you alone. It's nice work if you can get it. |
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Post by Gaidin on Sept 27, 2024 21:34:31 GMT -5
It was the best job I ever had 8 years and it's still the best job I ever had. I know some offices and regions have issues but it's still a fantastic gig.
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Post by badger on Sept 28, 2024 8:18:46 GMT -5
My situation is kind of a pain because my ODS is across a state line. But making the commute and staying in a hotel for those days is a lot more cost effective than trying to get a 2nd mortgage at 7 percent interest to buy a house at a crazy inflated price right now. Have you found the commute/schedule manageable? Now that the ADS doesn't need to be within 2 hours of the office, I might list a few more offices on my GAL. |
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Post by nylawyer on Sept 28, 2024 8:59:20 GMT -5
My situation is kind of a pain because my ODS is across a state line. But making the commute and staying in a hotel for those days is a lot more cost effective than trying to get a 2nd mortgage at 7 percent interest to buy a house at a crazy inflated price right now. Have you found the commute/schedule manageable? Now that the ADS doesn't need to be within 2 hours of the office, I might list a few more offices on my GAL. Be careful with this. Some offices are more in person than others, and some offices choose hearing slots based on seniority. So you may find yourself frequently having to do in person hearings twice a week, and not on back to back days. |
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Post by hopefalj on Sept 28, 2024 9:01:25 GMT -5
Do you ALJs like your jobs? Serious question. There is a lot of negative stuff out there in the media about SSA. Do you like being an SSA ALJ? Or if you don’t “like” it, do you at least not hate it? I don’t necessarily like it, but I don’t particularly dislike it either. It is easy for some, including myself, to get distracted by some of the annoyances that come along with it. Those vary by office, individual personality, etc., and if you dwell on them, the job can grate on you. However, I often step back and look at the job, the hours, the pay, and the flexibility (once you figure out your scheduling system), and it’s hard to imagine finding something better or that I would enjoy a whole lot more. |
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Post by Gaidin on Sept 28, 2024 10:04:21 GMT -5
Have you found the commute/schedule manageable? Now that the ADS doesn't need to be within 2 hours of the office, I might list a few more offices on my GAL. Be careful with this. Some offices are more in person than others, and some offices choose hearing slots based on seniority. So you may find yourself frequently having to do in person hearings twice a week, and not on back to back days. 100% this. I know a judge who goes into the office about once a month. I know others who go in every week sometimes twice a week. Also all of this is based on an administration who isn't opposed to telework and a record low backlog. There is an election in November and they will eventually sort out their issues over at DDS. |
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Post by rmspringfield on Sept 28, 2024 12:40:25 GMT -5
My situation is kind of a pain because my ODS is across a state line. But making the commute and staying in a hotel for those days is a lot more cost effective than trying to get a 2nd mortgage at 7 percent interest to buy a house at a crazy inflated price right now. Have you found the commute/schedule manageable? Now that the ADS doesn't need to be within 2 hours of the office, I might list a few more offices on my GAL. It is. My actual commute time is about 3 hours but I have to cross a time zone. I schedule dockets Monday-Wednesday and make the drive over on Sunday. I drive back on Thursday morning after the rush hour is done and earn and use credit hours and flex time to handle the difference, clear out EDIT and ALPO, etc. From time to time that does mean I wind up doing my virtual cases from my chambers due to scheduling. My December dockets for some reason have the in person dockets on the Wednesday, while the preceding Tuesday and Monday are telephone...***really?...thanks guys****. You have control over your calendar as to which days and what time format you schedule hearings. But you have zero control over which are in person or which are virtual. But again, I have the option of driving over on Sunday and handling dockets Monday - Wednesday or driving over on the Tuesday after the last hearing. Depending on what my circadian rhythm will be able to handle vs. my monthly budget. That is my choice. When selecting my GAL I only picked offices that would be feasible for me to do that. 4 hours drive max. That way I'd have time to search the housing market with boots on the ground and decide later if it was worth it to find a place to rent or buy. The hotel solution is working out. I'm now a Super Major Domo Premier Elite VIP Status with a major hotel chain. That means free food in the lounge, guaranteed late checkout. Hotel points to get free rooms when it's time to take a vacation. And no lease to break if i decide to buy later when interest rates come back down. Or no house to sell if my name gets chosen off the transfer list. Plus not having a landlord. If my toilet breaks in a rental property I gotta get a lawyer involved if the landlord doesn't do anything. If my toilet breaks in the hotel they either move me to another room or we just move from the Marriott to the Hilton down the road. I've heard of some ALJs actually flying back and forth. Some of my colleagues had to move across the country when they got "the call." As others have said we'll see if this holds up. If we get the mandate to return to office then I'll have some choices to make. Right now for me it just doesn't make sense to do otherwise as I can't buy a house in a decent neighborhood anywhere near my ODS for what I spend on hotel and travel costs. Not with houses going $100K over asking price at 7%-8% interest in some markets. |
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Post by greendog on Sept 30, 2024 15:00:57 GMT -5
It’s not how bad the job is but how much you make to put up with the bad job that matters. Says the ole greendog.
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Post by Pixie on Sept 30, 2024 17:59:11 GMT -5
It’s not how bad the job is but how much you make to put up with the bad job that matters. Says the ole greendog. Welcome back, Greendog; it has been a long time. Pixie |
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Post by greendog on Oct 1, 2024 8:54:28 GMT -5
It’s not how bad the job is but how much you make to put up with the bad job that matters. Says the ole greendog. Welcome back, Greendog; it has been a long time. Pixie Yeah getting old and tired. But I’m still around |
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