hydro
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by hydro on Oct 18, 2024 11:19:54 GMT -5
HOCALJs and RCALJs are typically the panel members, right? No idea where they’d find the time. Management conference calls aren’t going to make themselves. Managers do the interviews. My experience is that the agency hates canceled hearings until they don't. If they think something is more important then they will tell you to cancel hearings to do the other thing. I don't say all this to tell you that they are going to do interviews before March. I tell you this to say that it is possible. When you say managers, who do you mean? I figured a large portion of attorney managers would be applying for the position. |
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Post by shmi1979 on Oct 18, 2024 12:54:46 GMT -5
Managers do the interviews. My experience is that the agency hates canceled hearings until they don't. If they think something is more important then they will tell you to cancel hearings to do the other thing. I don't say all this to tell you that they are going to do interviews before March. I tell you this to say that it is possible. When you say managers, who do you mean? I figured a large portion of attorney managers would be applying for the position. There are management ALJs in the NHCs. |
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Post by patrick on Oct 18, 2024 14:17:30 GMT -5
When you say managers, who do you mean? I figured a large portion of attorney managers would be applying for the position. There are management ALJs in the NHCs. I think it’s mostly HOCALJs (hearing office chief ALJs) and RCALJs (regional chief ALJs) conducting interviews. Each would be considered management ALJs and each has a reduced hearing schedule, maybe no hearing schedule for RCALJs, giving them more flexibility to conduct interviews. |
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Post by neufenland on Oct 18, 2024 14:35:02 GMT -5
Am I the only person on here who assumes this is a targeted hiring to pick up the experienced Medicare judges who are about to be RIF'd? It would be a pretty easy transition for those Medicare ALJs to SSA. Medicare has a lot of judges who came from SSA, too, so they have some SSA experience. I applied this time, and although I was high scorer on the doomed 2018 list and was interviewed in 2022, I have no anticipation of interviewing this time because I think the Medicare ALJs, plus a few favorite SSA DW insiders will get all these spots. I applied mainly to (hopefully) get on a "list" that may be used for a subsequent hire. I hope you are all right and I am wrong! I think you’re right, and it’s depressing to think about. It’s hard to compete with a sitting ALJ. Still, as I noted in a previous post, we don’t have any idea what they “really want.” We can make WA and/or educated guesses, but there’s nothing we can do about it even if we did know. |
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Post by rmspringfield on Oct 18, 2024 16:02:04 GMT -5
Am I the only person on here who assumes this is a targeted hiring to pick up the experienced Medicare judges who are about to be RIF'd? It would be a pretty easy transition for those Medicare ALJs to SSA. Medicare has a lot of judges who came from SSA, too, so they have some SSA experience. I applied this time, and although I was high scorer on the doomed 2018 list and was interviewed in 2022, I have no anticipation of interviewing this time because I think the Medicare ALJs, plus a few favorite SSA DW insiders will get all these spots. I applied mainly to (hopefully) get on a "list" that may be used for a subsequent hire. I hope you are all right and I am wrong! I don’t think this is the case at all. If it’s targeted to the RIF at OMHA why open the announcement to the public? And why leave it open for 3 days with no cap on the number of applications? The details of the RIF haven’t even been ironed out yet as far as I know. The more logical explanation for the timing is that they made the announcement at the beginning of FY 2025. So that being said. Those that applied this go around have just as much chance of getting “the call” as everyone who did before. Without going into forbidden topics like interview or application specifics and anything touching the thread that shall not be named, they’ll look at the applications, select a few applicants from those for interviews and hire from the pool they interview based on whatever ranking system they use. Just like they did before. You can only do what you can do. Put your best foot forward and do what you can. |
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Post by jimmyjiggles on Oct 18, 2024 16:19:23 GMT -5
Am I the only person on here who assumes this is a targeted hiring to pick up the experienced Medicare judges who are about to be RIF'd? It would be a pretty easy transition for those Medicare ALJs to SSA. Medicare has a lot of judges who came from SSA, too, so they have some SSA experience. I applied this time, and although I was high scorer on the doomed 2018 list and was interviewed in 2022, I have no anticipation of interviewing this time because I think the Medicare ALJs, plus a few favorite SSA DW insiders will get all these spots. I applied mainly to (hopefully) get on a "list" that may be used for a subsequent hire. I hope you are all right and I am wrong! Ehhhh I think SSA does what’s best for them - I think the possible HHS RIF just happens to coincide with this announcement. Remember, just numbers wise, there are significantly less HHS ALJs than SSA ones - we’re not talking 1,000 HHS ALJs will suddenly be in the RIF and unemployed (which has yet to actually happen). There are 10/11 HHS “hearing/field offices” nationwide compared to nearly 150-160 SSA hearing offices. As not every single HHS ALJ will be RIFd, I would not expect a tidal wave of HHS ALJs taking up all the SSA ALJ interviews. The numbers just aren’t there. It will be interesting to see if HHS does not complete the RIF prior to SSA offers - that would throw a wrench in things for any HHS ALJ weighing the decision to move to SSA. There is no chance HHS completes the RIF before SSA ALJs are getting offers. Officially a RIF hasn’t been decided on, it’s merely a “tool” to help “right size” the agency. Gotta love the HR folks and their Orwellian language!! Realistically it is obvious no one in OPM has thought through how to RIF ALJs post EO. So just getting a process will take a while. Plus there is the election and budgets, so it’s all in the air really. If a RIF becomes official I think it would be March ish at the earliest that they set it in motion, giving those RIFed 60 days to GTFO. There will probably be 50-60 OMHA ALJs applying, just based on the sample from my office. They are only RIFing 30ish of us (out of 120 or so left), but none of us know who is likely to get RIFed (because they deny that a RIF has been decided on), so everyone who could possibly get RIFed is likely to apply. There are also some that are unlikely to be RIFed applying as well. So tidal wave, no, but it’s also not a negligible number. If SSA hires 16-20 OMHA ALJs then the possibility of a RIF at OMHA is probably zero. But few would forego applying to SSA because OMHA “might” not RIF. The RIF is a years long prospect if we do not shed some ALJs. It’s hard to convey how crummy it feels working under the vague threat of a RIF. The majority opinion here is OMHA has done us dirty, and even if we survive the RIF, no one looks forward to working here. That sucks to say, but it’s the truth. I also think SSA is probably going to draw from this application for multiple years. I say that because they left it open for so long (yes three whole days is a long time lol) that they are sure to get a ton of qualified applicants to draw from. |
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Post by neufenland on Oct 18, 2024 18:12:53 GMT -5
Ehhhh I think SSA does what’s best for them - I think the possible HHS RIF just happens to coincide with this announcement. Remember, just numbers wise, there are significantly less HHS ALJs than SSA ones - we’re not talking 1,000 HHS ALJs will suddenly be in the RIF and unemployed (which has yet to actually happen). There are 10/11 HHS “hearing/field offices” nationwide compared to nearly 150-160 SSA hearing offices. As not every single HHS ALJ will be RIFd, I would not expect a tidal wave of HHS ALJs taking up all the SSA ALJ interviews. The numbers just aren’t there. It will be interesting to see if HHS does not complete the RIF prior to SSA offers - that would throw a wrench in things for any HHS ALJ weighing the decision to move to SSA. There is no chance HHS completes the RIF before SSA ALJs are getting offers. Officially a RIF hasn’t been decided on, it’s merely a “tool” to help “right size” the agency. Gotta love the HR folks and their Orwellian language!! Realistically it is obvious no one in OPM has thought through how to RIF ALJs post EO. So just getting a process will take a while. Plus there is the election and budgets, so it’s all in the air really. If a RIF becomes official I think it would be March ish at the earliest that they set it in motion, giving those RIFed 60 days to GTFO. There will probably be 50-60 OMHA ALJs applying, just based on the sample from my office. They are only RIFing 30ish of us (out of 120 or so left), but none of us know who is likely to get RIFed (because they deny that a RIF has been decided on), so everyone who could possibly get RIFed is likely to apply. There are also some that are unlikely to be RIFed applying as well. So tidal wave, no, but it’s also not a negligible number. If SSA hires 16-20 OMHA ALJs then the possibility of a RIF at OMHA is probably zero. But few would forego applying to SSA because OMHA “might” not RIF. The RIF is a years long prospect if we do not shed some ALJs. It’s hard to convey how crummy it feels working under the vague threat of a RIF. The majority opinion here is OMHA has done us dirty, and even if we survive the RIF, no one looks forward to working here. That sucks to say, but it’s the truth. I also think SSA is probably going to draw from this application for multiple years. I say that because they left it open for so long (yes three whole days is a long time lol) that they are sure to get a ton of qualified applicants to draw from. Regarding the last time they did multiple “draws” from the same application: those who got picked up to interview in 2022, but did not get hired, were not subsequently returned to the pool to be evaluated again in 2023. They just tossed us. it’s obviously better to be interviewed than not, right? One would think, but I’m not so sure. The last go-around was puzzling. Figure 100ish were interviewed in 2022, and were ranked. #1-#57 got offers (subject to quirks of GAL). Then #57-#100 got put into the trash, and in 2023, #100-#200 got interviewed, and #100-137 (or whatever) got “the call.” I do not believe that #57-#100 were all interview disasters and/or only selected Honolulu for their GAL (my numbers are approximations, but you get the idea). It was the most frustrating aspect in the last cycle’s results, and yes, I was in the 2022 interviewee/no hire club. |
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Post by Gaidin on Oct 18, 2024 21:43:38 GMT -5
Managers do the interviews. My experience is that the agency hates canceled hearings until they don't. If they think something is more important then they will tell you to cancel hearings to do the other thing. I don't say all this to tell you that they are going to do interviews before March. I tell you this to say that it is possible. When you say managers, who do you mean? I figured a large portion of attorney managers would be applying for the position. I mean RCALJ (deputies as well), HOCALJ, and NHC judges. I mean I guess you could get Nagel or Dhillon which would be funny. The interviews and training have always been done solely by ALJs in the past |
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Post by Gaidin on Oct 18, 2024 21:49:39 GMT -5
Ehhhh I think SSA does what’s best for them If you remember this and rely upon it you will always be right. I would only add the caveat "SSA does what it thinks is best for them." |
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Post by hopefulop on Oct 21, 2024 18:57:30 GMT -5
So I applied for the position. But I was planning on retiring end of year. Initially, of course not thinking about how long the process takes, thought I would wait to retire until I heard about this position. Does anyone have any idea of whether, assuming I go ahead and retire, they would consider me or would I be out of luck? Thanks for any advice/help.
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Post by natethegreat on Oct 22, 2024 6:43:46 GMT -5
So I applied for the position. But I was planning on retiring end of year. Initially, of course not thinking about how long the process takes, thought I would wait to retire until I heard about this position. Does anyone have any idea of whether, assuming I go ahead and retire, they would consider me or would I be out of luck? Thanks for any advice/help. I would assume if you are a preferred insider, they won't write you off simply because you retired from your current position. |
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Post by adminlurker on Oct 22, 2024 12:57:10 GMT -5
So I applied for the position. But I was planning on retiring end of year. Initially, of course not thinking about how long the process takes, thought I would wait to retire until I heard about this position. Does anyone have any idea of whether, assuming I go ahead and retire, they would consider me or would I be out of luck? Thanks for any advice/help. If you retired, but got hired in an office that required a move, you wouldn’t get relocation expenses? |
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Post by aa7 on Oct 23, 2024 10:31:00 GMT -5
So I applied for the position. But I was planning on retiring end of year. Initially, of course not thinking about how long the process takes, thought I would wait to retire until I heard about this position. Does anyone have any idea of whether, assuming I go ahead and retire, they would consider me or would I be out of luck? Thanks for any advice/help. If you retired, but got hired in an office that required a move, you wouldn’t get relocation expenses? No relo available anyways |
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Post by ssaogc on Oct 23, 2024 15:55:21 GMT -5
So I applied for the position. But I was planning on retiring end of year. Initially, of course not thinking about how long the process takes, thought I would wait to retire until I heard about this position. Does anyone have any idea of whether, assuming I go ahead and retire, they would consider me or would I be out of luck? Thanks for any advice/help. I would assume if you are a preferred insider, they won't write you off simply because you retired from your current position. There might be additional requirements if they are going to hire an annuitant which SSA may not choose to do just to get the process sped up. Look into it before you retire |
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Post by ssa on Oct 23, 2024 21:06:55 GMT -5
If you retired, but got hired in an office that required a move, you wouldn’t get relocation expenses? No relo available anyways This is inaccurate. It’s available to current employees as it was in 2022 and 2023. The current posting said: Relocation expenses reimbursedYes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy. |
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Post by roonie on Oct 28, 2024 13:16:35 GMT -5
This may have been asked and answered, but I expanded my GAL this time because the kiddos are older. Is it frowned upon to really only come in on in person days? That’s what the ALJs in my current office do, but they’ve all been in office for 10+ years.
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Post by Gaidin on Oct 28, 2024 17:24:34 GMT -5
This may have been asked and answered, but I expanded my GAL this time because the kiddos are older. Is it frowned upon to really only come in on in person days? That’s what the ALJs in my current office do, but they’ve all been in office for 10+ years. When I go in on days that are not hearing days everyone looks at me a little strange. If you don't have a reason to be in the office no will care that you aren't there. |
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Post by tripper on Oct 28, 2024 19:11:25 GMT -5
This may have been asked and answered, but I expanded my GAL this time because the kiddos are older. Is it frowned upon to really only come in on in person days? That’s what the ALJs in my current office do, but they’ve all been in office for 10+ years. When I go in on days that are not hearing days everyone looks at me a little strange. If you don't have a reason to be in the office no will care that you aren't there. My experience as well. |
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Post by rmspringfield on Oct 28, 2024 19:45:22 GMT -5
This may have been asked and answered, but I expanded my GAL this time because the kiddos are older. Is it frowned upon to really only come in on in person days? That’s what the ALJs in my current office do, but they’ve all been in office for 10+ years. You'll have to go in the office for onboarding. And after that for like a month or maybe less as part of your training you may have to go in the office....just to watch training videos on your laptop in your office. I don't know why they made the class of 2023 do that. But they did. After that once you start handling dockets you aren't expected to be in the office unless you have an in person docket. If your HOCALJ wants to schedule a meeting with everyone those are usually held virtually. There are 12 ALJs in my office but we rarely see each other because I schedule Monday-Wednesday and the others in my office may schedule Tuesday-Friday so even if there are 2 ALJs assigned in person the rest are virtual and it's like ships passing in the night. I may see one or two group supervisors, one or more IT person and the hearing VHR contractors. |
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Post by nylawyer on Oct 29, 2024 8:08:12 GMT -5
This may have been asked and answered, but I expanded my GAL this time because the kiddos are older. Is it frowned upon to really only come in on in person days? That’s what the ALJs in my current office do, but they’ve all been in office for 10+ years. If your office ends up being like mine, you'd be there pretty much by yourself half the time. So I can't imagine what the point would be of you going in when you don't have in person hearings. |
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