ALJ Hiring for FY 2010

[valkyrie]

In a conference call to the HODs this week Falls Church reported that 208 ALJ are to be hired for FY 2010. This was relayed by a HOD.

[hooligan]

Feb 19, 2009 16:50:52 GMT -5 valkyrie said:

In a conference call to the HODs this week Falls Church reported that 208 ALJ are to be hired for FY 2010. This was relayed by a HOD.

I would be cautious about this without understanding the context. What I had heard previously was that they planned classes for July, August and September totalling about 150. Since these are near the end of the fiscal year, they will obviously make no material impact on production until 2010. The additional 58 or so may be projected attrition that would be added in a 2010 hire.

I have no first hand information, but I would be skeptical that this is either something new or an indication of delay in 2009 hiring or a forecast of an even higher hire in 2010. Getting half the story can be dangerous.

[bartleby]

At a seminar last week, the chief Administrative Law judge said they want to hire 150 in 2009 and 200 in 2010.

[barkley]

The fifty cent question is exactly how many people are being added to the register this year and whether OPM will have to have another period of accepting applications this summer.

[valkyrie]

I asked, and my HOD indicated that the 200 for 2010 were in addition to the 150 for 2009. This would make about 500 new ALJ hires in three years. The HOD also indicated that Falls Church appeared to be acknowledging that additional bodies were the only way that production would increase at this point. They also apparently threw out a tentative staffing ratio goal of 1.5 writers per ALJ and 2.5 staff per ALJ. I think all the additional hiring is a reflection of ODAR, SSA, and the backlog being big money winners with the new administration. From a more speculative standpoint, if Obama is going to address some sort of entitlement reform, he's probably going to want to go into it with SSA well-staffed and performing, hopefully with a much reduced backlog.

[valkyrie]

I forgot to mention that in the conference call it was announced that the ODAR ALJ interviews are scheduled to begin April 20.

[evenkeel]

Our office in region 3 recently underwent an audit. During the course of that audit, the Regional Chief Judge came to our office to help deliver the results and advised our HOCALJ that they were going to hire enough new ALJ's to put at least one new ALJ in every hearing office. Thus, assuming the budget passes, if an ODAR has an empty ALJ office, and perhaps even if it doesn't, it will be getting a new ALJ. I know that our office will be getting one even though we just got one last year and are a very small office.

[george007]

Good info evenkeel, but you're getting my hopes up. I only applied for 2 cities because they were the two I would only truly work in due to family obligations. One city is supposedly opening a new office (and it's probably not a destination most would want to work at!) and the other I hear is a tough office to get a job in. But, I keep hearing of all these possible hires... as my buddy Zero says, don't measure the drapes yet!

[zero]

Thanks evenkeel. You may only have one post, but it's a good one!

[chieftain]

Could it be that "at least one new ALJ in every hearing office" means that just on the average, 155 or so judges will be hired, instead of literally one new ALJ going into each office? I think the former is more likely, although these numbers are consistent with what we have been hearing elsewhere, and is a piece of good news.

[ishmael]

thx for the update evenkeel

[evenkeel]

I tend to agree with chieftain. I believe that the Regional Chief's wording of at least one new ALJ in every hearing office was used to denote the actual number of ALJs that will be hired. However, I believe that many offices that feel that they do not need another ALJ, however right or wrong in their beliefs, will be getting one if there is a space for one, just like in our office. Given our size and numbers, we, arguably, do not need another ALJ; however, that does not seem to matter because we have an empty ALJ designated office available and because of the anticipated steady increase in applications due to the economy.

[counsel]

I have also heard that there will be additional ALJs this year and next along with additional staff. Rumor also is that SSA is requesting that OPM reopen the register for a third time to accommodate anticipated hiring.