Some Social Security Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) are saying that they hear that their agency may be advertising new ALJ positions in the near future. It's been a long time since any were hired. Attrition has really diminished the ALJ corps so this seems credible to me.
It is true with a high degree of emphasis on internal hires. Numbers are not known at this point, retirees have been searched for possible senior judges, so new hires are the next step.
ReplyDeleteThey need to hire for the FO’s.
ReplyDeleteWe lost 10 people to retirement or other jobs during COVID.
We got 4 hires to replace them. 1 quit a few months ago during training. 1 is about to get fired because she can’t do the job. And a third just finished training but informed management she’s looking for another job as this is not for her.
We can’t survive in the file like this. It’s not fair to the public or the employees.
Blog will be quiet if they open it up soon, all the reps apply for robes.
ReplyDeleteThose new hires must have been those High IQ people that were posted about earlier this week here, figured it out quick that SSA is not the place to be.
ReplyDeleteSeems dumb to be hiring more ALJ's since caseloads are so low.
ReplyDeleteTo 12:02
ReplyDeleteYears ago, while a Staff Attorney at OHA (It's Name Then) I aspired to be an ALJ mainly because I was frustrated writing decisions for ALJ's that got hired from outside and had no clue as to the law. At the time, there was no path to ALJdom so I left to become a Rep. It is the best thing I ever did.
Friends who stayed and did eventually become ALJ's have mostly retired after being frustrated by the job for years by a bureaucracy that cared little for the process or for them doing their jobs properly.
As a Rep, when the register did open up I thought about applying to be an ALJ. I even started working on my application but after doing that for about an hour, I thought to myself do I really want the job even if I got hired? The answer was a resounding NO.
So, you may believe that there are reps simply dying to become ALJs, and I agree there are some, but for me not being an ALJ has been both professionally and financially so much better than anything I had ever hoped for or imagined. There are a lot more like me than those who want the ALJ job instead of representing people seeking to obtain benefits.
Lol…two were smart enough to figure out a career at SSA is not worth the health problems it will cause. The third is getting fired because they can’t get down the program rules.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I’m shocked that management is actually firing them. Those are the ones they usually keep around thinking that given the time eventually they will get it and it will click. Spoiler - it’s rare. If you don’t grasp the concepts in training, the job just becomes too overwhelming and the mistakes made are just ridiculous and harm the claimants.
Back to 3 people and the public screaming at me about not answering my phone or processing claims. Hard to do when I’m up at FEI all day everyday doing social security cards and verification letters.
The ALJ job is not what it used to be. Hasn't been for almost 20 years getting progressively worse. If you want micro management, difficulty using leave with almost 0 flexibility and minimal control over your docket, then go for it. But you do get to tell everyone you are a Judge, which is kinda nice. Money is good but not much more than a 13/14 makes. Probably more attractive to outsiders given the great benefits. My prediction is that few GS 13/14s will apply. It will be grade 12 AAs and outsiders. YMMV. Good luck to those who apply, just do it with your eyes wide open.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a stranger application process for a job than the one Social Security ALJ. I don't see how SSA can attract the best candidates if they open the application process up for a very narrow window (a day or two at most?) and fail to advertise it widely. That's what you do when you are more interested in hiring insiders than the best people for the job.
ReplyDelete