Is this a good job? I am an attorney that represents claimants before SSA. I am getting kind of tired of this job. Maybe this is a good change? Pay seems low, however.
These OGC attorney's represent SSA in federal court appeals. So if you enjoy federal brief writing it could be a attractive position. They are also advertising it as a remote position, so that would be a big plus. Pay seems decent for GS 13 level hires, especially when you consider the federal benefit package.
Below is very detailed academic review of the SSA federal court process that discusses in detail the job duties of OGC attorneys. (start on page 30). This will provide some insight as they interviewed OGC attorneys that hold this same position. Workload expectations for federal court briefs seem high (4-12 briefs per month)--but if that is most of the job I can see how it would easier to become much more efficient compared to claimant representation.
I worked in OGC from 1972 to 1982. I loved it. Was a different time, however; we constantly defended constitutional challenges to procedures, regulations, and statutes. There were 25 separate district court cases challenging delays at different levels of adjudication. I argued in the First, Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Circuits, and briefed in every circuit but D.C. Might be completely different now, of course. It was HEW when I started,, and HHS when I left. As to workload, I once worked 14 weeks without a day off - and nobody noticed.
OGC is insulated from the core operations of SSA. Also, very few people are calling for everyone in the agency to return to the office. Field office operations are far more impacted by remote work compared to any other part of the agency. I don't think anyone seriously believes we should go back to in-person hearings as the default.
The OGC workload would still be better compared to what is required for a small firm claimant attorney with a decent caseload--especially those that care about providing competent and accessible legal advocacy through all stages of the admin/fed court process. My workload has increased at least 15% in the last 2 years (with fees dropping 40%) due to the bureaucratic nightmare that SSA seemed to willingly embrace during the pandemic. Frankly, the most attractive aspect of this OGC job is an escape from the astounding incompetence afflicting other parts of the agency. (though I imagine this incompetence will at some point generate federal court class actions that I would hate to defend against).
I do not get the sense that all claimant representatives are in the same position, but the local field office that processes 70%+ of my SSD claims is barely functional at this point. Way too much of my time is now spent trying to fix screw-ups of basic procedures and POM guidance that I didn't even have to think about a few years ago (i.e. manager of field office tried to claim they could not appoint me as the legal representative b/c client (whos contact info changed after we completed application) did not discharge his prior attorney on a totally separate application that had been denied with a final determination). The work is more exhaustive, boring, frustrating, and lower paying compared to a few years back. And there no indication anything will improve in the short term.
Pay is not low. The range shown is without locality pay and shows gs 11 through 13. It's a gs 14 position. So depending on experience you can start as high as a 13 and get a 14 after a year. GS 14 depending on where you live starts in 120s or 130s for bigger cities and goes up to 160 or more.
"ALJ considered the Claimant's conditions, limitations, and skills and rightly concluded..." "ALJ assertions that the claimant "wasn't credible" are accurate..." In some circuits, this is more than enough to "win" at Federal Court. Isn't this where you want to be as a lawyer? Getting paid when the deck is clearly stacked in your favor. 8th Circuit in particular.
10 comments:
Is this a good job? I am an attorney that represents claimants before SSA. I am getting kind of tired of this job. Maybe this is a good change? Pay seems low, however.
These OGC attorney's represent SSA in federal court appeals. So if you enjoy federal brief writing it could be a attractive position. They are also advertising it as a remote position, so that would be a big plus. Pay seems decent for GS 13 level hires, especially when you consider the federal benefit package.
Below is very detailed academic review of the SSA federal court process that discusses in detail the job duties of OGC attorneys. (start on page 30). This will provide some insight as they interviewed OGC attorneys that hold this same position. Workload expectations for federal court briefs seem high (4-12 briefs per month)--but if that is most of the job I can see how it would easier to become much more efficient compared to claimant representation.
https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2669&context=faculty_scholarship
@1:22
I highly recommend reading any of the OGC's Counsels' motions for extensions of time to understand just how overworked they are.
Wait, it’s a remote position so that would be a big plus? What happened to everyone needs to go back to the office??
I worked in OGC from 1972 to 1982. I loved it. Was a different time, however; we constantly defended constitutional challenges to procedures, regulations, and statutes. There were 25 separate district court cases challenging delays at different levels of adjudication. I argued in the First, Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Circuits, and briefed in every circuit but D.C. Might be completely different now, of course. It was HEW when I started,, and HHS when I left. As to workload, I once worked 14 weeks without a day off - and nobody noticed.
OGC is insulated from the core operations of SSA. Also, very few people are calling for everyone in the agency to return to the office. Field office operations are far more impacted by remote work compared to any other part of the agency. I don't think anyone seriously believes we should go back to in-person hearings as the default.
The OGC workload would still be better compared to what is required for a small firm claimant attorney with a decent caseload--especially those that care about providing competent and accessible legal advocacy through all stages of the admin/fed court process. My workload has increased at least 15% in the last 2 years (with fees dropping 40%) due to the bureaucratic nightmare that SSA seemed to willingly embrace during the pandemic. Frankly, the most attractive aspect of this OGC job is an escape from the astounding incompetence afflicting other parts of the agency. (though I imagine this incompetence will at some point generate federal court class actions that I would hate to defend against).
I do not get the sense that all claimant representatives are in the same position, but the local field office that processes 70%+ of my SSD claims is barely functional at this point. Way too much of my time is now spent trying to fix screw-ups of basic procedures and POM guidance that I didn't even have to think about a few years ago (i.e. manager of field office tried to claim they could not appoint me as the legal representative b/c client (whos contact info changed after we completed application) did not discharge his prior attorney on a totally separate application that had been denied with a final determination). The work is more exhaustive, boring, frustrating, and lower paying compared to a few years back. And there no indication anything will improve in the short term.
Pay is not low. The range shown is without locality pay and shows gs 11 through 13. It's a gs 14 position. So depending on experience you can start as high as a 13 and get a 14 after a year. GS 14 depending on where you live starts in 120s or 130s for bigger cities and goes up to 160 or more.
Thank you for the responses!
OGC is nothing great. If you want to do real litigation work with fellow great litigators, you will have to do it in the private sector.
Seems easy enough.
"ALJ considered the Claimant's conditions, limitations, and skills and rightly concluded..." "ALJ assertions that the claimant "wasn't credible" are accurate..." In some circuits, this is more than enough to "win" at Federal Court. Isn't this where you want to be as a lawyer? Getting paid when the deck is clearly stacked in your favor. 8th Circuit in particular.
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