Posters on an online message board mostly frequented by wannabe Administrative Law Judges seem convinced that Social Security will soon be hiring more ALJs. We’ll see.
Oh great, another person who thinks Congress just hands the president and agency heads big piles of money without designating how that money is to be spent. Please learn how how your own government works before complaining about it and throwing blame around.
To your point, they can hire with the money earmarked by congress for hiring ALJs. If you think that money could better be spent elsewhere, then please take that up with the Trump acolytes that crafted this budget and the CR.
ALJ hiring at SSA would be absurd. There's fewer than 300,000 cases pending for hearing. And the hundreds of management judges serving in the NHCs and as local hearing office chief ALJs are barely holding any hearings now. By all rights, the agency and Congress should be discussing a RIF of SSA ALJs instead.
This “clean” CR had additional funding for two programs. It included an additional $232 million to boost security around the presidential election after agents thwarted a recent potential suspected assassination attempt on Trump, and it green-lights faster spending from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid natural disaster victims. I’m wondering where the additional funding came from?
I would wager it would involve using the the same earmarked funding allotment that was continued by the CR to replace ALJs lost to attrition. Even if the replacements aren’t imminently needed, it would be idiotic to turn around and tell Congress we don’t need that money anymore. That money would NEVER come back, no matter how badly needed it might be kn the future. Have you seen how the GOP has run the Congress in recent decades?
Just from a morale standpoint, I’d be pretty ticked if I was an SSA employee facing the prospect of a furlough and the administration was hiring ALJs at the same time.
I don’t know what’s going on with the furloughs. Comm. O’Malley told members of Congress that a 6 months CR would cause 20 furlough days. They got a CR that was a little less than 3 months (Oct. 1 to Dec. 20 I think) but I haven’t heard anything more about furloughs from the people I know that work at SSA (a couple OHO and OGC attorneys). Was it all overblown to try to get the anomaly? If so, is the lie going to cost him? Or are the furloughs coming and in typical SSA fashion they can’t get their stuff together to announce it even to employees. If the SSA employees end up with 10 furlough days during this 3 months, do they pick the days? If they do then every day the Comm. waits makes it harder on everyone. People need to plan their budgets if they are going to miss out on an entire paycheck. Then again, morale isn’t Comm. O’Malley’s concern. Never has been, never will be.
ALJ is hiring with what money? Overtime is nonexistent and furloughs are a possibility. I think it is wishful thinking by the ALJ website.
ReplyDeleteOh great, another person who thinks Congress just hands the president and agency heads big piles of money without designating how that money is to be spent. Please learn how how your own government works before complaining about it and throwing blame around.
DeleteTo your point, they can hire with the money earmarked by congress for hiring ALJs. If you think that money could better be spent elsewhere, then please take that up with the Trump acolytes that crafted this budget and the CR.
ALJ hiring at SSA would be absurd. There's fewer than 300,000 cases pending for hearing. And the hundreds of management judges serving in the NHCs and as local hearing office chief ALJs are barely holding any hearings now. By all rights, the agency and Congress should be discussing a RIF of SSA ALJs instead.
ReplyDeleteThis “clean” CR had additional funding for two programs.
ReplyDeleteIt included an additional $232 million to boost security around the presidential election after agents thwarted a recent potential suspected assassination attempt on Trump, and it green-lights faster spending from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid natural disaster victims.
I’m wondering where the additional funding came from?
I would wager it would involve using the the same earmarked funding allotment that was continued by the CR to replace ALJs lost to attrition. Even if the replacements aren’t imminently needed, it would be idiotic to turn around and tell Congress we don’t need that money anymore. That money would NEVER come back, no matter how badly needed it might be kn the future. Have you seen how the GOP has run the Congress in recent decades?
DeleteJust from a morale standpoint, I’d be pretty ticked if I was an SSA employee facing the prospect of a furlough and the administration was hiring ALJs at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know what’s going on with the furloughs. Comm. O’Malley told members of Congress that a 6 months CR would cause 20 furlough days. They got a CR that was a little less than 3 months (Oct. 1 to Dec. 20 I think) but I haven’t heard anything more about furloughs from the people I know that work at SSA (a couple OHO and OGC attorneys). Was it all overblown to try to get the anomaly? If so, is the lie going to cost him? Or are the furloughs coming and in typical SSA fashion they can’t get their stuff together to announce it even to employees. If the SSA employees end up with 10 furlough days during this 3 months, do they pick the days? If they do then every day the Comm. waits makes it harder on everyone. People need to plan their budgets if they are going to miss out on an entire paycheck. Then again, morale isn’t Comm. O’Malley’s concern. Never has been, never will be.
SSA manager here. ALJ hiring is coming "in the near future" per OCALJ. ALJ interoffice transfers will be done first.
ReplyDelete