Current SSA employees in Disability Adjudication ONLY.

• Under agency regulations that implement Titles II, VIII, and XVI of the Act, the incumbent holds hearings and issues timely and legally sufficient decisions in a high volume caseload environment and may:
• 1) dismiss a request for hearing and rule on a request for an extension of time;
• 2) identify issues to be resolved; 3) analyze the evidence;
• 4) determine whether there are other parties to be joined in the case;
• 5) issue subpoenas and rule on petitions to revoke subpoenas;
• 6) consider and resolve conflicting evidence;
• 7) hear testimony and rule on all motions, petitions, or exceptions involving questions of law, procedure, and the admissibility of evidence;
• 8) hold pre-hearing conferences with the claimant, representative, or both;
• 9) make the evidence of record available to the parties and inform them of any evidence or expert testimony required in connection with the hearing;
• 10) administer oaths and affirmations;
• 11) govern the conduct of the parties at the hearing, and in general regulate the course of the hearing;
• 12) control the examination and cross-examination of witnesses;
• 13) introduce into the record documentary and other evidence deemed necessary for the completion or full development of the record;
• 14) hear oral argument, and receive and consider briefs that are submitted;
• 15) evaluate the credibility of witnesses, and resolve conflicts in lay and expert evidence;
• 16) consider and dispose of proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law submitted by the claimant;
• 17) make findings of fact in accordance with the Act, the agency's regulations, rulings, and policy on each issue, giving reasons therefore, and render conclusions of law;
• 18) fully consider all the evidence of record, issue timely and legally sufficient final decisions within the requirements of the Act, and which are individually signed or individually approved by the incumbent prior to issuance; and
• 19) entertain petitions for representative fees and issue orders designating the amount of fee authorized.
• 20) Exercise effective docket management including schedule cases for hearing; hear and decide cases in a high volume environment; timely move cases toward dispositions; and issue timely, decisive, and legally defensible dispositions.

Conditions of employment

• All application materials must be received by the closing date.
• Applicants must be in good standing.
• Applicants must have a fully successful rating of record.
• Official Personnel Folders will not be reviewed.
• Requests for copies of application documents will not be accepted.
• All application forms submitted become the property of SSA Human Resources.
• Proof of active bar membership required at point of application.

Qualifications

Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered. Visit the 'Required Documents' section below for more information.

Grade Level: You must currently hold, or have previously held, a permanent Attorney position at the GS-13 or above for a minimum of 52 weeks.

Licensure: Applicants must be licensed and authorized to practice law under the laws of a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territorial court established under the United States Constitution throughout the selection process, including any period on the standing register of eligibles. Judicial status is acceptable in lieu of "active" status in States that prohibit sitting judges from maintaining "active" status to practice law. Being in "good standing" is acceptable in lieu of "active" status in States where the licensing authority considers "good standing" as having a current license to practice law.

Experience: Applicants must have a full seven (7) years of experience as a licensed attorney preparing for, participating in, and/or reviewing formal hearings or trials involving litigation and/or administrative law at the Federal, State or local level.

Cases must have been conducted on the record under procedures at least as formal as those prescribed by sections 553 through 559 of Title 5, U.S.C.

Qualifying litigation experience involves cases in which a complaint was filed with a court, or a charging document (e.g., indictment or information) was issued by a court, a grand jury, or appropriate military authority, and includes:

• participating in settlement or plea negotiations in advance of trial;
• preparing for trial and/or trial of cases;
• preparing opinions;
• hearing cases;
• participating in or conducting arbitration, mediation, or other alternative dispute resolution approved by the court; or
• participating in appeals related to the types of cases above.

• participating in settlement negotiations in advance of hearing cases;
• preparing for hearing and/or trial of cases;
• preparing opinions;
• hearing cases;
• participating in or conducting arbitration, mediation, or other alternative dispute resolution approved by the administrative body; or
• participating in appeals related to the types of cases above.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the ALJ Assessment Questionnaire, which is designed to capture the desired competencies for this position.

Please provide sufficient details in your resume to enable us to determine if you meet the requirement for qualifying experience (as stated in the Qualifications section). Providing insufficient details in your resume may result in a lower or ineligible rating. To enable us to determine the length of your experience, it is important that you provide the month, day, and year of the starting and ending dates of employment. When describing the duties performed for each position, be brief and concise, but inclusive in the description of your experience. If you held multiple positions with the same employer, please include the job title, dates, and duties for each position. You may also include information about honors, awards, and special accomplishments.

Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect how the Agency evaluates your qualifications. To preview the questions, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12939680

After evaluating responses to the ALJ Assessment Questionnaire, higher scoring candidates' resumes will be reviewed. The Agency will invite higher-scoring applicants to participate in a structured interview. Candidates who are selected to participate in a structured interview may also undergo a background investigation and reference checks. Selections will be made from those candidates after review of all application material submitted, along with results of the structured interview, background investigation, and reference checks.

Candidates who are invited to interview must be available during the timeframe that has been designated for interviews. Candidates who are not available will receive no further consideration. Once an interview has been scheduled, candidates will not ordinarily have the option to re-schedule. Interviews will be held virtually.