Administrative Law Judge (Licensing and Benefits)

Summary

These positions are located in Disability Adjudication, Hearings Hubs nationwide. The incumbent is subordinate to and accountable to the direction and supervision of the Commissioner of Social Security. The incumbent holds hearings and makes and issues decisions on appeals from determinations on claims filed under Titles II, VIII, and XVI of the Social Security Act, as amended. The incumbent is responsible for managing a policy compliant docket in a high volume caseload environment.

Duties

• 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;
• 1. identify issues to be resolved; 3) analyze the evidence;
• 1. determine whether there are other parties to be joined in the case;
• 1. issue subpoenas and rule on petitions to revoke subpoenas;
• 1. consider and resolve conflicting evidence;
• 1. hear testimony and rule on all motions, petitions, or exceptions involving questions of law, procedure, and the admissibility of evidence;
• 1. hold pre-hearing conferences with the claimant, representative, or both;
• 1. make the evidence of record available to the parties and inform them of any evidence or expert testimony required in connection with the hearing;
• 1. administer oaths and affirmations;
• 1. govern the conduct of the parties at the hearing, and in general regulate the course of the hearing;
• 1. control the examination and cross-examination of witnesses;
• 1. introduce into the record documentary and other evidence deemed necessary for the completion or full development of the record;
• 1. hear oral argument, and receive and consider briefs that are submitted;
• 1. evaluate the credibility of witnesses, and resolve conflicts in lay and expert evidence;
• 1. consider and dispose of proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law submitted by the claimant;
• 1. 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;
• 1. 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
• 1. entertain petitions for representative fees and issue orders designating the amount of fee authorized.
• 1. 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.

Qualifications

Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered. Visit the 'Required Documents' section below for more information. 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. Qualifying administrative law experience involves cases in which a formal procedure was initiated by a governmental administrative body and includes: 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. Non-qualifying Experience Experience involving cases with no formal hearing procedure and uncontested cases involving misdemeanors, probate, domestic relations, or tort matters is not qualifying.

Education

Applicants must possess a JD. TRANSCRIPTS ARE ALSO REQUIRED TO SUBSTANTIATE POSSESSION OF THE REQUIRED AND CLAIMED EDUCATION. UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS (INCLUDING SCREEN PRINTS FROM YOUR SCHOOL'S WEB PORTAL) ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR INITIAL APPLICATION; HOWEVER, YOUR TRANSCRIPT MUST SHOW A DEGREE AND CONFERRED/AWARDED DATE PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. SELF-PREPARED TRANSCRIPTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications (ed.gov) In addition, when reviewing an applicant's transcripts, assumptions will not be made. Applicants MUST state which coursework is relevant. How You Will Be Evaluated

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 your evaluation. The questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. To preview the questions, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13045892 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. Other Information

Please note: The Entrance on Duty (EOD) date for these positions will be late March or early April 2027. Mandatory in-person training will begin shortly after EOD. ENTRANCE ON DUTY AND TRAINING DATES WILL NOT BE NEGOTIATED. Additional selections may be made for this vacancy at a future date if additional positions become available. Relocation expenses may be authorized in accordance with agency policy.