Clifford Willever, CSC Docket No. 2023-491

BackgroundClifford Willever appeals the denial by the Division of Agency Services (Agency Services) of his request to file a late application for the open-competitive examination for Fire Fighter (M9999D), Various jurisdictions.

The subject examination was announced on July 1, 2022, and closed on August 31, 2022. Only on-line applications were accepted, and the appellant did not submit one. Over 11,000 candidates filed applications, and the examination has not yet been held.

In his initial request to Agency Services, the appellant stated that he attempted to file for the exam on August 30, 2022, but had trouble with his email and password for the Online Application System (OAS). He provides emails with customer service. Specifically, the email string starts on Tuesday, August 30, 2022 at 7:04 p.m., when he asked for assistance in accessing his account. At 9:33 a.m. the next day, customer support provided instructions on changing his password and gave the appellant his username. He responded at 6:01 p.m. that he struggled to change his password, but when he could get in, the 4:00 p.m. deadline had passed. Agency Services did not accept his request to file a late application after the two-month filing period. On appeal, the appellant describes his difficulties logging in, and states that he could not do so until he used the username provided by Agency Services.

CONCLUSION

RuleN.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.1(e) provides, in pertinent part, that applications for open competitive and promotional examinations should be filed no later than the announced filing date for filing applications.

AnalysisThe appellant was not admitted to the subject examination since he did file an application by the closing date. The examination filing period was from July 1, 2022 to August 31, 2022, and as such, candidates had two months to file an application, at any time of the day, and 11,000 candidates met the deadline. The announcement instructed candidates that online applications must be completed and submitted by the closing date at 4:00 p.m. It states that if you are having difficulty submitting your application online, technical support and customer care are available during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and emergency closings. It states that application support requests received outside of regular business hours on the closing date “will not change the application filing deadline, so please file early.”

The Online Application System User Guide is on the Civil Service Commission’s website and is available for all candidates. It provides in-depth instructions on the use of the system. On page 5, it states that you must establish a User Account by creating a User ID and password. It then instructs candidates to record their User ID and password in a safe place so that they can access their account in the future. At the bottom of the page, it states, “If you are a returning user and cannot remember your User ID or password, click on the ‘Forgot your User ID or Password?’ link. Be sure to use the same email address you used when you established your user account. Also, note that [the] password is case sensitive.”

The appellant’s circumstances are precisely why the extensive instructions are repeatedly provided. First, the appellant changed his email. He does not explain whether he followed the instruction in the OAS user guide and used the same email address used when he established his account. If he used his new email address to file an application, it would not have linked to his registered account. It is the responsibility of the candidate to record his or her User ID and password and use it consistently when filing applications.

Further, the appellant did not ask for customer support until after business hours on the night before the closing date. The appellant was given instructions the following morning, and provides no explanation as to why he did not attempt to log in prior to 4:00 p.m., or if he did and had problems, why he did not contact customer service before 4:00 p.m. As such, his request to file a late application cannot be granted. In the future, appellant is cautioned to begin the filing process in enough time to allow communication with OAS Support, should that be again necessary.

ORDER

Therefore, it is ordered that this appeal be denied.

ClosingThis is the final administrative determination in this matter. Any further review should be pursued in a judicial forum.