Louise Gross, CSC Docket No. 2024-150, 2024-151

Appellant's argumentLouise Gross requests to file late applications for the promotional examinations for Cottage Training Supervisor (PS8244K), and Senior Cottage Training Technician (PS7333K), Woodbine Developmental Center. These matters have been consolidated as they address similar issues.

BackgroundAs background, the Cottage Training Supervisor examination was announced with a closing date of March 21, 2022, and open to employees who possessed one year of continuous permanent service in the titles of Cottage Training Technician or Senior Cottage Training Technician as of the closing date. The Senior Cottage Training Technician examination was announced with a closing date of December 21, 2021, and open to employees who possessed one year of continuous permanent service in the title of Cottage Training Technician as of the closing date.

Appellant's argumentOn appeal to the Civil Service Commission (Commission), the appellant indicates that she has been a State employee at Woodbine Developmental Center since January 2006 and that she was in the title of Human Services Assistant until April 2023, when she had the opportunity to take the Cottage Training Technician test. She also states that she only received the information to take the Cottage Training Technician test but not the Senior Cottage Training Technician or the Cottage Training Supervisor announcements. She takes issue with the fact that other employees were able to take all three tests. She believes that she is ineligible because of a lack of communication or an error in the system. In the appellant’s opinion, there were several people who had not been in the Senior Cottage Training Technician title for a year. She further requests a refund of the required appeal fee.

CONCLUSION

RuleN.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.6(a) provides, in pertinent part, that applicants for promotional examinations shall have one year of continuous permanent service for an aggregate of one year immediately preceding the closing date in a title or titles to which the examination is open.

N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.1(d) provides that a promotional examination may be reannounced if, within one year of the closing date, the examination has not been developed and scheduled.

AnalysisInitially, the appellant requests a refund of the appeal fee. Per N.J.A.C. 4A:2- 1.8, the appeal fee is considered a processing fee and is not refundable. Additionally, her claims regarding other unnamed employees are irrelevant as even if others were admitted in error, that fact would not change the appellant’s eligibility status. Regardless, the appellant has not identified any specific employees, and as such, the Commission cannot investigate such claims further.

In this matter, the appellant contends that she had been a State employee at Woodbine Developmental Center since January 2006, and she was in the title of Human Services Assistant until April 2023, when she had the opportunity to take the Cottage Training Technician exam. The appellant also argues that she was only notified of the Cottage Training Technician examination and not an examination for the Cottage Training Supervisor or Senior Cottage Training Technician. A review of the record reveals that the appellant is not eligible for either the Cottage Training Technician (PS8344K) or Senior Cottage Training Technician (PS7333K), examinations. In this regard, both the PS8244K and PS7333K examinations were open, in pertinent part, to applicants who possessed one year of permanent service as a Cottage Training Technician as of the closing dates of March 21, 2022, and December 21, 2021, respectively. Agency records indicate that the appellant received a regular appointment to Cottage Training Technician, effective June 3, 2023. Therefore, as she had not yet been appointed to the title of Cottage Training Technician as of either closing date, the appellant would not have been eligible for either the Cottage Training Supervisor (PS8387K) or the Senior Cottage Training Technician (PS7333K) examinations. Accordingly, there is no basis to permit the appellant to file late applications.

ORDER

Therefore, it is ordered that these requests be denied.

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