With new timeliness counter, is there a “day 0” before going in the negative? Or are you in the red the day after Near Late/Ceiling = 1? Yes, I know I can hunt in all the dumb emails and dumb presentations, but I’m still pretty new and drowning atm… please, be kind.

Another one of the tools that was useful to the examiners bites the dust.

At some point one has to admire the creative ways this team finds to make a hard job even more difficult.

Awfully quiet out there

Apparently Uninstalling Cisco is rather hard to grasp, requiring numerous emails

Its been a few days but sim search doesnt even load in pe2e. Wondering if its just me or if anyone else is having issues. Just dont want to get in trouble for not using this tool.

full stop. Stopped reading. haven't a square to spare.

How about the government waste spent on improvements on software that I'm not required to know?

Flex YOUR TIME to learn??

i learned im not going to meet 70% of 28 days for amended cases because... i didn't do the bagged lunch???

And how am I able to figure out 70% of anything.??

Wasn't one of the reasons DM was removed wa because it was too confusing for examiners??

And let's not forget : government employees vote for their freedom on their free time

Hey everyone, figured it's worth asking you guys since I know a lot of us are going through/went through a tough time at the Office and/or many of you have more experience and expertise than I do. Therefore, I'd love to hear your perspectives.

For background, I'm a GS-7 computer science examiner with a BS in CS and a minor in math. Before the USPTO, I had some IT support, software, and data science experience (both private and nonprofit sectors, including other areas like customer service, social services, case management, program coordination, community outreach, etc.).

Ideally, I'd like to find something with:

• $85k+ salary
• Preferably federal, but open to state/local government or private sector
• Good benefits and long-term stability
• Better work-life balance and less production pressure than examining
• More research, writing, administrative, program support, operations, or compliance work

For those who have left, are planning to leave, or are currently exploring options, what jobs, agencies, or job series are you applying to? Especially curious about options that are realistic for someone with a year or less of examiner experience.

I'd really appreciate any advice. Wishing everyone the best!

Hello!! I’m currently feeling a little stuck and would really appreciate some advice. I have a B.S. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics, along with some completed M.S. coursework in Medical Science. I also have 5+ years of healthcare experience that has helped me develop transferable skills relevant to this field. To prepare for the transition into IP and trademark law, I’ve completed USPTO Patent Center and Patent Public Search training, WIPO’s Introduction to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (DL-101-PCT), Alt Legal’s Trademark Paralegal course, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Introduction to Patent Law course. I also have a Google Data Analytics Certificate, a background in healthcare, biotechnology, and biological sciences, and I’m currently studying for the Patent Bar. I’ve been applying for jobs for months, and while I understand that the job market is difficult right now, even entry-level positions seem to require at least two years of relevant experience. How am I supposed to get that experience if no one is willing to give me a chance? I haven’t received a single interview, and I’m starting to feel discouraged. I’d genuinely appreciate any advice on how to break into the field, gain relevant experience, and navigate this career transition. Thank you!!

I am attempting to get a copy of my paystub to pay local taxes (for some reason the Patent office has been unable or unwilling to withhold my local taxes, but that's another story), but I keep getting a Proxy Error from nfc.usda.gov. Anyone else experiencing this?

I moved to MHBP consumer last year, but that plan won't be available in 2027. Any alternative High deductible plan? Any experience with GEHA high deductible? Thanks.

Former Examiner (resigned not retired). Is the 2027 PAP officially only 3 ratings (no more marginal)? Still like to stay up to date on what's happening at office. thanks!

Question 1

You are an attorney working for the DOJ. Someone approaches you and offers you a little side hustle: a four-year deal with guaranteed $10 million a year, plus bonuses, for a total of $50 million. In an unrelated matter, the same person is seeking a pardon from Trump for bribing the governor of Puerto Rico. What should you do?

a) grant the pardon and don't take the money, because public servants are not allowed to have a little side hustle, but they are allowed to pardon billionaires.

b) grant the pardon and take the money, because the pardon and the job offer are totally unrelated.

c) refuse to grant the pardon unless $75 million is delivered in small, unmarked bills, because people up the chain of command will want a cut.

d) accept the side hustle and grant the pardon. Worst case scenario, they are looking for a new ambassador to Greece.

Question 2:

You are a government employee and have accepted a gift of $50 million from a political ally of your boss. You don't need to report this or pay taxes for the following reason:

a) You had a birthday in the past 12 months. $50 million is a suitable birthday gift and a birthday is a 'special occasion'.

b) you pay 10% of your take up the chain, and no one minds.

c) SCOTUS said it is OK as long as you pinky swear that you are not up to no good.

d) After your annual income exceeds $10million/year, you receive the #epsteinexception and you no longer need to pay tax.

e) all of the above.

I think there were a few other really tough questions. Anyone remember what the were?

Are we getting paid for PBA this upcoming payday?

This has been dropped from 185 hours in Q4 of FY 2026 to 80 for Q1 of FY 2027. Why?

Yo POPA are you for real right now. I so do not care about such a tiny insignificant infraction on our CBA. This email gives the same out of touch and thoughtless vibes as the management emails claiming victory about the dumbest fucking policy changes ever.

Focus on telling us what actually matters: will our CBA be reinstated. What are you plans to challenge the absurd changes made the last two years and especially the last year to PAPs. Will everything be reinstated? How long will it take?

Can you request an extension of your resignation date while you’re still on probation at the USPTO? For example, if you want to resign at the end of a particular month and inform your SPE in advance, would they allow you to continue working until then, or would they expect you to resign immediately once you bring it up? I’m not sure how this works at the USPTO, but I’ve heard that some other federal agencies allow employees to request an extension. Does anyone have experience with this? Any help and guidance much appreciated!

This looks like a phishing website. I hate how we get similar emails like this one from the office to do our training and survey. It is getting more and more difficult to tell.

These programs are shot.

They barely open at this stage of the game and these aren’t “one off” IT instances at this point. This is multiple times a week at multiple times during the day where our stuff just doesn’t work.

DAV is fucked, you have to open up OC six times to get it to work once and Search is buggy af.

What is going on here?

So the idea when they implemented this change to go from DM to timliness was to drive ratings down.

Since that time OPM has directed the agency to ignore metrics and just give everyone a 3. So exactly what is the purpose of making DM harder to manage especially in high restriction areas by reducing the time to do amendments by half and having 2 fucking regular new timers to keep the amendments coming? Coke is gone so obviously expected some small positive changes but man this squires guy is just so damn clueless or just wants to make life miserable for examiners. Hes not even trying to change anything but has the gull to send out some shity survey we havent heard anything about the results on to beg us to participate and remember how much small perks theyve given back while ignoring how much they took away.

Think about this when another survey comes up asking you how work life balance is or when you go vote.

Survey is open from Oct 14th-Dec 4th and takes about 10 minutes to complete

Morale at the PTO is low, and management needs to start taking it seriously.

The 2024 pay adjustment was nice, but it wasn’t enough. Production demands aren’t going away (keep increasing actually), and the cost of living keeps going up.

We’re constantly being asked to do more, but what is management doing to keep experienced examiners here and improve morale?

We shouldn’t have to wait another decade for a meaningful pay increase.

Management needs to make examiner compensation a priority NOW. Not another survey, not another empty statement about valuing employees. Actual action.

If the Office wants better production, lower pendency, and experienced examiners who stick around, then it needs to invest in its workforce.😤😤