I haven't bought into any conspiracy theory stuff.

I haven't bought into any conspiracy theory stuff. I've done some certification stuff in the past and if you've read posts from others who've embarked upon a certification process, nothing surprises us in terms of decision time. Frustrate us, definitely, surprise us, not so much. I don't think it's a matter of "lazy" though. I think its a matter of them making an unusual or precedence setting decision and confirming that decision won't come back and derail someone's cushy Govt career. They're getting everyone they can (especially all the higher ups, as high as they can go) to sign off on this decision so a higher up can't pin some blame on them for something down the road. These decision times would never be allowed in the private sector or people would be out of jobs or business would be closed. Hope they get it moving!