Over two years ago I was temporarily laid-off from my job at a local floral greens distributor. Much like any other person who had spent the last 9 years of their life working full-time, I filed an unemployment claim and followed the standard Employment Security protocol of applying for other jobs. Simple.
Somewhere along the way this process became much more complicated than I had initially anticipated. Paperwork that I had filed with Employment Security was lost, my worked hours were miscalculated, and another person's Statement of Wages and Hours was sent to my home (with all of their personal information--fortunately, I'm no identity thief). All the while I tried to maintain the utmost of patience, working with State of Washington Department of Employment Security to provide the lost paperwork, correct the miscalculations, and inform them of their grievous mailing mistake. Eventually, my claim was denied because as a "full time student the Department finds that you are unavailable to actively seek employment."
In the meantime, despite the Department's confidence in my inability to secure employment, I managed to do just that. And then I filed an appeal, informing them that I was not only available to actively seek employment, but that I had found said employment. I also took the time to remind the Department of Employment Security of the many ways in which my claim had been mishandled, offering names, dates, and forms filed as evidence (my mother would be so proud). Satisfied that I had made my case, I went about doing my new job schlepping handbags and awaited the compensation I was due.
My claim was denied again. This time because I "did not work 680 hours during" my base year. Overwhelmed by frustration at the thought that I would once again have to submit all of my pay stubs proving I had indeed exceeded 680 hours, I gave up.
You might wonder what all this preamble is leading up to...
Today, August 31st 2007, I received a letter from The Washington State Employment Security Department informing me that my claim from July 10, 2005 was DENIED. That's right folks: over two years later and with absolutely no prompting from myself, Employment Security sent me another Statement of Wages and Hours to inform me that my long forgotten, hopeless, incompetently handled claim, is still denied.
Evidently, parking fees were all that was holding the system together. God help the system.
Friday, August 31, 2007
the efficiency of the system
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Oh how it goes....
My unemployment check was delivered to my husbands ex-wife who lived in the same community that we did. Her first two initials and mine are the same and she had not remarried so the postal delivery person said she lived at another address than the one the envelope was addressed to. To make a long story short, said check was cashed by ex and I had to prove that I was not the one who cashed it and then I had to play detective and show where it was cashed and prove to the local police that it was her. She did not go to jail, she did not pass go but she did have to pay me back (a little at a time - 3 months). So like you I did nothing wrong either and we still end up holding the bag. Tell your mom Yes I did report it to the PM at the Post Office.....
I would tell my mom if I knew who was leaving this comment.
Sorry I guess I should have told you who was writing this. I do so love to come out and see how you and Jim are doing as I live in Idaho and can't see much of you.
Take care and you can tell your mom I will see her on the 28th. Now can you guess?
Post a Comment