bureaucratic foibles

[mamajoan]

The whole system of state-funded aid for the unemployed/impoverished is really designed to frustrate you and make you feel like an idiot.

Yesterday, as I posted here, the phone system for applying for unemployment told me I couldn't file my claim until Thursday. And the website for the relevant state department wouldn't let me register because it was having "technical difficulties."

So I put that aside and went to the WIC office. (WIC is a gov't program that provides food vouchers to families with small children, babies, and pregnant/breastfeeding mothers.) I told the woman I wanted to apply for WIC. She asked whether I had a bunch of documentation including the kids' birth certificates, proof of immunization, proof of residence. Of course I did not. Okay, so I need to come back, and bring both the kids. I tell her in that case it'll have to be Friday. She makes me an appointment for Friday. She gives me a list of paperwork I'll need to bring. It includes proof of income. I explain that I just got laid off and will be applying for unemployment but probably will not have it by Friday. She says, "well if you don't have proof of income you can bring a bank statement." I attempt to explain that a bank statement won't provide any useful information since it'll just show that LAST month I had a job. After several attempts, I manage to get this concept into her head. She finally agrees that I can bring proof of having applied for unemployment.

Then, on whuffle's advice, I go to the Fresh Pond employment center to apply for unemployment in person. I tell the woman behind the desk that I need to apply for unemployment. She says, "oh, she's in on Tuesdays and Fridays." WTF? I stare at her in disbelief. She takes out a piece of paper with a list of the state's "Career Centers" and circles for me the Newton location, where "she" is now. (Apparently "she" is the only person in the world who can help me apply for unemployment. "She" has no name.) I tell her I'm not driving to fricking Newton. She shrugs and says then I should come back tomorrow or Friday.

Dejected, I slouch back out into the hallway. I notice a water fountain and decide I'm thirsty. I press the button and no water comes out. I notice the ladies' room and decide I might as well pee before I leave. I turn the handle and discover that it's locked.

I refrain from going postal. Instead, I leave the building and attempt to get cash from a nearby ATM. It tells me it will charge a $2 fee. TWO DOLLARS to access my OWN damn money! I cancel the transaction. I'd rather walk down to the end of the strip-mall to Whole Foods. There's bound to be something I need, and then I can pay with my debit card and get cash back.

I walk in the front door of Whole Foods and am confronted by an enormous sign informing me that Breyer's ice cream is on sale for less than half-price. I am still on the low-fat diet. The universe is mocking me.

I wander around Whole Foods for a while, partaking liberally of the free samples. Eventually I buy a box of granola, use my debit card, and get cash back. I may not be able to navigate the state system, but at least I'm still capable of spending money.

I contemplate driving alllllll the way across Cambridge to go to City Hall to get a copy of Ruth's birth certificate, but I don't have the energy. I decide to try Somerville City Hall instead. Ruth was born in Cambridge, but when I filled out the birth cert paperwork, I checked the box for "keep a copy of this birth cert in the town where we live." And Somerville City Hall is close to home. So I go there, and $10 later I have an officially stamped copy of Ruth's birth certificate. The city clerk lady tells me that according to her calculations it will cost less for her and her husband to fly to Florida than to drive there. I express outrage at the price of gas. We bond. I leave.

Later, at home, I try again to register on the employment department website. This time it permits me to register, but then informs me that I can't actually open a new claim. I can only check the status of an existing claim.

So, I didn't have much luck yesterday. Today I shall once again attempt to file for unemployment benefits -- this time I'll have to take Ruthie with me, but so be it. Maybe the sight of her adorable smiling face will cheer up all the poor downtrodden job-hunting souls.

On the bright side, I got a letter from the mortgage company informing me that my payments are decreasing by $20/month. Whoopee.

Comments

[ceo]

That's insane.

When I applied for unemployment, it was one phone call... well, two, as they were kind of busy at the time (late 2001) and were having people call in to file new claims on a day of the week corresponding to their SSN.

sadly

[lightningrose.livejournal.com]

the system _is_ designed to make you feel dejected and idiotic. The more people who fail to access these benefits and either lump it, go to a temp agency, etc., the more government "savings". Sad, but very much true. Disability, TANF, and Medicaid work on the same system.

good luck & don't give up!

Re: sadly

[auntfaintly.livejournal.com]

Not just savings - the official unemployment stats reflect people who have filed for unemployment and are looking for work. If you never file, you aren't counted, and the official unemployment figures stay low.

severance & unemployment

[auntfaintly.livejournal.com]

Make sure you put any severance on the unemployment application as "lump sum" and not "10 days" so they start beneifts right away and not after 10 days. At least that's how it works in NY. If you put lump sum you don't even have to tell them how much.

Re: severance & unemployment

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

Hmm, the form I filled out didn't have any of that. It was just a yes/no, did you get any severance?