update from my previous post

[mamajoan]

I called back and spoke to the same guy again. I wanted some clarification of a few points in the letter (see below). After we cleared those up, I told him that I realized I might have sounded belligerent before, but that I was completely taken aback by the letter and his attitude, and freaked out by the idea that someone, and I can't know who, has made baseless allegations against me, and I can't know what. I told him that I'm very upset about it all and that his attitude didn't suggest he thought I was innocent until proven guilty, and that I know he probably encounters people all day who are trying to cheat the system but that I didn't appreciate being treated like one of them. I sorta-kinda apologized for being rude in our first conversation, and he sorta-kinda apologized back. So okay.

Now, the regulations of the department require people receiving unemployment to keep "worksearch activity logs" in which you have to make a minimumn of three "contacts" per week to prove that you're looking for work. You don't have to submit them to the dept unless they request it (this is in response to aelf's question on my previous post about whether the dept already knows where I've been applying -- they don't, because I haven't had to submit my logs to them, and was told that they very rarely actually request them). During the first month or two of being unemployed, I was, ahem, less than diligent about keeping these logs, until sometime in Nov or Dec when I inexplicably got paranoid that they were going to come beat down my door demanding the logs, so I started being more diligent.

So now, in addition to a statement that I have not refused (nor, indeed, received) any offers of work, I also have to provide the dept. with my full worksearch logs for the entire time I've been unemployed. So I have to go back into my records (which I've just been keeping in a Notepad file on my computer) and fill out the forms they sent me, proving that I have been looking for work.

In some cases, all I did for a given week was check the job listings on Monster.com or craigslist or whatever. The DUA guidelines seem to say that that's okay:

Productive work search contacts include, but are not limited to
[...]
* Using online job matching systems, [...] to submit applications/résumés, search for matches or request referrals, and/or apply for jobs.
* Using other job search activities such as reviewing job listings on the internet....

But of course now I'm getting freaked out that they'll say that isn't enough. Jesus Christ. I'm caring for two small kids fulltime, recovering from major abdominal surgery, and still finding time 3x/week to look at job listings online? I deserve a fucking medal, for fuck's sake. Assholes.

Okay, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. But well, I'm still kind of freaked out over it all.

Many of you asked whether it's possible that this was just a clerical error or a random selection thing. Okay, sure, anything could be a clerical error. Someone types in the wrong SSN and gets me? Seems unlikely though. If Joe Idiot is calling the dept to report that Bob Moron is cheating the system, then Joe is probably going to give Bob's name, not his SSN. Who reports fraud just by a SSN? As for random selection, surely the letter would just say "You have been randomly selected for harrassmentinvestigation..." rather than "we have received information that you're defrauding us." It's the "received information" part that gets me. They have to have received it from somewhere....

Anyway, thinking that it's just a stupid mistake doesn't make me feel too much better about it, because it's still something hateful that I have to deal with, and fret about, and stay on top of. And I just don't need it. And the guy said it could be up to a month before I hear back the results of their investigation. A month to sit around and fret that at any moment I'll get a bill ordering me to repay all my benefits! Fuck!

in short: augh!

Comments

[sihaya09.livejournal.com]

God, this is the suck. I'm sorry!

[twostepsfwd.livejournal.com]

This is fucking unbelievable. I believe in your ability to get it all sorted out, though. (Hugs)

[woobiewoobster.livejournal.com]

While this is a very unnerving situation thankfully you post here weekly and quite often in those posts you have put down information about job leads and where you've applied so you have some kind of record to pull from here as well.

Good luck in clearing your name!

[victoriacatlady.livejournal.com]

If Joe Idiot is calling the dept to report that Bob Moron is cheating the system, then Joe is probably going to give Bob's name, not his SSN. Who reports fraud just by a SSN?

Actually, probably almost everyone does exactly that -- report fraud by a name -- because who outside of officialdom knows your SSN?

I do suspect that you may be right that it's someone who is deliberately being nasty. But that's not a solution. What would be good to avoid is eyeing a lot of innocent people with suspicion because someone out there has been cruel.

I also don't recall any rejections of job offers mentioned in your LJ. What I do recall is speculation early on as to whether it would be worth your while to take, well, I forget, but some kind of low-paying, low-stress job -- maybe part-time? You never followed up on looking for any such job, though, as far as I know, so you could hardly have refused one.

Breathe. This is a nasty mess to have to straighten out, but since you have not done what they are accusing you of, it will be straightened out in the end. If worse comes to worst and it winds up in court, there is no evidence they can bring that you have refused jobs, so at most they could bring in someone who claims, without evidence, that you have done so.

My inclination is to go to legal aid first, if there is such a thing and you're eligible. Writing up your "case" beforehand will be helpful, although it's hard to say just what your "case" is, other than, "But I didn't do it." Or, of course, the job log you're going to have to compile anyway -- if you do go to legal aid (or a paid lawyer) they'll need to see that, in any case.

[victoriacatlady.livejournal.com]

I forgot to say this: this is a shocker, you don't deserve it, and it really sucks that you have to deal with it.

not at any moment!

[auntfaintly.livejournal.com]

Even though this letter came out of the blue and as a surprise, the rest won't - they can't complete their investigation till they hear from you, then there has to be some kind of dispute/appeal process, some kind of payment plan, and all that. The worst case scenario is more likely to be weeks of months or paperwork hassles than getting thrown into debtor's prison.

Deep breaths! You have at least a month before _anything_ else will happen. You might have a new job by then! Or a big tax refund, or something.

[techn0goddess.livejournal.com]

Freaky. I hope this turns out to be a big mistake, as opposed to someone trying to get you into trouble. Just weird, and scary. *hugs*