The last update left off with a supposed interview being set up for me, then canceled. I let both B and J that I was still interested and they both said they'd make sure the HUM knew it. That was July 5th. Now, on July 14th, after reaching out to both B and J asking what was going on, I heard back.
Per B "All I know is it’s a no at (this facility)". No more information. J finally responded and just said she was upset about it, but didn't seem to even know that it was a 'no' before I told her.
If you're keeping track, that's all three of my 'sure fire' jobs nixed. My previous job at the mental health hospital is on a hiring freeze. There is no open position at my previous prison as a supervisor. And now it's just a 'no' at this prison that seemed like a slam dunk. While admittedly the anxiety was starting to rise pretty quickly (WHAT THE FUCK AM I GOING TO DO!!!!!?????) I calmed it down enough to move on to the next step. Seek an RN job at any of the prisons that are within driving distance. If I don't include the one I just applied to, the women's correctional facility, and the prison hospital, there's still nine prisons. Two in town, three about a fifty minute drive away, four about an hour and a half drive away.
The way the state lists RN jobs at prisons is to have one big catch all for all of the 'southern' prisons. When you apply, you simply check each prison you're willing to work at and if they need nurses, they can pull up all available applicants and set up an interview pool. When I applied to B and J's prison, I used that job application and checked just the one prison. Well, since I applied to it, I can't apply 'again' to the same position before August 18th.
FUCK.
It turns out that the job application profile is tied not to the name, but to the email address. I'd used an older forwarding address that utilizes my name. Basically bob@bobsmith.com (if my name were Bob Smith). Easy Peasy then, I can just make a new profile using my primary email address. No, it doesn't look as professional but it's still a gmail account and it's not anything untoward or unprofessional.
The application process takes a long time since I have to do it all over again, without using any of my previously input material. About halfway through it, I had to stop to take a call from my long term disability (LTD) company.
Here's where I have to break off from my work application and explain my LTD. But fair warning, that's also going to include me explaining my social security hearing. I'll go through this in chronological order.
Since I started my LTD, I've been applying for social security disability. It's a requirement for the LTD and if I get anything from social security, my LTD is reduced by that same amount. If social security back pays me, I owe that back pay TO my LTD company. So basically, I'm doing this with no effort since I'm applying for money for my LTD company and not me.
The last step on the social security chain, after being denied and appealing several times, is a hearing before an administrative judge. I opted to do this over a video call that was scheduled for July 2nd.
When I last applied for an extension of my LTD, it was approved through June 15th. The paperwork I sent in said I should be off until my next neurologist visit, which wasn't until October, so I sent them a message and asked why the randomly chose June 15th since I'd need new medical paperwork saying I still needed to be off work without seeing my doctor. They replied "The clinical review found medical supported a disability through the approval date. At that time updated medical to support a continued disability will be needed."
Basically, "we don't believe you and you'll need to convince us again around June 15th."
April and May both came and went with only a single migraine day that I couldn't have worked through, meaning I could now (as of June 1st) return to work. So when they sent me a text on June 9th asking if I needed an extention past June 15th, I replied no. The said in that text that they'd let me know what paperwork I needed either way but they never contacted me back.
I just left it alone, figuring they were happy as clams that they no longer had to pay me. June 30th came and went and I only got paid for June 1st through June 15th.
On July 2nd I have my social security hearing. To be honest, it was a lose/lose situation as far as I was concerned. Either they'd agree with me that I was disabled and unable to work, in which they'd probably give me a bucket load of cash as 'back pay' for September 2023 to June of 2025... and I'd have to just send all of that money on to my LTD company. OR, they could disagree and try to say that I wasn't disabled and that I COULD have returned to work. Either way, it's a slap to my face.
The administrative Judge was cool enough. He seemed convinced that my brain fog alone would preclude me from working and per my doctor's notes, I was experiencing brain fog on 25 out of 30 days per month. He had a work specialist on the call and asked her several questions. Evidently, their system said that I should be able to work a bagging or check out job at a super market (just an example of a low impact job). BUT, I'd likely miss more than the 1 or 2 days a month even for that kind of work... so not qualified to work. Disabled.
The Judge didn't come out and say that, but that's the impression I got. The only thing is that he was missing the two independent medical examinations that my LTD company had me take. He said he'd need to see those in order to make a ruling and gave me until October to get them in when we'd reconvene.
As I didn't have the records, I logged into the LTD system as soon as the hearing was over and sent a message requesting the medical records. I didn't mince words and said that it was for my social security hearing. I swear to the Goddess, they emailed me those reports within like 5 minutes and called me about 10 minutes later to make sure I got them. It's like "HEY WE MIGHT GET SOME CASH FROM THIS GUY, SEND HIM THE PAPERWORK NOW!!!".
That's where I think they 'remembered' me and my claim. Three business days later, on July 7th, I received both a text and an email stating that my LTD had been extended to September 3rd. That was the maximum I could get money from them as it's capped at 24 months.
It obviously didn't make any sense. I hadn't requested an extension, nor had I send in any updated medical records. There were NO updated medical records to send in. The attachment on the email wasn't quite right as it was more about the ending of the claim in September than the extension of the claim from June 15th. But when I checked in on the LTD system, it showed that they'd sent in a 'voucher' for June 15th through June 30th to be paid. I'd never seen them list a 'voucher' before, so maybe it was just them telling the state that I didn't get paid for that period?
Nope.
Friday, before I went car shopping with B and M, I found more than $2,400 deposited in my account. Payment for June 15th through June 30th. I sent off a pretty mean message asking them why the fuck I got an extension when I specifically said "NO" upon them asking if I needed one.
My rep at the LTD company called me while we were out shopping (technically while we were at Popeyes), and since I didn't want to focus on that I just sent her to voicemail. Her message was... problematic.
"Hi (my name), it's T (her name) from (LTD company name). I was just going to call and discuss this with you. In the medical we had previously had you off until October. I got some updated notes that supported your disability and your benefits were extended. if you want to close the claim we can do that. I'd need to receive that from you in writing. You can give me a call back at (phone number). Than you."
There is a very long pause, about ten seconds, then she continues.
"I'm sorry, I misspoke. I didn't receive new medical, the previous medical was reviewed and had you off until October of 25. Thank you. Bye."
That is some of the worst Bull Shit I've ever heard. Of COURSE they didn't receive any new 'medical' that 'supported' my disability. And I highly doubt it was reviewed BEFORE July 2nd when I reminded them that I'm still working on getting money from social security. You see, if social security pays me through July, but the LTD company stopped paying me in June, they wouldn't get THAT bit of money. So they extend my benefits and now can lay claim to ALL of my possible social security income. Either that, or they're just so incompetent that they forgot about me, only reviewed the account after I contacted them, and realized it never should have been approved through just June 15th, and should have been through September 3rd.
Either way, one thing does happen. I thought I was off of my LTD as of June 15th. Now, I'm still approved for my disability through September 3rd. And while I like to rale against the LTD company, they are only representing the State of Michigan. Now if the State of Michigan has me listed as disabled and on long term disability, what would that look like when an HR department looks at me to see if I'm eligible for an interview? Might screw that up, right?
So here's what MAY have happened. My claim was never closed or canceled, even though I told them I didn't need an extension past June 15th. On July 2nd, they were reminded that I'm still here and updated my records to show I'm still getting paid. At the same time, the state has an interview scheduled for me on July 2nd, but then HR steps in because I couldn't be hired for that position as I'm on long term disability and would be double dipping.
That would explain an interview being scheduled and then canceled. It would also explain why no second interview was scheduled as I was deemed 'ineligible' and why B was told I was just a 'No' for that facility.
So, this brings me back to my half application for the other nine prisons. IF I'm right and the LTD is a problem, then I may as well hold off on even applying. Yes, it adds time, but I'd better make sure the LTD is off my record before I possibly get an interview otherwise I might lose another position.
Which in the long run means.... no more motion forward until my LTD is done.
On that front, the conversation with my rep went okay. I just drilled into how to close the claim. She said I'd need updated medical paperwork from my doctor, stating when I am able to return to work. BUT, if it's dated before June 30th, which I've already been paid for, I'd have to pay them back for that 'over payment'. She faxed over the paperwork to my doctor's office, and I sent a message to them asking them to fill it out and state that I'm able to return to work between June 30th and now.
I'll check into the LTD system each day and look for my claim to be closed. As soon as I see that, I'll finish up applying for all the positions. I'll even include B and J's facility and let them know why I think I was a no, and that I've fixed that problem (if that IS the reason, I might still get that job). I'll also let the nurses at my old facility, B and H, know that I'm on the market as an RN and maybe get a job back there. No, it's not ideal there as I'd be tossed into the RTP units and end up passing meds again, but a job is a job. Plus, if I were there I'd be among friends and ready to take the next open supervisor position.
No comments:
Post a Comment