Tiring & Weird...

We got up & went to the Department of Human Services yesterday morning to apply for Summer Cooling Assistance.   We got there as the doors opened.  I had been told to expect long lines & a significant wait.  The previous 2 days had been a hell-zone for this office.  I'm not sure if it got worse later, but I was the 2nd person there & they had 2 slots for taking the applications.  I got out reasonably quick.  Maybe it got crowded later.  I'm glad I didn't have to deal with a crowd, but the early rise & going down there wrecked my day.

 We got rain yesterday.  We weren't supposed to have any.  This last round puts us to just halfway to the average rain amount for the month.  Every rain we've had in July has been weird & unpredicted.  We had windows open in the car that I had to hurry out to close.  One moment it was hot, humid & still.  Then there were some loud claps of thunder that started a blast of wind & rain.  We got off easy.  Downtown, less than 2 miles away, got winds so hard it tore off roofs & knocked out a transformer.  We were lucky.

Between the unwanted trip & the storm, yesterday was odd & exhausting.  Hope you had a better day.

Cya..

Doing This Early...

I have to run down to DHS in the morning about the Summer cooling assistance program.  I have no idea how long this will take.  I tried to do it online, but their system is down.  Hopefully, this won't be a massive thing.  But, you never know.

Cya...

The Process Begings...

The renewal process for my benefits assistance began.  I finished the online application, but as usual, something screwed up with their site.   The application processed, but I can't print it out.  This has happened  before & I usually just cut & paste the application into my gmail.  Then I can print it.  

Not this year.  This form refuses to be saved in any format.  I managed to cut & paste it into an email, but I can't get anything to print it.  The programs either refuse to read it or freeze when they try to print it.  I don't know what's up with it.  I ran my malware & AV programs, nothing there.  This is just glitchy.  Hopefully, I won't need a printed copy.  An online version was forwarded on when I completed the application.  I hate renewal time.

Cya...

Renewal...

We got our notices of renewal for benefits.  I hate this process.  It's tedious & trying.  We're ahead of the game & have the things they'll need.  We've gotten used to that part.  But there's still the online part, which never fully cooperates. Then there's the waiting.  I didn't know how I fared last year right up until the point I went to the bank.   This is just very unnerving.   So, from here until May, I'm going to be a nervous.

Cya...

Finally...

I hadn't heard about my benefits renewal since I had my interview mid-April.  I called, but I never received any notification.  I finally decided to check my card.  The 1 they add $ to.  If there were funds on it, they obviously approved me.  If not, I'd have to start calling them.

Fortunately, the funds were there.  I hate this process.  I started this mid-March when they told us we'd need to renew things.  I couldn't reapply until the 28th.  I turned everything on March 30th.  I had my interview April 13th.   Now finally on the 5th day of May I know.  That just took a month & a half.  No stress there.

At least its settled.  I have to get things around.  I need to do some stuff here & then pick up my roomie at here friend's in Fort Smith.  Have a good day.

Cya...

Waiting...

Not going to post much today.  I'm waiting for a call from social services to go over my benefits renewal.  All I can do is wait. Hopefully, this will go well.  There's not that much more I can do about it.  I don't foresee any problems, but you never know.  More tomorrow.

Cya...

Another Friday...

We went shopping today & things are going well.    I heard from social services & my benefits were renewed.   They cut me back about $10 US which wasn't fun news, but apparently everyone got cut.  Still bites.  It could've been worse though.

Allergy season is here & I'm holding out as long as I can to really take my meds for them.  I'm not sure which is worse, the allergies or the meds.  They both suck.  

At least for this moment, nothing is falling apart, demanding our attention or costing unforeseen $.  That alone makes this a good day.

Cya...

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Busy, Still Stressfrul...

Well, the van got back.  It needed spark plugs, wires & a coil.  There went almost $300 US.  At least it wasn't something worse.  It's driving much better.  

I still havent' heard anything about my benefits renewal.  The waiting is a real pain in the ass.  I want to get this over with.

I'm probably going to stay stressed until I get some answers about this matter.   Hopefully, it gets resolved soon.  I'm tired of being this anxious.

Cya...

Renewal...

That sounds like such a nice word.  However, in this case that ain't necessarily so.  I had to apply for renewal with social services today for continuation of my benefits.  I hate this process.  There's so much that can screw-up, get misconstrued or otherwise go boom. 

I find it annoying this is an annual event.  They know how much $ I make.  They could simply require me to send in an annual bank statement.  No, I have to go through the whole process again.  My time is occupied, the social worker's time is taken & I'm left fractious until the whole thing is over.  

I applied online, but the damn site kept kicking me out, so it took forever.  I took down all the verification they said they needed.  Now, all I can do is wait for them to call.  They say they'll need a phone interview as well.  Why not just do this all at once?

Until this over, I'm bound to be a little nervous.

Cya...

Stress, Blogging & Life...

Lately, I've been having a lot of issues beyond my control, a good example are the issues I keep having with my pharmacy.  This type of arbitrary thing drives me a little batty. I do all I can do to make this process go as smoothly as possible, to no avail.  The entire thing can be screwed up by someone at my doctor's office or the pharmacy.  Still, even if it was their mistake, I'm the person who gets screwed by the mistake.

Being + & on disability puts me at odds with a lot of things.  I'm often left feeling like a bit a flotsam scuttling along on the current with absolutely no control over what's happening.   Yet, I'm supposed to stay calm & carry on as if everything is fine.  I don't handle that last part very well.  I don't just carry on, it freaks me out a little & sometimes a lot.

As a person of less than great health, I know how important it is to control my stress levels.  The doctors tell you this all the time.  You need to reduce your stress.  Funny thing, no one ever says how.  I do my best to keep stressors out of my life but some I just can't get rid of that easily.  I mean these are my meds were talking about here.  The same meds that, oh I don't know, keep me alive.  Yet the people at my doctors office & my pharmacy are messing with things.  So, at this point, I'm not sure how not to get stressed out over this matter.

When these things come up, they become the focus of my day until I can get something resolved.  This certainly doesn't put me in a place to handle other things well, like writing a blog entry.  I have a social services review to fill out on Thursday & then I have to wait for them to decide whatever else they need & then wait to see if everything went alright.  I'm not looking forward to this.

I've been frazzled lately & I haven't been the most attentive to my blog.  Hopefully, these things will pass soon & I can get back to a more normal sate of being.  I really hate outside people screwing with my life.

Cya...

Past Worker

I had a visit from my last social worker today. She is no longer working for Human Services.  Good for her, maybe not so much for me.  I'd known this worker for a while, in fact I had worked with her in another office before going on disability.   Was she the best social worker in the world?  Probably not, but we all make mistakes & things always seemed to work out in the end. 

However, she had been at the job for over eleven years & the toll was mounting.  She had been considered a good employee for most of her time at the office, but recently they hired a new supervisor.   Apparently this woman has some serious issues with just about everyone.  Word had it, that the new supervisor is a WEE bit on the overly motivated side.   Ambitions, she has them.

After the arrival of the new supervisor my worker slid down the proverbial totem pole quickly.  Apparently this new supervisor had some plans that my worker just didn't fit into at all.  From sabotage to aggression the atmosphere in the office was toxic.  So my worker left.

That means I'm on to a new one.  I hate this.  You never know what you'll get.  I hate games like roulette & that is exactly what I'm playing now.  Hopefully, I'll get a worker that is at least competent, sane & not belligerent. That may not sound like that high of standards, but I've had ones that were mean, rude & outright drunk.

My old worker is on the job prowl now & I wish her well.  I hope that if any of you out there have to deal with similar people in your lives that they are competent & kind.

Limbo

I've been a little frantic lately while I tried to get things from Social Security to turn into Human services.  I was even getting to be a bit apologetic about it, but my roomie pointed out that I shouldn't have been making apologies for anything.  For any of you not in my situation, you really can't understand the stress of the renewal process.

Every year I have to renew my applications for state disability, medicaid & food stamps (SNAP) & at any time any one of these applications could screw up & leave me in a really bad place.  My medical bills & medications are huge, the state disability just barely covers my dental insurance & the $ from SNAP means I eat.

This isn't like in college, where if my financial aid application screwed up, I could survive long enough to get it fixed.   There is no surviving a screw up of this magnitude for me.  I don't have the $1,500+ a month for medical & medication.  I don't have an extra  $45+ to cover the dental. I certainly don't have the extra $150 to cover food.  This $ is my entire means of sustenance & survival.  So, yes I get nervous when it could get screwed with for any reason.

As for all those people who think that these programs should be cut, or even eliminated, I sincerely hope that you never find yourself in a place to need them.  The process of getting declared disabled was hellish & it determined whether or not I could qualify for all the state programs.  I worked for years, but most of the work I did was through the universities I attended.  They never paid in on the social security & I didn't qualified for enough credits to get on Medicare.  I was working real jobs on these campuses, not just work study.  

If there is a way for the government to screw you over & make things harder, it will find the way.  Nothing with the government is ever easy or pleasant.  The workers act as if you are trying to steal their personal $.  They make food stamp applicants feel like worthless crap & heaven help you if you have to apply for Medicaid.   You can just forget medical assistance from the state unless you've been declared disabled, then they only do it grudgingly.  

I am now back to that time of year when social workers get to have their jollies at my expense.  I realize that a lot of people try to scam the system, but I shouldn't have to pay for their issues.  These social workers should be forced to rotate to new jobs every couple of years to avoid some of their burn out & crappy attitude.

Monday, I'll turn all the paper work in & wait & hope.  If all goes well, I'll see a social worker within a month & maybe, just maybe, she'll be in a good mood & all will go well.

Hope you guys have a good day.