The Unending Unemployment Saga

 An update on the unending unemployment saga.

Here’s a summary of what’s been going on.

Major League Baseball set up a relief fund for workers. At the time I applied for unemployment I didn’t have any information on when I would receive the money or how much money.

I forgot to mention this when I applied. In part that was because I had been on hold for four hours that day. That was after I had been on hold for five hours the previous day and had not spoken to anyone. Also there was information I had to find to give to unemployment and that took a little while to do.

As soon as I hung up that phone I realized I had not mentioned it. As it turned out about two hours after I got off the phone I received the information.

The next day I called back. I waited on hold for two hours and then gave up. I had some other things to do. A little later in the day I found an email address for unemployment. I detailed the information I how much money I would receive and when I would get it. I got an automated confirmation that the email had been received and someone would be back in touch with me.

After not hearing back, I called unemployment. After two hours on hold, I got through to someone and gave them the information. We agreed that it should be classified as severance even though it wasn’t exactly that.

Fast forward to August. I call unemployment yet again. My case is escalated. I’m told that I should be contacted in 5-7 business days about what the next steps are going to be. I’m reassured that I should receive all of the money except for two weeks when I was paid the severance.

Two week later I receive an email from unemployment (this is right before Labor Day). In it is a link to a Fact Finding Questionnaire which I need to answer in 48 hours excluding weekends and holidays. This is a series of questions about the severance. Most of the requested information unemployment has already received from me. But I answer the questions anyway.

As I finish the questionnaire, I notice the submit button. Under it it says that there will be a way for me to get a copy of the answers that I provided. I think I should take a screen shot of my answers which I do. I click on submit. The information is sent. I then get a blank screen. No way to get a record of what my answers were.

I did the survey in Safari. I go to Firefox. I get the same results. A neighbor of mine has Internet Explorer on her work computer (this is the recommended browser to use). I fill out the survey. I get the same results.

The Tuesday after Labor Day I call unemployment. Two hours later I talk to someone. They have no record that any sort of survey was sent to me at all. I give them the identification code I was given on the questionnaire email. Again  nothing. The guy says I should respond to the questionnaire email explain what happened and include the screen shots I took. That’s what I do.

I am beyond frustrated at all of this. I notice on Safari that I’m still on the blank page that popped up after I took the survey. I hit refresh like ten times. Each time I get a dialog box saying this will resend the information. I click OK. So one way or another they should have gotten the information.

The funny thing about this is that I have about four or five weeks of unemployment eligibility left. I’m guessing my eligibility is going to end well before I get any money.

The final little iron of all of this. The original email I sent laying out the details of the relief fund I sent on April 14. I got an automated response back with a case number. It also stated I would be contacted in 48 to 72 hours. I’m still waiting for a response.