soapboxdiner

I'm not angry , I'm just setting it straight

I tell you, a little information and a big hairy pair of balls goes a long way in this world.

Dear Director of Federal Agency,

This email is written to inform you of what I consider to be inappropriate conduct on the part of my WCCC case worker, out of the City Where I Live CSO.

On November 4, 2002, I wrote the case worker to inform her of an income mis-statement that resulted in her finding my child care subsidy to be in a higher co-payment bracket. I asked her to re-evaluate said co-payment, and provided her with documenting pay stubs that demonstrated my actual monthly wage along with a letter from my employer confirming my assertions. I also informed her that for a brief two-week period, my hours had been cut, resulting in my only having 12 hours of gainful employment in that time frame, which subsequently resolved with me resuming full time hours.

On November 13, in response to my letter, she stated:

"I have received your letter dated 11/4/02 concerning your 11/02 and 12/02 copays. You have stated that you are working approximately 12hrs in a two week period, therefore you would not qualify for WCCC. If you are not at work, you are not eligible to use the daycare and by your statement on your recent letter of $xxxx.xx your copay would be higher than the few days you are allowed to use the daycare (sic). Basically either you are working full time and qualified nor not working and not qualified. Being employed with temporary agencies makes it very difficult to determine income and hours so we have to go with the best estimation that we can. You may have to consider looking for a full time job elsewhere in able (sic) to keep before and after school care open. Please submit every paystub for the past three months then we can reexamine your copay and hours of childcare. In order to do this, paystubs will be due by 11/23/02. Thank you."

I have been in this program for three months, and have previously provided paystubs demonstrating earnings. In my award letter for the months of November and December, it stated that all I needed to provide was a letter from my employer. I have done so.

Case Worker has provided me with faulty eligibility information and has made inappropriate statements regarding where and how I am employed in a very condescending and presumptuous manner. Additionally, according to WAC 388-290-0055, my eligibility should not be in question, as the time frame case worker is concerned with was out of my control, I resumed work in an appropriate time frame, and I was looking for work in the interim. Her statements that I make her job difficult, and that I should find what she considers to be a more appropriate job are insulting and unnecessary.

I inform you of this simply for your edification. The WCCC provides such a vital service that to have it's case workers perform in such a substandard manner negates the program's purpose and function. I would hope that this is not a condoned or accepted practice. There are many recipients of this service who would fall into even more dire straits, unemployment, and despair if that were the case.

I will attach to this my letters to case worker. If there is anything you can do to assist in resolving my case, I would greatly appreciate your time and effort. If you have any questions not addressed in these documents, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Sbd

Dear Case Worker:

In response to your letter of November 13, 2002, I am attaching the requested three months of pay stubs for your examination. Please remember, at least 6-8 original pay stubs are already on file with your agency, as I have submitted them monthly contingent to the WCCC requirement for continued eligibility for this program.

Based on your most recent letter, I believe a misunderstanding of circumstance has transpired. Your letter indicated that I regularly work only 12 hours every two weeks. This is inaccurate. I have been with temp agency since April 2002 and do in fact regularly work 40 hours a week. The two-week period in question was the first and only time that I worked less than full time and was unassociated with termination of employment. In accordance with WAC 388-290-0055, wherein it states:

"We can authorize WCCC payments for a child's attendance in child care for up to two weeks when you're waiting to enter an approved activity under WAC 388-290-0040 or 388-290-0045.

1. We can authorize WCCC payments for a child's attendance in child care for up to four weeks if you experience a gap for reasons out of your control such as a layoff in employment, or approved activity, and:

2. a. Your employment, or the approved activity, will resume within that period; or
   b. You're looking for another job and you received WCCC immediately before the gap in employment, or approved activity.

I believe I do qualify for continuation of WCCC subsidy, as the circumstances of the two-week part-time employment status were 1. Out of my control due to market variants, and 2. My employment resumed within that time frame and I received the subsidy immediately before the gap, and 3. I was actively looking for work in that time frame.

In light of this, I resubmit my request for re-evaluation of November and December�s co-pay. As you have stated, your agency makes estimations based on the best data at your disposal, which I provided on November 4, 2002. Thank you for your consideration, and if I can do or provide anything additional to facilitate the process of examination, please don�t hesitate to let me know.

Sincerely,

sbd

and

Dear Case worker:

In response to your letter of November 13, 2002, wherein you stated, "Basically either you are working full time and qualified or not working and not qualified. Being employed with temporary agencies makes it very difficult to determine income and hours so we have to go with the best estimation that we can. You may have to consider looking for full time job elsewhere in able (sic) to keep before and after school care open.".

I want to thank you for your suggestion that I seek conventional employment. Please know the thought of working in such position has not been lost on me. However, may I respectfully submit to you that my choice of employment has been based solely on immediate need. Despite diligent application to conventional employment, as is detailed below, my efforts have heretofore been unsuccessful. In the interim, I have taken the only reasonable action available to me, which has been to work for a temporary agency. This not to make determination of assistance difficult for the state, but to provide me with income to support my family that would otherwise not have been available had I not worked.

You should know, respectfully, that presumptuously presenting to applicants that work is available simply because it is desired is a myth that harms the much needed confidence of the person seeking both conventional employment and WCCC assistance; and the tone of such suggestions is very condescending. This agency�s sole purpose is to help low-income families stay working and off TANF/AFDC by easing their financial burdens. Families in such straits are under a tremendous amount of pressure, and 99.9 percent of the time are trying desperately to obtain even a modicum of self-sufficiency and to maintain their confidence and self-respect. We do not seek this subsidy to make case workers' professional lives more difficult.

What I would like for you to know is that discretion and tact are paramount in your position. I thank you for informing me of the WCCC eligibility requirements; however, you may wish to rethink how you phrase with questionable appropriateness what my options are because what it really sounds like is that you consider my hard decision to work for a temporary agency while seeking conventional employment to be based on laziness, inactivity or lack of desire, rather than on the fact that despite working full time during the day and applying for conventional employment in the evening, going on interviews, and submitting the plethora of resumes to everything even marginally related to my skills, my efforts have not as yet produced the obvious goal of being hired in such a capacity.

Sincerely,

sbd

Cc: Director X

Federal Auditor

State Capital

Fear me.

1:04 am - 11.19.02
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