Good News And a Small Rant

Even the woodpeckers owe their success to the fact that they use their heads
and keep pecking away until they finish the job they start.

Coleman Cox

Good morning everyone.  It is finally warming up a little.  Hope we saw the last of the snow yesterday, but I'm not going to count on it.  It's been a long, rough winter, to be sure, but an end is in sight.  Spring has never looked so good.  So, I have news.  Lots of news.

Hubby woke up early and headed for the social security office to get his case straightened out.  Seems that even though he doesn't have a mental illness diagnoses, they still want a payee to release the retroactive money  to. Why I don't know.  The man is perfectly capable of handling his own finances.  Personally, I think they are just giving him a hard time, and I am furious. After all, they released over $10,000 to my stepson when he was living with us.  He has a diagnosis of schizophrenia and is a known drug user who has proven over and over again that he has no concept of money management. He never once did laundry while he lived with us.  When his clothes got dirty, all he did was replace them with expensive new clothes.  No three pack of Haynes for him.  No, this kid thought nothing of spending $9 on a tee shirt he would wear one time and toss away.  Yet, he was deemed capable of handling his money.  In less than six months, everything was gone, and he was back in the hospital.  But, every time he is released,  they start paying him again.  (He no longer lives with us.  That was a nightmare.)  Nope.  No payee needed there. 

And, then I used to see them releasing huge sums of monies to my clients--homeless, mentally ill, substance abusers.  More often than not the monies were spent on jewelry, technology, cigarettes, and drugs.  They didn't even put enough money away to live on.  I remember the day one of my clients, a 22 year old man with schizophrenia, came in boasting about a $700 phone he just bought. He was attired in new expensive clothing, had a huge gold chain around his neck, and a pair of $250 sneakers.  Two weeks later the phone, chain, and sneakers were gone, and his clothes actually stunk.  The rest of his money went on drugs...and we all know what happens when the money runs out.  Everything goes.  Yet, he was deemed capable of managing his own money.

Needless to say, I'd planned to go to the Center today, but will instead go to social security with him and become his payee.  His money will be deposited in my account, and I will turn it over to him.  I am not happy about it, but if it ends this social security nightmare then so be it. Sounds simple, doesn't it?  But  I did some research on it, and it is not so cut and dry.  As payee, I will have to open a new bank account as payee.  My husband cannot have direct access to it. I also must complete written reports about how the monies were spent. any discrepancies, and I could be penalized. I am beginning to feel rather anxious about this and wonder what I have gotten myself into.  Does anyone have any experience as a payee? Would love some advise.

On a happier note, my pension nightmare appears to be over.  Yesterday, I received a call from the union, and it appears that my payments are being processed.  They should be in my account some time next week.  Of course, I am not going to allow myself to get too excited until I see the money in my account.  When I mentioned that I'd not faxed in the WP-4 form yet as I had just received it, I was advised it wasn't necessary.  So this form, this unnecessary form, held up my payments for a month or more.  I just don't get it.  But, does anyone ever understand bureaucracy and how it works.

Perseverance is a great element of success.  If you only knock
loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow