everyday is a journey.
O Lord my God, do Thou Thy holy will,--
I will lie still.
I will not stir, lest I forsake Thine arm,
And break the charm
Which lulls me, clinging to my Father's breast,
In perfect rest.
J. KEBLE.
Flma, one of my least favorite things to take care of. I know there are people who love to go on Fmla and use that benefit to it's fullest, but not me. In fact, I hate to even call it a benefit. I have so many nightmarish stories to tell, but I fear my blood pressure may not take it. My experience with them has been anything but pleasant. I truly, truly believe their main purpose is to upset you so much that regardless if you are ready or not physically, you will come back to work just to avoid dealing with them.
With my company, they would like to have at least a month notice if you plan on using this benefit. Fine, I called them a whole month ahead. We are informed that we have an entire month for the paperwork to be filled out and mailed back to them for approval. If not, we will have to do this all over again. No problem.
It takes about 7-10 days before the paperwork arrives in the mail. I quickly fax it over to my oncologist the very same day at work. I give my doctor two days before calling them to see if they have filled it out and faxed over to the fmla people. Of course, that's not possible, because the doctor is in clinic only certain days. The papers were faxed over Thursday, but the doctor can't sign them until the following Tuesday. It's already going on three weeks.
Finally, after much pressure from my end the papers are signed and faxed over to the fmla people. I have a little over a week left before the deadline and this is the tricky part. We begin to play a game, the fmla people and I. I call them and inquire about the status of my claim. Well, they're waiting on the papers. They were faxed over. They never received them. I fax them over again. Then my call is mysteriously dropped every time I ask to be connected with my claims agent. I fax them over and email them hoping this will be the end of it. Finally, the day before my surgery they received them and will review them within ten days.
I have the surgery and another two weeks go by as I recover at home. One pay period goes by and no check, but I'm understanding due to the time frame. Then another. Then another. Six weeks go by since the surgery and numerous and I mean numerous phone calls back and forth between my work, my doctor, and the fmla people. They need more paperwork. Finally I'm approved and my pay is activated. Not only has it been six weeks since my surgery, but another month before that since I let these people know. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.
There is no reason for me to be dealing with these atrocious people. If this is a benefit that my company provides for me, it should not be this difficult. It should be a help to me not a hindrance. Once someone, no one will admit who, kept listing me as a part time associate. Part time associates are not eligible for insurance. I would go for my chemo only to find out I had no insurance. Many times this has happened and all they do is point fingers at each other in blame. How do these people live with themselves.
No, no, no, no! No matter how many times management may try to convince me how wonderful this benefit truly is, I find it to be the opposite. Maybe this time around, all this added to my frustration level. I feel like my company, that I've worked for over 21 years, really dropped the ball. I am a seasoned associate who gave them all, plus my loyalty, but in time of my need, they didn't do the same for me. Now that's the skinny!
Have a Blessed day everyone.
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