Or red tape as the case may be!Let me tell you all about it.
So after the power outage this morning, I thought I would get going on my new EI claim. I had to file a claim when I was laid off last year, then went back to work, then reactivated my old claim while also filling out a new claim for maternity and parental leave. My old claim was finished as of Saturday, so I needed to fill out a new application. Let me restate that I already filled out a new application in September when they decided to reactivate my old claim.
So I started. Entered all the info they wanted, then saw something that said that if I didn't put in 910 hours (I was told I only needed 600 for mat leave), I would need to enter info for all the jobs I've had in the last 2 years. Okay. I can do that. I'm an anal retentive bookkeeper and I keep everything. So I go back through my ROE's and all the EI paperwork I have. My filing system is falling a little short lately and I'm in the process of reorganizing everything, so it's a bit of a mess. I realize at this point that I need pay stubs from work I did for Kelly Services last February. I look through my year's worth of paperwork that needs to be filed. Can't find the pay stubs. Grrrr. I phone Kelly Services. They "don't have the software to keep that information, ma'am." I get the phone number to another place that the lady says has my info. They are rude on the phone, then route me to a second number that cuts me off. F@#%! I call back. I get a little angry with the guy. I re-tell him what I'm looking for. He tells me they don't have it. I get angrier. I call Kelly Services back. Get a different lady. Tell her again what I need. They do have it, but they have to mail it out to me. It'll take about a week. She was very nice at least and said she would process the request today so it can get mailed as soon as possible. Of course by this time, Rowan's awake from her nap and fussing, so I feed her, feed myself, then decide to take a look through the papers one more time. Found the pay stubs. Some days, I could just beat my head against the wall.
So I finish off my application and now I just have to wait the 28 day processing period to see if they're going to approve it. If they don't, I'm screwed. I have a 4 month old who is way too young for daycare and I'm not sure what I'll do if they won't give me any more money.
EI is such a pain. I've never collected EI before this and I feel like I'm being penalized for losing my job while I was pregnant and not being able to find another one. How dare I be laid off! Jerks. I bet government employees don't have nearly this tough of a time getting maternity leave.
Plus, most daycares won't take a child under 18 months. I went on leave almost a month before she was born, since I was getting too big to sit at my desk and she was late, so she won't even be a year old when my EI will be done. But most daycares won't take her for another 6 months. Again, I feel like I'm being penalized for not having my baby on time and for there not being daycares who will take a 1 year old. I love parenting. It's the rest of this crap that sucks.
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