Human Services my Butt!

Ok, well, it's tax appointment day. I must vent.

These past two weeks I have been a slave to data entry of my tax stuff for daycare finally finishing it up last night at about 9:30pm. Yesterday alone I put in 8 hours worth of tedious entries from hundreds of receipts. Well, I did that all week long as well as last week during nap times and after hours...roughly 45-50 hours of work. Depreciation, bills, time space percentage, etc. I woke this morning to finish up with educatioin expenses, Pat's expenses, medical stuff. One would think that when I finished with my two hours of work this morning that I would feel a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. Well, yes, a weight was lifted slightly in anticipation of what all my hard work may result in. We need a new refrigerator badly and if we can simply manage a return large enough for that, well, I would be in my glee.

So, not only has this tax crap been making my brain an abyss of numbers but a couple of other things have been looming. Daycare related of course. I care for a couple of families that are on county assistance. Not really abnormal for the area that we live in. Anyway, since the holidays, the county has been lazy in the 'payment' department. Human Services has used the 'holiday' excuse now since the week of Christmas for my paychecks not getting here on time. One county that I work with, like clockwork mind you, was getting my payments out a week late for 3 pay periods. This began the week after Christmas and finally a week ago they managed to get their heads together and get back on track. Now, the other county as of today is 2 1/2 weeks late with a payment that I earned the week of Christmas and the week after. And another check is officially a week late as of Thursday.

I have been on the phone with this county 3 times in the last week and 2 times the week before. The week before last I was told that all the paperwork cleared, got in on time, that everything went through the system but the computer just didn't spit out a check for me. "Hmm. That's weird." she said to me and that a check for the two weeks in December would be cut on Tuesday of this past week. Guess what, no check. Now I am told that check will be sent out next Tuesday.

The second check? Well, she had to pull some strings to get that one cut yesterday in hopes that it would be here today. It should have been in my mailbox Thursday, or Friday at the latest. Woops, no check. Apparently another worker got an error message that popped up on the computer and instead of following through and going to any length to solve it, she just passed over it and ignored it which would have meant that the supposed check that is to be sent here may not appear at all which means that I have to not only take care of children but those buttheads at the government center.

It's bad enough when an actual parent doesn't want to pay for daycare but when the government cannot get their crap together and get 'er done I have to say that I am appalled. How many people out there who count on a check from their employer every week or every other week would tolerate this? Especially government workers. And to find out that this particular county's Human Services Dept. is spending money left and right but cannot find it in their job description that they are responsible for granting the same respect to providers who provide more actual 'Human Services' to the community.

Sorry, as one could imagine, waiting for almost a month and a half for payment of services rendered it has really caused financial woes around here. Which leads me to my other gripe.

I put in a lot of work on our taxes each year. I schedule our appointment each year a month in advance. Our appt. today was for 2:00. Obviously I am not there because it's 2:30 and I am sitting here griping.

I took a very part time job working for H&R Block, where we get our taxes done. Because I'm an employee, taxes are done at a reduced rate in this particular office. Pat and I were on our way to our tax appt. and the cell phone rings. Guess what, our tax appt. was canceled because since I am not a full paying customer I don't matter anymore was how it was put. Another customer was placed in our slot, one who had an appt. an hour before ours and apparently didn't have all their stuff.

With all the stress of preparing for this day, the county crap, I nearly started to cry because I have just had it with this black cloud that has been hanging over my head for the past 7 weeks. I understand that because I am not a full paying customer that I don't warrant the same priority. But I only just worked for the first time 2 days ago for a mere 2 hours and my appt. was scheduled a month earlier when becoming an employee wasn't even a thought in my mind. AND, upon speaking to the man who runs that place, I was informed that that discount for employees isn't in effect until after February 15th. Am I upset? Well, Pat and I have to return at 4:00 today to get our taxes finished, no big deal. I'm a little miffed that I am still considered a paying customer and my appointment was cancelled simply because I work there now.

Mostly, I am just desparate to get some sort of a check so that we can resume life again. Next week will be a good week and I look forward to it. I just had to get this off my shoulders. Once this haze leaves my mind I can relax and enjoy life and get focused on happier things! Like our vacation........