Friday, March 5, 2010

Who IS this guy?

Seriously, who does he think he is? 

The worst part is that, apparently, he can get away with all this ... crap ... he is putting me through.

Let's start with the insurance. For the history, see this entry: http://eyeteegirl.blogspot.com/2010/01/hes-unbelievable.html

Now that you're current, here is the latest.  As you know, I filed a complaint with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.  It didn't do me a lick of good.  Here's why.  I applied for the medical insurance, it was indeed effective (because I bullied him), so I went to the doctor in January.  I paid $200 on my January paychecks (and my February paycheck!) for my "insurance."  After my employment was terminated February 1, Rod called the insurance company on February 7 and backdated my termination date with the insurance company, saying my term date was 12.31.09.  So, of course, because the doctor's office didn't bill immediately (Who knew the billing window was so small?), I have now gotten an "ineligible for benefits" statement from the insurance.  Of course, this means I will soon be getting a bill from the doctor - in the amount of $190.

So here's the kicker. (Yes, it gets worse)  Because my insurance was actually effective for about 15 minutes, the Dept of L&I can't do anything - whether or not the deductions were authorized and regardless of the fact that he backdated, effectively wiping that 15 minutes of eligibility off the map.  It became a civil matter the minute he actually activated my insurance.  Can you hear my sigh of frustration?  Can you see the tufts of hair that I'm pulling from my head in chunks?   My feelings of helplessness are nearly overwhelming right now.

But wait, that's not all.

He still has not paid me for January 22nd.  Because this is a new development, it cannot be included on my current complaint with L&I.  It has to be filed as a new complaint.  Considering it took a month for L&I to respond to the complaint I filed already, and considering that there are only 2 people responding to all King County complaints, it would be at least another month before they could look at that (valid) complaint.

At least, now that the L&I complaint has been "assessed" and will be "closed" (just writing that makes me want to cry at the futility of my situation), I now have a path open to file a small claims suit against him. 

I just really, really wish I could nail him from the legal (government) side of things.  But alas, the employee just doesn't have any rights in this state.  And at least I have the satisfaction of knowing I will cost him money - likely more money at this point than he would have paid if he'd just been honest in the first place.

That is, if the law is on my side... who knows, I've been wrong with everyone else I've called so far...  Here's my phone log from this week:


3/2/10 
Receive ineligibility of benefits notification
3/3/10
30 minutes with Premera, trying to find out 
     a) Why I was ineligible (I was term'd 12.31.09 on 2.7.10)
     b) How I can prove the term date was not, in fact, 12.31.09 (I can't)
     c) How I can prove I paid for January benefits (Doesn't matter)
     d) How I can report employer-side insurance fraud (I can't)
15 minutes with Insurance Commissioner
     a) How do I report medical insurance fraud?  
     b) If this isn't insurance fraud, what is it?
     c) Determined the Insurance Commissioner regulates the insurance companies, not the employer side of medical insurance.
     d) Wrote down number for Attorney General's office for consumer affairs.
10 minutes with Attorney General's office 
     a) Had to explain why this is not, in fact, an Insurance Commissioner problem.
     b) Found out that I could, in fact, file a complaint as a consumer, we guess, of insurance.
     c) Letter would be sent to both insurance company and employer.  We think.
20 minutes with Department of L&I to discover status of claim.
     Spoke to an agent who explained their back log and got info about how to contact my agent.
3/4/10
     Left voicemail for Agent investigating my L&I claim.
3/5/10
50 minutes with L&I 
     a) Withholding money without authorization for medical insurance that is never activated, they can help.
     b) Withholding money without authorization for medical insurance that is activated, then taken away, becomes a civil matter, they can't help.  (I did get an apology for "the system")
     c) Received helpful information about small claims court and a phone number to file a civil suit.
10 more minutes with L&I
     Agent called back to let me know I should also contact Department of Human Rights and the Seattle Civil Rights Commission.  Received those phone numbers.  Received personal, off the record advice, a wish of good luck, and gained a friend.  Maybe even a blog follower!

Oh, dear readers, I thought I had such a tight case with the Department of L&I. I'm not sure how much more energy I can garner for filing all these new complaints - especially in light of my failures so far.  I guess court is inevitable at this point, and my sense of justice will kick in after a few hours, and I will rebound, I suppose.  I will keep doggedly filing complaints until I finally nail his bigoted, sexist, cheating, lying ass to the wall.  

Sorry for the downer today, everyone, but have a terrific weekend, celebrating the fact that you don't have to work for Rod!  I know I will!!!!


Eye Tee Girl

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