Are you confused yet by what I’ve written so far? I’m sorry
if you are but this is the way the system works. If I could change it I would.
Perhaps in time, but not now. Let’s move forward, shall we? So the application for
cash assistance was finished and the caseworker moved on to the application to
help me obtain child support and medical insurance for the kids. I was already
getting both of those because my ex-husband was working and, as much of a butt
as he can be sometimes, he was always on top of those issues. That’ll change
shortly but that’s for a different night.
So the caseworker started asking me information about my ex;
his name, social security number,
address, phone, place of business, all the important information that
they really didn’t need because I explained that I was receiving child support
and insurance for the kids as it was outlined in my divorce papers. He actually
looked surprised. I guess he wasn’t used to having a mother tell him her kids
were already being taken care of. I’m not really sure. Then he started asking
me about my divorce, where it took place, when it was finalized, and all that
bullshit. I don’t know why he needed to know because I considered it all a moot
point.
Still, he needed all of the information he could get from me
because he said he was required to send it to the State so a petition could be
filed with the court to get me child support and medical insurance for the
kids. I felt like I was going around in circles with him. Not only was he
making me apply for cash assistance but now he was going to waste the court’s
time petitioning for something that had been settled five years prior. I know
it’s his job but who makes these dumbass rules? Just call Missouri Child
Support Enforcement and verify it. Hell, I’d have given him my case number but
he had to do what he had to do. It was fucking ridiculous if you ask me.
So this dude was filling out all the paperwork, which seemed
like it took forever, and my kids were getting antsy, chasing each other around
the office, asking when we could leave. I was getting anxious, feeling like they
were disturbing other people in the office and just really wanted the
caseworker to finish with all the crap and get us moving. Finally he was
finished and said he had to submit my paperwork to a supervisor to be reviewed
and then it would be approved and the housing placement person would find a
shelter for us. He said we’d have to go back and wait in the waiting room.
Seriously? We’d been there for four hours as it was and my ass was hurting from
sitting on their hard chairs all that time.
He walked us to the door to the waiting area and I told him
my kids needed something to eat. I explained that I had no cash to get them
anything. First he tried to push me off by saying that there wasn’t anything
available but I knew better. When I’d applied for food stamps at that same
office I was sent home with a bag of groceries to hold us over until my
application was approved. I knew they had a food pantry there. He finally said
he’d see what he could get us and retreated to the pantry. He reappeared with
two bags filled with kid-friendly foods: small containers of beef-a-roni,
cheese and crackers, supplies to make pb&j sandwiches, snacks, and juice
boxes. That worked for me.
As we started to go outside he mentioned that we had to be
back inside before 2:30 because the office closed at 3:00 and they locked the
doors at 2:30. That was fine by me because we weren’t going any further than
the parking lot. There was a grassy area over where I’d parked so we were just
going to have a little picnic. We went outside, ate, and the kids ran around
for a while to burn off some energy. I was hoping it would calm them down a bit
before we had to go back into the building. I was glad I let them run because
when we went back inside things just got more complicated and I got more aggravated.
But before I aggravate myself any more tonight I’ll sign off and pick this up
tomorrow.
Until next time…peace to all.
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