Saturday, November 05, 2011

Dear Old Lady Client Who I Thought Was Sweet

Dear Old Lady Client Who I Thought Was Sweet,

I am sorry I took the time to be polite and use my "customer service skills". You were okay with being over income for food stamps. I thought that I would help get the verifications for the other Worker who had your Welfcare application. It was the "customer-service friendly" thing to do!
By that time the Front Desk had already taken your name and fingerprints (standard policy and all). It would have been done regardless of which Worker interviewed you for the Public Assistance Benefits.

I thought you were funny and you had some great stories to tell; you are 77 years old! You live in your car in the WalMart parking lot fercryingoutloud, I almost wanted to ask you home for dinner! It broke my heart that you were technically "over income" for food stamps. You knew it, you seemed okay with it, you asked me if one day I could help you use the computer to look for "unclaimed property". You shook my hand and thanked me, told me all of your questions had been answered and told me I was a "very sweet woman who obviously cared about people."

Then you repeatedly called my Supervisor to complain that your Civil Rights were being violated. No reason why, just that they had been severely violated. And when she didn't call you back in an hour (because she wasn't there that day) you called the Program Supervisor and complained that your Civil Rights and been violated. And she got her Boss involved. Only after a whole bunch of shit rolled downhill (guess who was on the bottom?) did you bother mentioning that your civil right that was violated??? That was when they fingerprinted you and then you didn't get food stamps, and how the application had the gall to ask you if you had used any previous names.

...

What?... Really?


Hiding something? My advice is don't apply for government assistance and then call the bigwigs at the State.

No love,
Brokemom the Welfare Worker