Insurance Companies Suck

Okay, so in one of my more recent posts, I gave all y'all the update on my surgery and told you I'd be following up with Dr. Feelgood mid-July. Well, since it's August, you can bet your sweet bippy I've seen the doc. I'm not back to work yet, but am scheduled to do so next Monday. Why the delay, you ask?

Well, when I saw the doc, I hadn't driven in a few months (when I need to drive over an hour each way to work), couldn't fully turn my head and was still having difficulties sleeping resulting in dizziness, disorientation, concentration issues and essentially total memory failure. To this, my doctor stated although there was no "bio-mechanical" reason for me not to work (aka the surgery worked and the fusion was healing on schedule), he gave me another 3 1/2 weeks off of work to get me back used to driving, allow me to work on being able to turn my head and try to get some sleep with the new sleeping pills he described.

So I jumped through all the hoops, made more phone calls than I feel I should have had to to get the insurance company what they needed, and what do I get? 2 1/2 weeks AFTER my appointment, I get a call telling me my extension was denied. Meaning no pay (that's $0 folks) for 3 1/2 weeks and the possibility I wouldn't have a job to go back to.

Hysterics ensued. I made a few phone calls (Smiley, Mom, HR...) and managed to calm down. Mom agrees to help. HR says my job's not in jeopardy. HR gives me info to appeal the decision.

That was last week. Two days ago, I receive an email from HR stating that as of the date of my appointment (two and a half weeks ago, mind you), I had 48 hours left of FMLA. 48 hours. Really? Nice.

Another phone call to HR informs me that although it is correct that the 48 remaining hours have technically expired, they have not been applied. To apply these hours, I need to have my doctor fill out more forms. Once HR has these forms, they'll apply the 48 hours and then tell my boss to post my position. So TECHNICALLY, my job's not in jeopardy. Yet. Until they get the forms back. And HR would need to have filled my position before I go back to work on Monday for it to actually be in jeopardy.

Does this make any sense to ANYONE? How is this encouraging me to get this paperwork back in a timely manner? And, for that matter, what part of I don't know where I am half the time cuz I haven't truly slept in a few months and can barely turn my head does not affect my ability to do my job? Okay, so TECHNICALLY my job description does not specifically state that it is required for me to know who or where I am. But I'm thinking the Department of the Treasury might feel otherwise. (No, I don't work for the Department of the Treasury, but what I do affects things that are monitored on a wide scale by the Department of the Treasury.)

But this has me wondering.... What positions could a person hold who didn't always know who they were or where they were (and other basic knowledge items along the same lines)? Stamp Licker? Professional Area Rug? Silly Putty Tester? Oh! I know! Short Term Disability Case Manager! This explains a lot....