TheMommyBlog

Saturday, September 06, 2008 Bad Mood Dude

So you know how I helped found a nonprofit that would change the way the sector viewed and used grantmaking software forever? No? Well, I did. And we did an awesome job on the preliminary studies and reports. And then funding ran out. And suddenly it was harder to secure grants to continue the work. Foundations generally have all their yearly grant money committed or as good as committed by the end of the summer, so you gotta act fast and strike early.

So, when we ran out of money, I waited. I hoped. I pitched. I had faith. I ran out of money, too.

I finally applied for unemployment last month when it became clear that I couldn’t wait any longer and needed the help. They have approved my claim, but denied my request to have it backdated to the week after I received my last paycheck, the first week there was no work for me. Rarely do they grant an appeal after a denial. Well, my claim was denied this morning, and I can appeal, and will, but it’s exceedingly rare for these sorts of backdating requests to be approved unless the employer has made some huge mistake in filing or dating a claim. Not filing out of hope I wouldn’t need it is not something they honor.

I explained that it would have showed poor faith in my organization to have filed at the first sign of a skipped paycheck. It would have destroyed the possibility of receiving back pay if we did receive funds. So I waited, and am now out three months of unemployment assistance I could have collected. That’s roughly two mortgage payments. Shit on a shingle.

So if I seem lackluster or absent, please excuse me. I’m getting ready for another appeal and trial. So much fun after the last one.