The Pony dropped off his medical reimbursement DOL forms at his orthopedic group on Monday, and they said he could have someone pick up the completed paperwork on Wednesday morning, after their out-sourced Worker's Comp gal came in.
Tuesday, I came home from town and saw a paper-clipped stack of forms lying on HIPPIE on the kitchen table. Farmer H has been talking about his business tax forms, so I wasn't clear what was draped over HIPPIE's lid.
"What is this on my laptop?"
"Them forms for The Pony."
"You were supposed to get them on WEDNESDAY."
"I know. But he called me today, and asked me to go over and pick them up. The office called him and said they were ready. Then when I got there, they had no idea what I was talking about. So I said, 'What do you mean, you just CALLED HIM to say they were done!' So they went in the back to talk to someone, and came out and pulled them out of a drawer off to the side."
"Okay. When The Pony gets home, I'll have him look them over, to make sure everything is there. Then I can get it copied and put together tonight, and mail it tomorrow."
The Pony actually had the NERVE, on Monday, to declare that HE could mail his own reimbursement forms! It went like this:
"Well, I guess I can find time to take them over to the post office. I have to start baking those cakes, and we're taking Mabel's Chex Mix over to her house, and I have to get two batches of deviled eggs and potato salad made, and go to the store to buy the meat for Saturday... I guess Dad could mail it while I'm doing all that."
"Mom. I LITERALLY go to the post office EVERY DAY! I can mail it."
"Funny how you couldn't mail Genius's letter for me that one time I asked. Since you DON'T WALK BY THAT PART OF THE POST OFFICE."
"Yeah, but I COULD. Except since I'm going in at 5:30 now, the counter isn't open."
"See? You knew you couldn't mail it yourself. You were just trying to shame me for complaining."
Anyhoo... The Pony got home from work, and looked at the forms Farmer H had brought.
"Um. Mom. I think Dad is going to have to take this back over to the office. They didn't fill in the CHARGES part of the chart. It looks like they have everything else but that. It's on my statement where they billed me, but the instructions from the DOL say EVERYTHING must be on this form. It has those line by line instructions like tax forms. And this CHARGES column is one that has to be done."
"Well. They have that info right here on this other form from their office. So they'll just have to copy it over. It's right there."
Farmer H interjected:
"If you're smart, you'll just write that in yourself, and be done with it!"
Such sound advice from Farmer H. Of course I am smart. The Pony is smart. We know exactly what needs to be written there, and one of us has remarkable handwriting skills...
The only reason this packet needs to go through the post office clerk is so that proper postage can be purchased. NO NEED FOR A TRACKING NUMBER! If it gets lost, we'll re-submit. We won't even start to worry unless The Pony hasn't heard within a month that it has been received. Since that's how long it took to get there WITH a tracking number and two-day shipping.
Complete incompetence?
ReplyDeleteSo did you do the copying and get that damn form done, finally? And mailed?
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteOlympic-gold-medal-level incompetence!
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River,
I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that! You're generally perceptive in the ways of this bureaucracy I'm dealing with... More to come.