Floating in limbo for a while...

I think that it is safe to say that I've been thrown into limbo for a little while.

I checked my email this morning to find two messages:

First from the Job Service telling me that my training proposal has been tabled by the committee until after July 5th (i.e. next fiscal year) and I'm requested not to contact them until after July 5th if I am still interested in pursuing their program.

Second from my enrollment advisor letting me know that some significant enrollment discounts will no longer be available after today. There will be other ones available for next month, but not as nice. [I appreciated his note, but with less than 12-hours to sort through the pros, cons and consequenses... WHY BOTHER?]

As such, I confess for the next several days, I'm planning on ignoring it all, being domestic and playing games. I've worked very hard and I'm tired. I need a rest. So, I'm going to get some house-work done and then get cozy with the Wii games. I want to do some target shooting (Link's Crossbow Training) and then go for a long bike tour across a beautiful island (Wii Fit Plus).

[LOL - my aim is not so good if I do it the other way around.]

Next week I will begin research on finding options to "do this on my own". ...unless I can get a full-time job between here and there. [Wouldn't that be nice!]

Thank you all for your prayers. I'm guessing that God has something in store, but His timing is not yet fulfilled. So, we wait...
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God Bless & Godspeed

...And, on this Memorial Day Weekend, a special "Thank You" to all who have served and are serving. You are in my prayers.

...minor update...

Just stopping by to say that had only one more company's information to gather and add to my proposal. [Wouldn't you know that the largest company in the U.S. didn't want to give general information over the phone and requested that I send them an email? Maybe they are tracking statistics or something?]

That infomation did come in, and the proposal is complete. It is all packaged up and I will be turning it into the Job Service on Wednesday. They meet to review current submissions Thursday morning at 9am.

[P.S. Still no news on the fellow overseas... Looks like God may want me enrolled in school before he comes back. I'll keep you posted on that, too.]
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God Bless & Godspeed

Prayers... for the first steps forward.

[deep breath]

First: I have the letter from my former employer that was required and I have submitted inquiry back to the Job Service: How do we proceed?

Second: I have new intentionally vague information on my work-from-home job contact that prompts me to ask for a specific prayer. His work (overseas) is nearly done. He has successfully helped in the capture of a group of individuals, but the mastermind is still at large. When that mastermind is apprehended, THEN my contact's contract is fulfilled and he can return to the U.S. Please add your prayers to mine that the mastermind is apprehended... and that my contact and his coworkers (and all of their families) are kept safe from harm.

Thank you.
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God bless & Godspeed

...Not a dream, a prayer answered...

Yesterday was like Christmas! THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!

I finally received my unemployment check (with all 10-weeks back-pay included). YIPPEE! [It's going to be such a good feeling to put some of that back into savings to replace the money we've had to take out!]

Furthermore, I have also received word from my former employer that they will grant me a letter that states that my end of employement was due to lack of work. This will allow for the next set of hoops to be opened for the training option. Admittedly, there are more hoops to jump through before I can pursue the training, but at least the WorkComp "blockage" delaying the unemployment has been removed.

Somewhat of a pitfall: It was my original understanding that going through the Job Service "program" would qualify me to get training while still drawing unemployment... and NOT have to look for full-time work at the same time. Now that I understand that the "program" is a financial aid opportunity and not actual enrollment into a training program, I am wondering what happens if I don't get the financial aid.

Big Question: Is the successful award of financial aid required before the "student" is relieved from having to continue to look for full-time work while still drawing unemployment?

Another Question: If I don't get the financial aid, and I still pursue the training (on my own), will I still have to look for full-time work in order to continue drawing unemployment?

So many questions... so many hoops. But forward progress has finally happened. That in itself is a huge victory! And, who knows, maybe God will allow that work-from-home job to come through...

...and then all these questions and hoops could be set aside as 'no longer relevent'.
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God bless & Godspeed

...Well, an update - sort of...

Well... There might be a few changes.

When we went to pick up the mail, there was no letter from unemployment. This could be a good thing. It might mean that the automatic-computer-generated form letter has been taken off-line. In my dreams, this means that "something is happening" to my claim. [Of course, it could also mean that it is going to arrive in the mail tomorrow... being just delayed.]

The other change is primarily in my understanding, which came from the meeting at the Job Service.

The meeting went OK, but it has been revealed to be yet another gambit of hoops. At least I did learn that this "eligibility" is not for determining whether or not I can get into training programs. This was for eligibility to get FINANCIAL AID for the training programs. [And the 6-month review starts today and not when I got laid-off.]

The 'assessment' is to determine basic eligibility via three separate programs. One is job loss due to something related to an entire company, but the company has to be registered on their list as a candidate. [My former employer was not on the list.] Another is 'displaced worker' where a job is lost because of 'lack of work'. [This is the current direction.] The third is eligibility through family income. [My last paychecks were too large to qualify, even with zero income for three months. But... musing aloud... we would probably qualify once we were six months into zero income.]

So, here are the new hoops looming in front of me:
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1. Get letter from former employer stating that job lay-off was due to lack of work. Submit letter to Job Service.
2. If no letter is forthcoming, then they will track the information through my unemployment sheets (once they start sending them).
3. Once they determine I lost my job because there was no work, they will send me paperwork to fill out: Page one - the training I want to pursue at what school with specific notes on financial requirements, etc. Page two - why I am asking them to help me pay for it. Page Three - personal contacts with three companies associated with that field of work showing numbers of employees hired per year and starting wages. [i.e. proving that the training is in an active market with a high rate of employment success.]
4. That paperwork will be reviewed by a committee to determine eligibility.
5. If it is approved, then I immediately have to apply for Federal Financial Aid... any approval in Federal aid will decrease the original amounts awarded.
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I was relieved to find out that none of this precludes the possibility of just getting the training on my own. So, if this all goes gunny-bag, there is still a possibility. Personally, I'm hoping (even more) that the work-from-home-job comes through. Then I can simply exit this "game" and pursue any further training on my own.

However, at first opportunity, I sent an email to my former employer requesting a letter... Now we wait...
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God bless & Godspeed

Why can nothing be EASY, just for once?

Just when I start having hope that something good is going to happen, I get yet another curve-ball thrown at me.

AARRGGHH!!!!! I really don't like this game!

Boiled to the tar: Nothing has changed.

Stirred up in the tar, however, is the new information that entices me to hope... [As I cringe waiting for that other shoe to drop.]

Where to begin?

Unemployment Update: The phone-meeting (on Monday the 3rd) with the State Unemployment Office brought to my attention that it was the "four months of back-logged claims" that has delayed the processing of my claim. The guy I talked with said that the rotation of claims should be bringing mine to the front "pretty soon". The guy also said that my claim should be at the adjudication level by now and all they need to do is call WorkComp and verify the documentation I sent to them... THEN they can release all the back checks (supposedly on the same day). Until then, my eligibility will remain as "pending".

Schooling: It seems that there are some schooling opportunities that will allow for the drawing of unemployment without having to look for full time work. I did some deep-digging (why do they make it so hard?), and found one of my researched schools and one of their on-line courses within the parameters of the qualifiers lists. However, I just learned that getting into those programs is not only based on your eligibility for unemployment (which is still pending)... it is also based on how much money you made "for the last 6-months". [I'm still waiting to find out if that is 6-months from 'today', or 6-months from when I got laid off.] AND... I was told when I got the appointment (next Wednesday the 12th at 11am) that the appointment is to assess whether or not I qualify for the program and "does not guarantee program assistance".

Work-from-home job opportunity: Currently, my hiring contact is still overseas. My last check-in with them told me that there are things in the works that might have him back in the states sometime this month... if all goes well.

Clear as mud and my head wants to explode with all the "go here & do this" hullabaloo. [And did anyone see any actuall "answers" in all of that? I sure didn't.]

If God would allow it, securing the work-at-home job from the get-go would solve so MANY problems. Once that fellow gets back into the U.S., my application can be processed and I can get into the system. Then I can stop jumping through all the hoops. If I have a job, then I can pursue the schooling on my own, independent of government hoops, once we get stabilized financially (unless the job turns out to be the better option all by itself).

I very much want to be done with this game of cat and mouse. [Where I am the mouse and Cat says: You must put your tail into this trap and if it goes off... we might help you... if it doesn't go off... we might help you, but you have to put your tail into this other trap and start the process all over again.]

My thanks for any continued prayers in this convoluted and frustrating situation.

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Godspeed & God bless