Bureaucracy is a Four Letter Word
It's a new week and it's time for a new rant. Really it's more of the same. Bureaucracy.
Yeasterday I decided to tackle the 27 page epic sent to me by the Illinois Department of Human Services- Bureau of Disability Determination Services. A ten word title. Can you get any more pretentious?
The date on the first page is October 29, 2013. Page two tells you that you have ten days to return the completed forms. I received the package on Thursday, November 7, 2013. That's nine or ten days, depending on when you start. OOPS!! My time is already up. Bastards!
What it really means is I'll have to call my adjudicator, Norma C., at 9:00 am. Just another hassle. At least they have a toll free number. Wonder if they accept collect calls?
Pages 3 and 4 informs you on how to complete the forms and tells you about the privacy act and the paper reduction act.
Privacy my ass. On Saturday, my brother told me he received some paperwork about this. I don't remember giving his name to these people. I know that sounds a little paranoid but that doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
As for the paper reduction act, they're kidding, right? Twenty-Seven pages!
Next is the time estimate. They figure it will take 30 minutes to read the instructions, gather the facts, and answer the questions. Yeah, right! It took me almost an hour just to write the name of the IDHS-BDDS. The acronym alone took two minutes.
Finally we get to the questions and answers part of our program. They want to know how my illness affects everything from gardening to using the toilet.
I couldn't garden before Parkinson's and I still can't. Nothing affected. As for the toilet, let's just leave that to the bureaucrats imagination.
The one thing they didn't ask was has it affected my handwriting. I wish I was there to watch them read the forms. I'm looking at them now and there are some things I can't read. Good luck Norma C.
What does this all mean? Will this get me any closer to making the big bucks? Who the hell knows. I heard from someone today who said his case is now on it's third year. Another one said it took fourteen months.
I'm telling you all this bureaucratic crap is driving me nuts. Hey!! Maybe that's the answer. When I call Norma C. in a little while, I can act like I'm out of my ever loving mind. It's not that much of a stretch.
Maybe this will be better when Hillary takes over the Presidency in 2017. I just hope I'm finished filling out these forms by then.