I've been through so much Bureaucratic bullshit since my mother passed away that I think it's damn near on the verge of breaking me. Nothing can be done right the first time, you have to do stuff three or four times to get it done right. Let me just spill a little of the crap I've been going through.
First, after my mom passed, her bank locked all of her accounts. I know they normally do this after a person passes when they are informed...but they locked her accounts (one of my mothers, and one for my niece and one for my nephew) and no one in my family had informed them, so I don't know if the bank sat there and read her obit and decided "hey, that's one of our customers, lock 'er down" or what. I just know that neither me nor my sister informed the bank of her passing exactly for that reason. And how did we find out the account was locked? My sister was trying to buy groceries for her and the kids and the bankcard kept being denied. Since my mother was the guardian of my niece and nephew, and they locked down the kids disability accounts too, that left absolutely no funds accessible for the children's care. I went to the bank, informed them I needed those funds for the kids immediate support, they said they needed more paperwork than I had...sooooo I went to get the paperwork needed, and the bank conveniently drained the kids accounts for my mothers debts while I was waiting through yet another bureaucratic damn process. So upon arriving with proper paperwork to close the accounts, I was informed there was only 3 cents left in the account for my niece. Bastards knew my mother just passed, but did they have any concern whatsoever about the financial difficulty they just caused for my family? Nope. Should be against the law.
So, after going through the bureaucratic process of becoming representative payee for my niece and nephew, I go to yet another bank to open them new accounts, damn sure wasn't going to keep putting money into a bank that purposely left a mourning family with 3 fucking cents in their collective accounts. So I tell this new bank exactly how the accounts are supposed to be titled. First time, they didn't do it right...I noticed on the paperwork it only had me listed on the accounts, and not me as rep payee FOR my niece and nephew. So I had to drive an hour one way all the way back down there, with MORE paperwork, told them the second time, "it has to read exactly as it is on this paper", they still didn't do it right. Keep in mind I've already ordered checks, checkcards, and just two days ago signed the kids up so their checks would direct deposit into their accounts. Low and behold, I get a call today that they STILL don't have the shit right and I have to come down there again. I was so pissed off, I know "Paul" from the bank could feel me seething through the phone. Now I have to go to the bank for the 3rd time, open new accounts and hope like hell they can get it right, then I have to call and cancel all the direct deposit stuff I had just taken care of two days ago. Some straight bullshit.
I've been keeping it together so far, but damn. I can only take so much. I think I could manage if I didn't have to keep doing the same shit over and over and over again. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels constantly and getting nowhere.
I've been to more banks, courthouses, health departments, hospitals, garages, funeral homes, social security offices in the past month than I've seen collectively my whole life. I've also been managing the process of my sister and the kids moving closer to my aunt. I wish just some part of this process would go a little easy, be done right the first time. I wish I could feel some spark of hope for the future, but all that I'm feeling right now is "what am I gonna have to fix next, and how many other channels do I have to go through in order to complete one thing."
All the pressure, it made me cry today. I don't know if I'm just close to my cracking point, or if I'm pms'ing. I'm trying really hard, but I hope the universe cuts me a little slack soon.
