Unemployment Insurance and "fact checking"

     I was forced to do something a few weeks ago that I haven't had to do in many decades: File for unemployment insurance. Many people, I'm guessing, go through their entire careers never having to file an unemployment claim. This is the second such event in my lifetime. The first time around I was pretty lucky: I landed a job very quickly after my position was eliminated, so I think I only received one payment from the claim and didn't need it any more. My current situation is that I've been out of work for about a month now--the longest period in my life, so this claim is kind of important. Unfortunately, the process is arduous (probably deliberately so) and entirely opaque. I'm left to sit here and wait and submit job applications and check my claim status on a daily basis only to see those same words at the top of the page: Your claim is under fact-finding. Fact finding? Waiting for weeks stuck in limbo left me reflecting on the actual facts of the situation.

    The first fact relevant in this case is that the system had notified me that I was eligible based on my situation. So why the long fact-checking period when the most important part of the process is initiated? This is like the Seinfeld skit where he reserves a rental car only to find they don't have a car for him. They're good at taking the reservation, just not good a keeping it. We're good at qualifying you for unemployment; we just don't follow through with actually paying you.

    But here are the additional facts:

1. I had worked for over ten years at the same place in progressively more responsible positions.
2. I paid for special training and the associated certification out of my own pocket and on my own initiative when I was notified my job title and role would be changing when my company was assimilated by our buyer.
1. I did this instead of waiting for the company to provide training so that I would be prepared for my new role sooner rather than later.
3. I was laid off from my position through no fault of my own. My performance reviews were all very good. I took the feedback from my reviews to heart and did my best to improve not only in my position, but also as a co-worker and a servant leader.

    All of this to say my current circumstance was something beyond my control. Though the event itself was not unanticipated, the timing was a surprise, so I was unprepared for the situation and its accompanying challenges. And, honestly, I think I'm owed something for the effort I've put in over these last 12 years.

    I think I'll find a new job somewhere soon, but even if I do, this is a serious disruption to my life and a big change to my routine. It will force adaptations, some of them painful.

    In the meantime, I worry (likely spending too much time doing so) about what will happen when my severance runs out. Will I find a job? How will I pay bills? Will we go bankrupt? Will I be forced to withdraw from my meager retirement funds? Will I have to settle in my job search and accept something less than ideal?

    These are the real facts. The whole situation and the state of the support network are dragging me down.