My husband's fate was decided a few weeks ago. He's being given the boot from the Navy. Of course in true Naval form they told him he's being booted, but they won't tell him when - just to make sure that he won't be able to find a job and give them a start date.
Our hopes were pinned on the place he works now as a sailor. They promised him a MUCH bigger paycheck to do more of the same work (he has orchestrated plans for this place saving the government BILLIONS of dollars and put the whole thing together...he is their go-to guy.) Of course in true Government form they crapped out and offered to pay him less money than he is making now for a position overseeing every one in the department. No more negotiations.
In an ironic twist of fate he's now getting offers from companies that promise to pay him triple what he's making now. The irony comes from the fact that since he won't be working in his department, they'll have to contract someone to do his job, and he will be the contractor. The Government, who refuses to pay my husband $70,000 for this job will now have to pay the contractor upwards of $3 million - for my husband to do the EXACT same job he is doing now. Only he won't be responsible for it and they can't blame him.
Your tax dollars at work.
As we gear up to find out WHEN he will be separated I am trying to use my benefits as an active-duty spouse to my full advantage. Namely, I'm spending everything in my caps. Or trying too.
Today I attempted to make an appointment at my base to see an optometrist. (I wear glasses and contacts.). My first visit in two years. I was informed that if I'm a dependent I can't see an optometrist for the next few months...but I want to I can get a referral to a doctor not in my MTF (Military Treatment Facility). Usually this is taboo for people like me...and means spending a lot of money. And it's still a pain. It took me five hours of phone calls and "We appreciate your patience" music before I finally got an appointment with some random doctor in a MALL. Tricare promises to pay. We'll see. They promised to pay for my life saving operation too...and I'm still a few thousand poorer from that - and have yet to be allowed to have a follow-up appointment for it.
Dentists are worse. I am strictly forbidden to see a Dentist on base. I have to see pre-approved, in program dentists that are no less than 10 miles away from base instead. Big deal right? Every plan is like that. The best part though is I have to get a referral from a dentist I am not allowed to see in order to make an appointment with a dentist I am allowed to see.
It's a dental nightmare. More so when my husbands SSN gets flagged as "About to Separate". Once that happens it's an unwritten rule to not let anyone on that plan get an appointment with anyone.
Probably because they'll do what I'll do which is use up my lifetime caps (thousands and thousands of dollars) getting dental work and doctors appointments before we are no longer with Tricare.
The Navy would prefer us to be sickly and have bad teeth - we're easier to control that way and don't complain about the mushy food.
The last few weeks have been a steady pace of "Bad re-enlistment" days. They just keep bending us over and screwing us with another arbitrary crappy Navy rule or ordinance. They're being even worse to my roommate. And they still plug away at work, going above and beyond what is expected of them...which is precisely why the Navy is kicking them out. They don't want hard, smart, skilled workers who ranks among the best of the best in their field, they want people who don't know how to mop. I'll be glad to be rid of the unorganized, no-nothing, arbitrary, prejudiced, backwards, pussified, fish-slapping, abusive, asinine, old-fashioned dirty old boys club called the Navy.
Do I sound bitter?
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3 comments:
With all the problems of not having enough people to support this, um, "war" this is surprising.
Good luck.
That's crazy. Just shows that despite all the talk of deficit and cost cutting, there's money in the government, it's just not spent right.
I read an interesting statistic somewhere that USA spends much more than Canada, Germany and France, PER PERSON, on healthcare, yet there's no universal health care in USA because drug companies and HMOs take a huge cut of that money. Don't know how true it is but it's an interesting thought.
I'm often shocked at the stupid choices the government has to make, because they have so many old-fashioned and arbitrary rules that once helped and now hinder.
The Army and the Marines are strapped for people...the Navy and the Air Force are turning people away.
As for Universal Healthcare - being one of the few people in the United States that is under our Government Healthcare plan...I would never in a millions years support it. If I had the choice. Sure, everything is free...but that's only the everything that you can get...not the everything you need.
My husband waited the better part of six years before they finally sent him to a specialist to see if his legs really were messed up - and they are - irrepairably so. I had to make a choice last year whether I wanted to pay for emergency surgery myself or just go home and see if I bleed to death or not. Thankfully we had enough saved up to cover the cost...our Universal Health Care system wanted us to come back the next day and see if I was still dying. People who don't save and don't make enough to put away money for a rainy day can and would most certainly be harmed by a government subsidized healthcare plan. And once again it's the poor taking the brunt of the pain. Just like in Canada now where doctors have lobbyed to practice privately - so the rich can afford to get their treatments now...and the poor have to sit on a waiting list.
I can't wait till I'm paying an arm and a leg for health insurance...it's definitely an improvement.
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