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Archive for June, 2022

Vested in Pension

June 1st, 2022 at 08:06 pm

An exciting milestone was reached during the month of May.  I am now vested in the CalPers pension system.  If I stop working right now, at age 62 I am eligible to draw $298.62 per month for the rest of my life.  (Because of the Windfall Elimination Provision, receiving the pension will cost me $149.31 of SS benefits monthly once SS payments begin.)  If I continue working, the pension amount will increase.  If I am successful in moving up to a higher paid position, that will also increase my pension amount.  It is obviously not much, still I am very pleased to be vested.  

I did get a passing score on the test mentioned in my last entry, and in fact received the highest score in the testing group.  Therefore, I have been receiving invites to apply for openings in various departments.  However, I have chosen to pass on scheduling those interviews.  I have other things on my plate right now and really don't want to take the time to prepare for, dress for, and drive to interviews for jobs I don't want in the first place. I am waiting to be invited to interview for the opening which started this whole process.

I have been off work for a full 6 weeks now, and am still waiting for my first disability check.  (In California, we have a state run short-term disability program, which is funded via a direct payroll tax.) There is a website of course, and I can find my account, my claim number, etc.  I have received 2 notices, one about my weekly benefit amount ($627) and one informing me that if I also qualify for a program called Paid Family Leave (I don't), then I need to apply for it separately.  However, I have not received a notice that my claim has been approved (or disapproved, whatever).  According to Google, neither of the 2 notices I have received mean that my claim is approved.  Under my claim history, they have posted the first week's payment for the period 4/20-4/26/22.  The first week is always unpaid and it does show the benefit amount as $0.  But it stops right there, with no information whatsoever about any other time period. I have tried calling, but I get through all of the pre-recorded info, enter my personal info, then am told I will be transferred, then the line just goes dead.   This happens at the same exact point each time that I have called.  I assume that there are so many callers, they will not even put me in a queue, but of course that is only an assumption.  So, I'm really not sure of my status or when to expect some actual money.  

Next Tuesday I will begin radiation treatments.  I am scheduled for 16 treatments, 1 per day M-F.  It is quite a drive to the radiology center and with the cheapest gas available currently costing $5.79 per gallon,  I am not looking forward to shelling out for the gas.   I really can't complain though, so far my cancer treatment has cost me right at 1k in co-pays.  We aren't done yet, of course.