A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

I am officially on welfare now - Depressed

Posted: Jan 04, 2014

Last month I made $293.48. This is after sitting in front of my computer 7 days a week for at least 8 hours each day. I lost 3 IC jobs this past year due to two buyouts and one compay losing almost all their accounts. So, I went down to the welfare office yesterday and applied for TANF and food stamps. I will be getting my food stamp card in the mail next week as I'm classified as an "emergency" case since I have a small child to feed. I will also be getting TANF and that card will come in 3 weeks. Never in a million years did I think this would be my life, living off the government. I used to make 40k a year easily, working just 6 hours a day, and I was perfectly content with that. I literally cried like a baby after I left the welfare office because I feel like such a failure. I'm now over my pity party and I'm going to go back to school. I started nursing school years ago but never finished. I would have just 1 year to finish and I decided I'm going to do it. No way am I going to just sit here and live off the government. It's so awful what this career has done to us all.

depressed - nana

[ In Reply To ..]
I am so sorry our profession has come to this. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined this would happen. I am sorry this has happened to you. I have emailed you with a suggestion. Will not post here because when I have posted this suggestion before I was called a liar. I am glad that you are going back to school to get out of this career but this is a suggestion while you are in school.

I would be happy to talk to you about this after you read my email if you are interested.

nana can you email me the suggestion? - grateful not gonna call you a liar

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thanks!

I dont know if I would call this a career anymore. Look - on the bright side, at least now

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You can go back to school. You may not like getting help from the government, but at least you will be able to feed your child and have another source of money coming in while you finish school. Dont let your pride get you down. You could use the help right now.

Look at it as a sign you were to finish school now. - Frustrated MT

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I know how you feel. I worked in a hospital making $50,000 a year and made half that this year. I also used to get 7 weeks of PTO, now down to 2. My daughter also was an MT, but she stayed in school and is now a coder. I quit school because I honestly thought I would retire before this happened. Now I am audited frequently and put on 100% QA last year and probably looking at that again soon. If 1 year is all you have to get your nursing degree GO FOR IT! I wish your family all the best!

It really is. I was depressed for years because - sm

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I have a special needs son that I just cannot leave alone. I have to figure something out though. Tired of being dumped on and treated like garbage. The last 4 companies I tried to work for tried to not pay me/charge me. Pfft on them.

you're making a good choice - good luck

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I hope you do well in nursing school and get a great job.

You used to make 40K a year easily - So do not feel bad about benefitting from it now

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You have contributed to the money you are receiving. I have never had to consider welfare but I was active duty army for 5 years, after that I have worked continuously since age 23 in the private sector, I am now 59. If I needed to ask for assistance from the government I would not feel bad. This is where all your taxes have gone, this is what it is for. You are not like the people who have never worked a day in their lives and living off the government. HOLD YOU HEAD UP HIGH, TAKE THE ASSISTANCE, AND FOLLOW YOUR PLAN. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF!!!

I tried getting food stamps when i was working - for an MTSO, but as a CA resident,

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I was told that I could still sell my car, and that I couldn't have anything in the bank - not even my "do-not-touch" retirement account, in order to qualify.

That must be touch for a CA resident - NY MT

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In my state, they let you keep 2 thousand, 3K for a couple. You can have an income of up to $1300 for 1 person & keep your car if you need it to get to work or absolutely need to to find work (i.e., live in a rural area).

I know they're touch with bank accounts but you might ask them if you are allowed to have ANY money on hand that is not counted, like stated above.

Don't let depression take over (sm) - Rose

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This was not your fault and you should not feel ashamed of having to get assistance. Most of us are in similar situations right now.

You have shown you are competent to earn 40K a year and support your child. There is no reason you can't return to that, you just need a little help.

So please be proud of yourself for standing up and doing what is necessary to care for you and your child. Don't let those negative voices about welfare attack you. You have done the right thing!

Good luck to you in the future.

Our own U.S. government that is allowing all of this outsourcing/offshoring - INDIA IS BEAUTIFUL

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is reaping what they are sowing... taking jobs from Americans, letting the corporations lobby for being allowed to send their work out. The result is that we, esp. woman, have had our jobs downgraded so much that we are no longer able to support ourselves... thus, public assistance. Government is biting itself in the _$$!

It's just for a season, not forever - sm

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God bless you, OP. This is exactly the reason welfare was established. You have worked hard all your life. It's not your fault that you need help. Any of us on this board at any time may end up in exactly the same situation. Please please please take advantage of every possible avenue of help. Remember, it's only for a season. It's not forever. Don't feel guilty or ashamed or embarrassed or anything like that because YOU are exactly the person who has a right to be helped. You can go back to school now! You're bettering yourself! And someday you'll have a much better career to show for it. I'm praying for you. You're a winner!

Good luck - new but old

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This type of job is definitely not what it used to be. I am holding down 2 jobs and working 60 hours a week just to make enough to pay bills and have a little extra. Luckily I have no small children as mine are grown, but I am recently divorced and had to move in with my mom just so I don't have to pay rent. I am trying to save enough to be able to put down a down payment and security and have a little extra put away in place of an emergency. Hang in there. I just recently got my second job with TTS and so far they seem to be a great company to work for. The work is abundant and overtime all the time at least on the account that I have been assigned to. Good luck

Thank you everyone for responding - OP

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I appreciate all of your positive posts. I knew that you all would understand as we are all MTs and we know the struggles that this line of work come with. Thank you all for encouraging me. I wish you all the best as well!!

Depressed - Old Pro

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I am glad you are getting some assistance and glad you are going back to school. Please don't think of yourself as "living off the government." You have worked hard, paid taxes, and situations like yours are why welfare was established. Please remember that what looks bleak right now will not last forever. It sounds like you are going in the right direction. I wish you were here--I would make you a nice cup of hot chocolate and we could just chat. Know that I am keeping you in my thoughts. Be kind to yourself!

Been there, survived it, and you will too. - Bless you.

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It happened to me twice in my life. I found a new job to pay the bills, learned a new career, moved to it, and I've done well.

The challenges we experience in life are there so that we can learn and grow. They may be upsetting, but I believe they are gifts from above. This gift is telling you that you should be doing something else now. For whatever reason, it is time to move ahead.

I also believe that the higher power sending those gifts sometimes needs us to do something for someone. We are put into position to do that well in advance. This is often something very important for that person, but so inconsequential to us that we may miss its significance.

I think you have an opportunity to go in a different direction, to grow, to learn, and quite possibly to change someone else's life if you let the spirit work through you.

Just a thought, but perhaps one thing to learn is how to accept the help others are providing you now. It is ok to need help. You have helped others, now it is your turn to be helped. It is ok to be humbled.

15 years of experience, and i'm in the same boat - MT

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15 years of experience as a medical transcriptionist, and the same has happened to me. I never went to college as I was happy with what medical transcription paid back then, and I trained for MT while still in high school at a technical school program. When my hospital started outsourcing, I went to work at home in 2004. That was awesome, too, and paid really well until, well everyone knows what happened to this career. I'm going to school to be a surgical tech in February. I don't know how I'm going to manage to work full-time and go to school, but I'll find a way. I'm hoping there will be work left for me by the time I get home from school because we often run out. I might have to find an outside job while starting school, too. Good luck to you in your new career.

I am too - down but not out

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I am too and like you, I sit in front of my computer 50 hours a week only to get near to no work. I used to make anywhere from 65k to 110k a year, now, I would make more money at McDonalds. Sad part about it is, I LOVE my career. Been in it for 19 years and I can't even begin to think of what else I may want to do for a career. If I wasn't 40, I would go for nursing. but...

out of work too - msjane

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i totally understand. have recently been let go after working for same clinic since january 1994, having been replaced by a machine. do what you need to do but don't give up. finishing nurse school would be a good thing for you to do, pay is good and so far nurses cannot be replaced by a computer system. you go girl!

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