My Autobiography: David Balleza K(C)atague: Pains in Cashing Out My Wife's Small Retirement Fund

Friday, July 25, 2014

Pains in Cashing Out My Wife's Small Retirement Fund

My wife has Parkinson's Disease and has a hard time communicating via telephone. As her primary care giver I am responsible not only for her physical needs but also her financial obligations and investments specifically her retirement benefits as a retired visiting Nurse here in Northern California.

This article chronicles my experience in trying to cash out a small amount of her retirement funds from a well-known visiting nurse organization here in Northern California. For the sake of security I will not mentioned the actual name of this organization, but just called it ST. ST does not have a local office that one can personally submit the paper work required for my wife's cash distribution.

On middle of June, I received a note from my wife's investment company (FI) asking for additional information and an update of our address etc.... This triggers my wife's memory that she had a small amount of retirement fund (a little more than $500) left from her former employer (AB) when she retired in 1994. AB no longer exists because it was acquired by ST several years ago. Thus ST should have all the paper work that I will need to cash out this small amount that my wife has almost completely forgotten.

Last July 15, I called ST ( human resources and the retirement section) for the initial inquiry regarding my wife's account. The person (PA) in the benefits section asked for my wife's employee number and I said she has retired a few years ago from AB . PA asked me to hold while she searched in their data base for my wife's name. She was not able to locate it. Then she asked for my wife's SS and again my wife according to their data base does not exists. I requested to talk to PA supervisor She refused to let me talk to her supervisor until she talks to my wife. Luckily my wife was besides me and she was able to talk to PA. PA then let me talk to her supervisor (JA). I told JA perhaps my wife's file could be under the investment company (FI). After about 5 minutes of holding, supervisor JA found my wife's file. There was minimum amount of information, but my wife's starting and termination date was on file and there was Plan number assigned but there is no employee number. JA said there is nothing that ST can do right now, but I should called the investment company FI. This was about 4PM, so I decided not to call FI that day.

The next day I called FI and after talking to a representative, he refused to talk to me unless he can talk to my wife first. My wife at this time was not feeling well, so I told him I will call tomorrow. The next day I called FI and a more understanding representative ( WW) entertained my request when I informed him of my wife's problem talking to the telephone. However, he was satisfied when I gave him the plan number, date of hire and termination from AB and my wife's SS. WW requested me to hold while he checked what form and procedure will be needed for the cash distribution of an account that was so old, it was almost lost in the paper work fiasco. After 10 minutes WW informed he found the right form and he will mail it to me. I should receive the form in 4 to 5 working days.

July 18th:, I receive the four-page form with a self-addressed envelop with a note that ST should approved this before I return it to FI. I called ST and behold the person I talk to again can not find my wife's account. I requested to talk to supervisor JA, but she is gone for the day. I was told to call the next day.

July 22: I called ST and another person answered me( NA). The first few minutes I was asked for my employee number. I said I have none since I( my wife) retired in 1994. The usual question of asking my wife's name and her SS started again. After a few minutes NA found my wife's file and asked me of how she can helped. I told her I have received the form from FI but there is an item that ST has to approved it. She said I could FAX the properly filled form or send it via E-mail as an attachment after I scan it. Since I have a scanner I decided to send it via e-mail. I asked for ST E-mail. The E-mail address sXXXXLLL@ST.org. XXXX are four numbers and LLL are letters. I asked if there is a person I could send as ATTENTION of, but NA said no.

I waited for a couple of days to call ST. When I talked to a representative from ST named DE, I found out I sent it to the wrong e-mail, so ST has not received the cash distribution form from FI investment. DE gave me the correct e-mail and for my additional security gave me a FAX number. I resend the form that same day.

The next day I received a call from ST from a person named SE. SE informed they got the form and need a copy of my wife's driver license to verify her signature. I told her my wife no longer drives and has no driver license but has her senior ID card. SE said the senior card will suffice.

July 24, I called ST today. The person who answered my call is again a new person.( AP). I requested to be connected to either SE or JA who seemed to have no trouble finding my wife's file. Neither SE or JA is available, so AP asked me if she can help. Again the same standard routine, my wife's name her SS, her plan number, her employee number. I asked AP that all I want to know is if ST has received my wife's Senior ID card. After a few minutes AP said they have. So I asked the obvious question when will I hear from ST or FI. She said perhaps another 10 working days. ST will take care of sending the form to FI.

I will be anxiously waiting the next 10 working days for the check. Is this trouble worth the $1000 I will be expecting in the mail. Indeed as a retiree with a fixed income, any amount coming is welcome.

Note I can not believe that a large organization such as ST, does not have an office that one can submit in person paper work related to retirement benefits for its thousands of employees here in Norther California. I was told there are no local offices for personnel activities because all personnel activities are now centralized, so all business is done on line.

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Highlights of My Professional Career

In my more than 40 years of professional career, I have experienced both working rank and file, as well as supervising the work of subordinates. I have worked in four private firms and the Federal Government, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where I retired. I enjoyed the challenges and difficulties of both types of job situations. This is the highlights of my work experience story.

My first job after completing my doctorate degree was a Chemist for Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation, a German conglomerate. I worked for the analytical chemistry department comprised of about fifty people; half that number was either chemists or biologists. My specific task was to develop analytical methods for the detection of pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. I worked on my own, similar to six other bench chemists, and we all reported to the same supervisor.

The firm sponsored my visa conversion from a student to a permanent resident, and I was able to legally work and reside in the United States with my family. The company generously took care of its employees. At the end of each successful year, everyone received a 13th month salary bonus. The employees and their families celebrated wonderful annual Christmas parties in a downtown Kansas City hotel, with dancing and free drinks for the whole night.

Inasmuch as I enjoyed and loved working for Chemagro for five years, I found a new job which offered a substantially higher pay. Due to my exemplary work performance, my supervisor preferred and lobbied for me to stay with the company. I had to turn him down because they could not match the package presented by my new employer. It was also a chance for me and my family to move and live in the US west coast, where the mild winter climate is bearable compared to the Midwest.

My next job was at the agricultural research division of Shell Development Company in Modesto, California. I was a Research Chemist, and again I worked individually, same as five other chemists who all reported to a supervisor. My specific duty was similar to my previous job. I worked for them for five years, until the company decided to get out of the pesticide business. They closed their research facility affecting the jobs of more than 200 employees.

My third industrial job was with the agricultural research division of Stauffer chemical company, located in Richmond, California. I was a Senior Research Chemist doing the same project as my two previous jobs. I worked for twelve continuous years for the company, with outstanding annual job performance. I became a Principal Research Chemist, the highest attainable non-supervisory position.

One day in 1986, my supervisor informed me that my job had been eliminated, and I had one day to vacate the facility. It was the most dreadful lay off experience in my life. I felt anger, sadness and humiliation to be dismissed from work with one day notice, after all the years of hard work invested for the company. This was an unforgettable incident and was the gloomiest point in my professional career.
The company terminated sixty research employees, who were upset of the bad news.

One of the chemists was distressed and expressed his outrageous anger by threatening the company and its workers. He told his supervisor of his intention to bomb and burn down the laboratory. He was immediately escorted by the security staff out of the building and into his car. He was informed to leave behind his personal belongings; they will be mailed to his residence. He was warned never to show up again near the company premises or risk getting arrested.

My supervisor was kind and allowed me to take my time to pack up my belongings. It took me two days to clear up my workplace, after toiling for a long period in the same jobsite. We were provided clerical help and office space, in preparation to look for another job, such as updating our resumes, and using the computer and copy machine. We were given six weeks of separation pay plus benefits.

Fortunately, with the help of a friend who is a Church parishioner, I found another job thirty days after leaving Stauffer chemical company. He hired me as a senior research chemist and as a group leader with two technicians to supervise. It was in the same field as my expertise in my previous three jobs spanning the last twenty one years. My new employer was Chevron Chemical Company, and which was located in the same area as my former employer.

This job gave me the introduction and basic knowledge of managing the work of subordinates. I worked for Chevron Company for four and a half years. The company decided to consolidate their research facilities in Texas, and lay off all its research employees. This time I had enough distress and agony from working, and eventually getting laid off from several private companies. To avoid going through any more miserable layoffs, I made a vow that I would never again work for a private company.

In my work experiences, there were noticeable and unavoidable jobsite occurrences. One can never miss the office romantic relationships between co-workers, both illicit and permitted. Though it was frowned upon, there was a boss and staff relationship, which was used as a ploy to get ahead in the company. Some relationships had chemistry, no pun intended, but some never worked out. Oftentimes, there was a sense of distrust among bench chemists for some workers who unjustly obtained preferred work assignments.

Some employees resorted to bribing superiors to get special privileges, such as being able to attend choice conferences and meetings in exciting venues or locations. Likewise, politics was always present at the worksites. It was during an era when various forms of harassment, equal opportunity and discrimination laws were not yet enforced in the workplace. Occasionally, an unexpected chemical explosion happens in a laboratory setting, where luckily no one got seriously hurt.

In the three private companies I worked for, I was able to publish scientific journals for some of the research studies and analytical methods which I developed for the respective companies of Chemagro, Shell Development and Stauffer.

After deciding and making a vow to avoid working in the private sector, I made my new goal which was either to work for the state of California, or the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Four months after I lost my job in Chevron, I was lucky and joyful to be hired by the Food and Drug Administration as a review chemist in the fall of 1990.

In 1994 I was promoted as an Expert Research Chemist with a GS-14 rating. My expertise was on Anti-malarial and Anti-parasitic drug products. In 1997, I was again deservingly promoted to Chemistry team leader, supervising the work of six Chemistry reviewers including five with doctorate degrees.

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs.

It was part of my responsibility to give advice, instruct and promote high morale and teamwork in my group. My work in the FDA is confidential, until the drug patent on the products I worked on has expired. There are manufacturing supplements that I have approved that are now open for the public in the Internet.

In 1998, I won the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award. The citation reads, “For outstanding accomplishments in fostering the objectives of the EEO Program by hiring minorities and encouraging their professional growth while providing excellent leadership.” I have received numerous certificates of appreciation, awards in leadership and communications, commendation for teamwork and excellence in the accomplishment of the FDA mission. I have also received several letters of appreciation from private industry for my review work.

There are many good things working as rank and file while enjoying doing one’s job individually. It is a humbling, satisfying and productive experience, if one can work in harmony with one’s immediate supervisor. Working individually develops one’s skills in goal setting and scheduling. But in general, the financial rewards are less than a person who has supervisory responsibilities.

Managing the work of others has its challenges. Moreover, it develops one’s skill in handling and developing people, and the compensation rewards and benefits are better. Due to additional duties, responsibilities and leadership, supervisory work can be more stressful than working as a subordinate. However, supervisory jobs give one more personal growth and satisfaction, based on my personal experience. My work in FDA as a team leader managing the work of six scientists had been the happiest and rewarding work experience in my career in Chemistry. You might also like:

Friday, July 25, 2014

Pains in Cashing Out My Wife's Small Retirement Fund

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