12/14/15 – An East Bay widow whose husband died after he sustained a serious injury at work is fighting for tens of thousands of dollars in benefits she believes the government owes her.
Twice Larnie Macasieb filed claims with the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs after her husband Sam died. Twice the office denied her petitions, even though her husband suffered a major injury during his shift at an Oakland postal facility. Macasieb plans to file another appeal next year.
Macasieb’s attorneys say the United States Postal Service has the burden of proving her husband’s injuries were not work-related. But the government ruled, because no one saw what happened, there is no way to know how Macasieb’s husband sustained his injury. Read more
I am playing the same game!!! I am a widower. Tina McCallister passed away August 10, 2015. Just a few short weeks ago she received a letter from the TSP WELCOMING HER BACK INTO THE TSP!!! SHE HAS AN ACCOUNT WITH ALL THE INFORMATION NECESSARY TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE ACCOUNT!!! I was supposed to have a death benefit put into a checking account over the course of three years. I GOT A LETTER STATING MY DEATH BENEFIT WAS INVESTED INTO A L FUND 2030 THROUGH THE TSP!!! I called HRSSC THREE TIMES regarding this matter. I have been told it couldn’t happen and my paperwork states it was to be deposited into an account. The lady I spoke with at the TSP call center was VERY RUDE, CONDESCENDING, BASICALLY TOLD ME I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT!!! I told her that when Tina passed away I had to fill out a stack of paperwork from the HRSSC. Part of that paperwork was TSP forms and I remembered a TSP form T-17. SHE, IN A RATHER RUDE TONE, TOLD ME THERE WAS NO WAY I FILLED OUT ANY SUCH FORMS, THE OPM AND THE TSP DON’T EVER TALK TO EACH OTHER, THEY ARE SEPARATE ENTITIES, AND SHE WAS DONE TALKING TO ME!!! As I read VERBATUM from my copies of the HRSSC paperwork I filled out after Tina’s death, SHE TOLD ME THERE WAS NO WAY I FILLED OUT A TSP FORM!!! SHE TOLD ME SHE HAD NO IDEA WHERE I GOT MY INFORMATION BUT I WAS WRONG!!!!! SHE TOLD ME ME SHE WAS DONE TALKING TO ME AND WAS HANGING UP!!! After THAT conversation, I called HRSSC about the whole thing. Beverly Harper’s response, WHICH I HAVE RECORDED THROUGH THE VOICEMAIL SHE LEFT, says there is no way this could happen. SO… WHY IS IT I HAVE A LETTER WELCOMING A DECEASED EMPLOYEE BACK INTO THE TSP? AND WHY IS IT I HAVE A LETTER STATING MY DEATH BENEFIT WAS INVESTED IN A L FUND? I AM READY FOR AN ATTORNEY TO HANDLE THIS MATTER!!!