Brad Reid's unemployment was brief, but the frustration it invoked lasted much longer.
The high school English teacher was laid off by District 201 in June, then reinstated in August.
When he got his pink slip, the Morton Grove resident had no idea he'd be hired back so quickly, so he did what any newly-jobless worker would do: He applied for unemployment insurance.
It was not, he said, a pleasant experience.
On his first trip to the unemployment office, he spent hours waiting in line, only to be told by an Illinois Department of Employment Security employee he was not eligible for benefits, Reid said.
Several weeks later, an IDES worker called him to say the department had goofed, and he was, in fact, entitled to benefits.
Reid said he returned to the unemployment office, spent another three hours in line, and was told to resubmit his documents.
When he still hadn't received a payment weeks later, Reid said he visited the office a third time. On that trip, a state employee told him he was entitled to $1,155 — and that the money had already been placed on an IDES-issued debit card.
Reid said he never received the card.
In the months that followed, Reid said he called IDES repeatedly but could not reach a human being.
Worried the money was lost, Reid e-mailed What's Your Problem?
"Somebody messed up something along the way," he said. "Really, that money is owed to me."
Problem Partner Kristin Samuelson called IDES spokesman Greg Rivara, who promised to look into Reid's complaint.
Rivara said he could not talk about Reid's case, citing federal privacy laws, but within days, the $1,155 was deposited into Reid's bank account.
What happened to the debit card that IDES told Reid it had sent him months earlier is unclear. Records show the card was activated but the funds were never used.
Rivara said it is unlikely for an IDES debit card to be stolen and activated.
"If someone were to take a debit card, there is not enough information in that mailing to activate that card," he said.
Still, Rivara said, "it certainly is unusual for someone to activate a card and then not spend the money on it."
Reid said the money was deposited in his bank account Tuesday.
"It was probably one of the biggest struggles I've ever faced with a government agency," he said. "The amount of hassle I went through was unreal."
Reid said he's happy to have finally gotten his money, and even happier he is gainfully employed.
He said an IDES employee called him Monday and was gracious and helpful, even offering a direct phone number to call if the money did not arrive in his bank account promptly.
"I was very pleased with my final impression of them," Reid said. "I just hope I never have to deal with them again."