The first thing about my new job was that it was no cost to cover myself however to cover my family it would have been more than half of my paycheck. I would have been basically working for the benefits. I ended up covering only myself and my stepdaughter. My wife, who happens to have a seizure disorder among other recurring illnesses, went uncovered for the 5 years that I worked there. In those years there were many trips to the ER and many hospital stays for my wife. Since I made ‘too much money’ she was ineligible to be treated at the free clinic or receive any kind of government assistance.
It was at this job that I was first introduced to PTO time which stands for personal time off. This combined paid sick time and paid vacation time all into one. This time had to be accrued over the year as well. The most I could get in my five years was 10 days. Between my wife’s condition and some issues of my own, these days were used more for sick time than they were for vacation.
In 2009, after 5 years with them, I was laid off.
The Trench Reynolds Report 