Honestly this reminds me of a guy at my old place who put "hosted a networking event" on his resume for a happy hour he didn't even plan. Showed up late too. Some people just love taking credit for stuff that happens near them.

Doesn't it feel like the outline is the thing keeping you stuck sometimes? I've been there too, and honestly just letting the scene be bad for 20 minutes beats staring at a perfect plan for 3 days.

Skip the reapply route and file the hearing, because reapplying doesn't get your $291 back and the gap just grows while they process a whole new case. The hearing is free and you can do it by phone, and the county has to prove they actually tried to call you, which they can't do if there's no call log. Worst case you lose a few weeks, best case you get the back pay and a paper trail for next time they pull this.