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21/10/2008, 10:42 Patmobile Joined on 23/08/2004 62 & 80 Posts 496 Renewal of Carte Vitale refused My wife and I have been in the CMU for 5 years.  I was working for a French company when we joined, but stopped working for them the following year and have lived on our own resources (private pensions from UK) ever since.  Neither of us qualify by age for a UK state pension, although both my wife and I will be entitled to full pensions on reaching qualifying ages of 60 and 65 respectively.  My wife will be 60 in July next year, I'll be 65 in 2013.   Our Cartes Vitales expire on 31 October so in July we went to our CPAM to arrange for renewal.  They have refused to renew the Cartes Vitales on the grounds that we can't produce any "justificatif" of retirement entitlement.  Presumably they mean state pension eligibility.  After sending us round the houses they now say they want to see an E121.  Presumably, we can't get one until July 2009.  Meanwhile we won't be covered from October 31. I believe we are entitled to remain in the CMU as we've been in it already for 5 years and our continuity of residence is not in doubt.  Any suggestions? Patrick             Report

21/10/2008, 10:49 Jotty Joined on 07/09/2008 Posts 103 Re: Renewal of Carte Vitale refused Surely if you were working for a company you wouldn't be in the CMU. You would be in the Régime général des travailleurs. Is this a source of confusion about how long you have been here?    Report

21/10/2008, 11:49 Cat Joined on 21/01/2005 ------- Forum Moderator ------- Lot Posts 4,366 Re: Renewal of Carte Vitale refused The FHI link for 5 year residence. Cathy Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.    Report

21/10/2008, 12:22 Boiling a frog Joined on 06/09/2004 Charente 16 Posts 893 Re: Renewal of Carte Vitale refused I do not quite understand. If you worked originally for a french coy you would not get health care via CMU .Having said that if you now do get health care via CMU do you not complete an application for CMU every year in August showing your revenue fiscal de reference(which you get having completed a French tax return) .CPAM should have sent one out to you in early August every year. It's no exaggeration to say that the undecideds could go one way or another George H W Bush 1988    Report

21/10/2008, 13:17 Will Joined on 22/09/2004 Sussex & 50 (Mortainais) Posts 5,721 Re: Renewal of Carte Vitale refused If, as you say, you have been French fiscal resident for five years, first through working and then as inactifs, you will surely have tax and/or social security documentation to support this. If you show this to your CPAM office, you should be able to remain covered. Don't get too bogged down in references to CMU. In this context it means 'couverture maladie universelle', which is the scheme that made access to the French health system available to everybody who was entitled to join, and, moreover, made it compulsory to join and contribute according to your income. Which body actually handled your health care is largely irrelevant. Neither is it necessary to have a carte vitale; as long as you have a social security number you can reclaim the standard percentage of health costs. Unfortunately some officials are not as well informed as they should be about the entitlement (or otherwise) of non-French nationals to health care. If you continue to meet resistance you can try calling one of the CPAM help lines. There is even an English speaking one for those who need it - although it was suffering a bit from the chocolate teapot syndome during the recent confusion, things have now been clearer for almost a year now so it should have correct and current information to hand.   Will intentionally blank signature http://www.vienormande.com    Report

21/10/2008, 23:13 Patmobile Joined on 23/08/2004 62 & 80 Posts 496 Re: Renewal of Carte Vitale refused  Will wrote: If, as you say, you have been French fiscal resident for five years, first through working and then as inactifs, you will surely have tax and/or social security documentation to support this. If you show this to your CPAM office, you should be able to remain covered. Thanks for a bit of calm reassurance.  I had heard of other people having problems, but when I read that anyone already in the scheme before November last year was automatically entitled to remain in it, I stopped reading any further healthcare topics on the forum and went into self-congratulatory mode.  No news is good news, after all.    Yes, naturally we have Avis d'Impot going back 5 years and also records of our Contributions Sociales.  The people at our local CPAM office have seen these and seem not the slightest bit interested in them.  Will wrote: Neither is it necessary to have a carte vitale; as long as you have a social security number you can reclaim the standard percentage of health costs. Really?  That's great, but how?  If I have to pay the full amount for a visit to the doctor or a prescription, how do I put in a claim without a Carte Vitale or a valid attestation?  Does it really work if you just put your social security number on the claim form?  Will wrote: Unfortunately some officials are not as well informed as they should be about the entitlement (or otherwise) of non-French nationals to health care. If you continue to meet resistance you can try calling one of the CPAM help lines. There is even an English speaking one for those who need it - although it was suffering a bit from the chocolate teapot syndome during the recent confusion, things have now been clearer for almost a year now so it should have correct and current information to hand. You can say that again.  The people at our local CPAM office seem not very bright and they don't even agree with each other most of the time.  I did know about the helpline, but suspected it would just be manned by the same people who have already been so useless.    I suppose we could just put the whole thing on the back burner until my wife becomes entitled to her UK Pension in the middle of next year.  One problem with that is, as I understand it, that we would technically become illegal immigrants unless we took out comprehensive private healthcare insurance in the interim.   And anyway, I don't want to let this go now.  I am entitled and I want what I'm entitled to.  It's back to the CPAM office tomorrow to make a nuisance of myself again.  Perhaps that's all they understand. Patrick     Report

21/10/2008, 23:43 Will Joined on 22/09/2004 Sussex & 50 (Mortainais) Posts 5,721 Re: Renewal of Carte Vitale refused The procedure for reclaiming without a carte vitale is simple. You pay the doctor, pharmacy, or whoever, and make sure you get a 'feuille de soins' i.e. the receipt, usually brown in colour although I have seen green ones. You fill in the spaces on the back with your name, social security number etc. Your social security number will still be current in view of the fact that you qualify for health care through residence. Send the form to your medical caisse (CPAM for most people) and the reimbursement will be paid into your nominated bank account. If claiming for medicines, make sure the vignettes (stickers) are attached to the feuille de soins, the pharmacist should do that, and enclose a copy of the prescription. If your CPAM is still being awkward you may have to wait for reimbursement a bit longer, and it's a very good idea to take copies of everything just in case. Will intentionally blank signature http://www.vienormande.com    Report

23/10/2008, 15:08 gosub Joined on 15/01/2008 North of 47 Posts 622 Re: Renewal of Carte Vitale refused It seems you have two strings to your bow, 1. resident in France for 5 years and 2. you were in the CMU system in November 2007. You can not now be refused entry into CPAM except in extreme circumstances. You didn't answer B.A.F.'s question did you complete this years CPAM renewal form? Les    Report

23/10/2008, 15:59 Cat Joined on 21/01/2005 ------- Forum Moderator ------- Lot Posts 4,366 Re: Renewal of Carte Vitale refused  Cat wrote: The FHI link for 5 year residence. IS THAT BETTER RON??? Cathy Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.    Report

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