bigglesworth

Just a moan.
Letter arrived from CPAM this morning, saying my S 1 had run out and not to use the Carte vitale.
I took the new one into them 6 weeks ago. I even got a receipt this time.
This has happened EVERY year since we arrived in 2010. Rang them, to be told again, they have no record.
So I have to drive an hour each way and queue for two hours AGAIN. Fortunately, I photocopied it.



Any ideas?

dennerlymum

grit your teeth and keep smiling - they sem to take pleasure in it!

I got double reimbursed for something this year - very snotty letter arrived as if I should have known - it wasnt for much!

Chatter Static

If they get forwarded to the international team at Nantes you'll be in for a long wait slowest and most useless dept within cpam. It took them 9 months to deal with our move. They then sent the new CV too a different house in the village.

bigglesworth

Yes, I had that four years ago. Just hoping it will be a bitquicker now

WATTO.CW

From 1997 to 2004 I lived and worked in France. I've now moved back as I've retired. I went along to my local CPAM office and asked to have my green card re-activated. The lady said I needed an S1 form. I duly phoned Newcastle to be told they wouldn't give me one since I had worked previously in France. I was France's responsibility not theirs. I do not feel I want to be used as a political football being bounced between the NHS and the French.

bigglesworth

Watto, are you retired of your own volition or are you of State Pension Age?

If you have taken what is euphemistically called early retirement, then as of March or April this year, DWP or HMRC have withdrawn the entitlement to an S1 giving up to two years cover. You would need private cover.

If the latter, you will get a Carte Vitale, through Newcastle as a State Pensioner - although some say it can take months or even years. Certainly in my experience they are deliberately "economical with the truth". In my case, despite having organised my retirement date explicitly on their advice, they used the transfer of responsibility for payment of the S1 from HMRC (when you are working) to DWP, (when you have stopped) to reduce my cover by four months to 20 months, leaving me with no choice but to take private cover.

Be very careful to get everything in writing from them, confirm every phone call in writing too.

Im_and_Er

Having worked in France is not the point, where you last worked and paid social security is.

Did you work in UK after you left France and is so for how long and when ?

Also what is your age ?

EuroTrash

As said - the first thing to establish is which your 'competent state' is, which is normally the country where you last worked and paid contributions.

If you last worked and paid contributions in the UK, they are your 'competent state' and will fund your healthcare provided that you meet their eligibility criteria, for instance if you're retired and in receipt of an old age pension paid by the UK.

If you last worked and paid contributions in France, France is your 'competent state' and you'll need to meet their criteria to be eligible for social security. Unfortunately if you left ten years ago and haven't contributed or lived here since, and aren't in receipt of an old age pension paid by France, I imagine that any social security rights you had have expired long since and you've dropped off the system.

If you can't meet either country's criteria at the moment I think you'll have to start from scratch, same as any other expat who can't get an S1 - take out private health insurance for 3 months, then when you can prove you've been here for three months with health insurance in place you can apply again to CPAM, jump through the hoops and hope that you're accepted into the system. The problem is that you're only automatically entitled to healthcare throughout the EU if you're either working, or in receipt of an old age pension. Otherwise there are conditions attached.