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EHIC - from 1 may 2010


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Hi

My parents are in their 70's and applied for the French version which lasts a year and have got that.

This week they got a letter from the UK saying that these now have to be issued by the country paying their pension ie the UK and they need to send off the form.

Does anyone know any more about this - do they have to get their european travel card now from the UK and how long will it last.

They live in France and have done for three years now and have a card vitale.

Thanks for your help.
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For the moment chaos reigns.

Apart from several silly suggestions ("put your name on your wife's form", or "apply for your own E form") no one on the 'phone number given knows.

They will speak to Carol Shotton's department when they arrive this morning and will either ring back or send an email.

We have to go out soon so I'll post again when a reply is received.

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Hi

My husband is piggybacking on to my (retirement) E121 and I just rang the number on the letter to ask for an additional form for him as I only received one for me.  They obviously don't have a clue who is doing what - I spoke to several people.  I was simply assured that "I'm sure they will send out forms for dependants but I don't know who is sending them out".  I have decided to leave it for a week or two and see if one turns up in the post - we do have quite a while before the change actually takes effect.

If nothing arrives by mid-Feb I'll start again!

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[quote user="nounours"]

 So sorry Coops don't agree that the wording is not a problem, it is.  [/quote]I did not explain myself too well then, I guess.  Of course the wording isn't great.  All I meant was that I suggest nobody gets his/her knickers in a twist over the wording at this stage as clearly it doesn't explain the situation very well.  However, I say again, the principal of the legislation is simple - he who pays for your healthcare now- well from 1/5/10 anyway - provides your EHIC/CEAM.

As for any civil servant putting in any overtime to solve this, ANO - in our dreams!  I can foresee many having to travel without the card and re-claim in retrospect as never before has a lack of preparation on the part of a civil servant, lead them to put in any extra time to make good their errors.

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[quote user="cooperlola"][quote user="nounours"]

 So sorry Coops don't agree that the wording is not a problem, it is.  [/quote]I did not explain myself too well then, I guess.  Of course the wording isn't great.  All I meant was that I suggest nobody gets his/her knickers in a twist over the wording at this stage as clearly it doesn't explain the situation very well.  However, I say again, the principal of the legislation is simple - he who pays for your healthcare now- well from 1/5/10 anyway - provides your EHIC/CEAM.

As for any civil servant putting in any overtime to solve this, ANO - in our dreams!  I can foresee many having to travel without the card and re-claim in retrospect as never before has a lack of preparation on the part of a civil servant, lead them to put in any extra time to make good their errors.

[/quote]

Where did that quote come from Coops?  The post containing it seems to have vanished, does that often happen if you are a new poster?.[:$]

You are of course right, it will sort itself it, even if us piggybackers have to have a French EHIC card the charges will eventually go back to the UK via the French CPAM, the EHIC is afer all only an ID card to show that your medical costs will be covered by somebody! AS I said in the post you quote from before it vanished, sense says that we will receive an EHIC from the UK, but will sense prevail?

 Edit post is still there, must go to specsavers en France of course.[:$] 

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I too like everyone else have recieved THE letter, as I wasn't sure what it was all about, I rang the number and was told that as soon as I recieve my card, I won't need to use my carte vitale anymore, can this be right, or did I speak to one of the cleaners, instead of someone with any know how.

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[quote user="Belle"]I too like everyone else have recieved THE letter, as I wasn't sure what it was all about, I rang the number and was told that as soon as I recieve my card, I won't need to use my carte vitale anymore, can this be right, or did I speak to one of the cleaners, instead of someone with any know how.
[/quote]

One of the cleaners.[:-))]  As you probably already know the CV and EHIC serve entirely different purposes, although thinking "outside of the box", why not use the CV as an EHIC whilst in the UK?

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Interestingly, I had to apply for a new one last year (I'd let my old one lapse when I was coming here, thinking that I would (at that time) get one from CEAM, but by the time I applied here, they were in the throws of changing, and I never got a card (I posted here about it), so I went to the UK last summer without one, deciding that if the worst came to the worst I would pay up and claim back later or at the best, if I needed medical help, they might never ask as I do sound very much English.

Fortunately, I didn't need it, but when I got back, for safety's sake I decided to apply for one not long before I changed from the E106 to E121 late last year, though still wondering whether it was worth it as I'd have to change again when I got my E121 (and then back again in May 2010).   As you remember it was finally decided that E106 holders got theirs from the UK at some point last year.  (Are you still following me ....?),   I applied for the EHIC, after checking with the UK office who should be supplying it (as such confusion had reigned even on this forum).  It came and is dated to expire in 2014.

Today, I received the standard letter you all seem to be getting (though OH hasn't, but then he's never applied for one since he left the UK), which means either they told me wrong last year (but they supplied it alright!) or (as I suspect) one hand doesn't know what the other is doing.

Are they sending letters to all people who have previously registered with an overseas address, without first checking if that person already has one???  (Yes, highly probable I hear someone say!)

But it looks as though I'm ok by some strange quirk of luck, but I do wish all of you the best of luck getting them.

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In a 'phone call from DWP they say that forms covering dependants (over 16 years) will be sent out in batches . At the present time they do not know when that will be.

When asked if that decision had been made today or was the original letter incorrectly worded, they couldn't say.

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The criteria for getting a letter is you are in receipt of a UK old age pension.  Previous possession of an EHIC, French or UK does not have any bearing on this issue.

  It would help if this thread was merged with the other one where Benjaamin has now ascertained that the plan is for follow up letters to be sent to all the dependents who at the moment piggyback on an OAP.  (That last bit brings a strange image to my mind[:$]. and we will also get our EHICs from the UK.

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[quote user="nounours"]

The criteria for getting a letter is you are in receipt of a UK old age pension. P[/quote]Nope - I think it is if you have an E121 for whatever reason. 

I wonder if they know the furore they caused by adding in 'children' to that letter instead of just saying 'dependants'?!

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[quote user="nounours"]As Benjamin has quite rightly pointed out, this EHIC issue has naff all to do with E121 forms, they are not mentioned in any form in the letter.  [/quote]It does have something to do with E121 forms as it is all E121 form-holders who have received it. 'Pension' is used in European social security legislation to mean state benefits other than the state pension, such as Long Term Incapacity Benefit - which also entitles you to an E121 form.  They simply put 'children' in the letter when they should have just referred to 'dependants'.  Perhaps whoever created the standard letter is only used to considering children as being dependant on parents and don't relate the term to an adult dependant?  Whatever - the forms for dependants will no doubt arrive eventually, as they say they will. 

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I am amazed at people's ability to read into the letter from DWP meanings which are just not there.

Given their previous record of telling porkies to previous DLA claimants ("sorry Sir/Madame but your records have been destroyed") and their obvious ommision of E121 dependants in this exercise which they have had plenty of time to plan for, I would go so far as to suggest that there are parts of DWP's management team who are not fit for purpose.

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Well, I've finally got the upgrade on my OCR software sorted so here is the actual letter.

[IMG]http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p211/Bugbear2/Pension1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p211/Bugbear2/Pension2.jpg[/IMG]

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