Received a letter from CPAM today, has anyone else had one similar?

[mogs]

We have received a letter from CPAM today and I just wondered if it is another standard letter being sent to everyone.

From what I can make out of the translation I think they are saying that during rhe summer we will receive a letter asking us to provide income for the year of 2007 so they can work out our cotisations for 2009.

Part of the letter says "je vous informe que votre droit a la CMU de residence n'est desormais plus limite au 31/03/08 CMUR et reste ouvert sauf si votre situation admiistrative se modifie".

Another bit of the letter, which I am not sure I understand says "La prise en compte de ces nouvelles donnees necessite une actualisation de votre carte vitale et/ou selon les cas, des cartes vitale personnelles de vos ayants droit des maintenant.   Pour ce faire, des equipements sont disponibles dans les pharmacies, les CPAM, dans certains laboratoires d'analyses medicales et etablissements de sante (hopitaux, cliniques)."

Is this saying that our cartes vitales won't be accepted in pharmacies, clinics, hospitals etc. while this new "arrangement" takes place?

Thanks for your help, has anyone else had one of these?

[Clair]

Part of the letter says "je vous informe que votre droit a la CMU de residence n'est desormais plus limite au 31/03/08 CMUR et reste ouvert sauf si votre situation admiistrative se modifie".

... to let you know that your access to CMU is no longer ending on 31/03/08 but will remain open except if your administrative situation changes.

Another bit of the letter, which I am not sure I understand says "La prise en compte de ces nouvelles donnees necessite une actualisation de votre carte vitale et/ou selon les cas, des cartes vitale personnelles de vos ayants droit des maintenant.   Pour ce faire, des equipements sont disponibles dans les pharmacies, les CPAM, dans certains laboratoires d'analyses medicales et etablissements de sante (hopitaux, cliniques)."

This new information requires you to update your CV and possibly those of your dependents. You can do so at pharmacies, CPAM, some medical labs and hospitals.

[mogs]

Thanks Clair you are a gem!   Our administrative situation has changed because this letter has come from our old CPAM in Dept 22, and we are sending bits and pieces off to our new CPAM in Dept 24 I am assuming that it will be ok.

To update our CV, we just go to CPAM and put the card into the machine, is that correct?

[Clair]

[quote user="mogs"]To update our CV, we just go to CPAM and put the card into the machine, is that correct?[/quote]

That's right. Most pharmacies have a small machine (like the payement card gizmo at the supermarkets) and you can update your CV from that too.

[lightning]

We got our letter today from Perigueux, in English, restoring our rights to the CMU. It is the only time that we have got a letter in English from any French organisation and may be the last! The contents of the letter are exactly as Clair translated, although our "translation" looked like a machine translation. All the same, it was nice to be informed in our mother tongue  from the Director of our CPAM.

[Fleur]

Yes, we too received a letter in English, confirming that our rights to CMU are to be continued until September 30th 2008.

The extra care taken to send our confirmation in English is very much appreciated in this household.  Thank you Perigueux.

A very welcome outcome and we can now think about our future here.

A great big thank you to all at FHI, you've kept us up to date throughout.

We hope that all others with healthcare concerns soon have their minds put at rest soon too.

Sante x 

 

 

[cooperlola]

I assume like this one?:

"Madam/Mister

We notified yourself a right end to the basic CMU to March 31st 2008.

A ministerial decision went back over the previously stopped disposals and reestablishes you in your previous rights, except opposite opinion on your part.

Consequently we will proceed to update your rights until September 30th 2008.  Beyond this date, right renewal to the basic CMU will be reconsidered according to the procedure that was in force the preceeding years.

A new notification of contribution will have adressed you soon.

Your right certificate will reach you by separated mail, but in the expectation I invite you to update your Vital card with our points of welcome or in an officine.

We ask you to accept Madam, Mister, the assurance of our distinguished consideration.

The Director."

 

I concur - a Babelfish special!  But none the less welcome for that.

[Fleur]

Your assumption is absolutely correct cooperola

However the translation was made, it reads well to us  :-)

And they didn't need to make the effort to translate it at all, did they?

[mogs]

Following on from other posts since my original post, I think my letter is a bit different.   It doesn't mention anything about rights up until 30 Sept 08, it mentions something about how we will receive by post after the summer 2008, inviting us to declare our resources for the year 2007 in order to maintain our "CMU de residence" and to calculate our eventual cotisation for the period 1/10/08 to 30/09/09.

I am just so reassured that it looks like we will be ok, but that doesn't take away the fact that there are others who must still be very worried and I hope that their situation will be resolved sooner rather than later.

Like others, I wish to thank FHI for all their hard work at keeping us informed.

[cooperlola]

Hope I get mine soon.  The o/h is convinced we'll be chucked out because I'm a s**t stirer!

Glad things are finally getting sorted for so many.  As per my post elsewhere, please keep us informed if you are still having problems.  There seem to be far fewer now.[:)]

[rothrugby]

Got my letter from Angouleme as well & I'm nearly as much of a s**t stirer as cooperlola.

[trémargatois]

On the subject of being an "agitator"!

I am a candidate for the conseil municipale in my little commune and was surprised/shocked that there were English residents not registered to vote in the municipal and European elections, as is, of course, your right as a French resident.  Having today finally got confirmation of my acceptance into CMU (and breathed a sigh of relief) the whole episode has made me think and was one of the reasons for "putting up" as a counsellor.  It's too late of course for these elections but you will be there for the next European elections so go to the Mairie and register to vote, you only have to do it the once not every year as in the UK.  Our mayor here told me it was common for English people not to register and perhaps this can contribute to a belief that we don't want to be involved.  None of this is a substitute for campaigning, of course, but every little helps.

 

 

[gpnoel]

As early retired CMU-B affiliates living in Hautes Pyrenees (dept 65), we received a similar letter yesterday confirming continuation of our affiliation after 31 March. 

Because we hold an attestation (and all re-imbursements have continued to be made) and considered the E106 ers were more in need of CPAM time, we had not made any contact with our CPAM about continuation of cover - so the letter we received was entirely unsolicited.  This strongly suggests that our prefecture town CPAM in Tarbes is now working its way through all relevant Hautes Pyrenees-registered early retirees informing them of the continuation of their cover; (this would seem to mirror other posters' experiences as well).

Great news indeed and well done to everyone who had any hand in this outcome. 

GPNoel

[Graham & Brenda]

rothrugby, have sent you a pm

[cooperlola]

Tremargatois, I do so agree - and this is a point we have made on our website (as well as including all the details about how to vote etc).  During the recent problems, three of my own French MEPs were incredibly helpful - writing personal letters to the health minister on our behalf and lobbying in Europe.  Knowing that I can vote for them surely helped!  They will certainly be able to add my little cross on the ballot paper when the European elections come along, which is more than I can say for my UK representatives who did absolutely NOTHING!

[Ian Rough]

We have been here since June 2005 not working and are early retirees

and our E106 expired Jan 2007 We do receive around £6,000 P.A. PAYE plus savings interest from The UK which was declared on our French Tax return. The CPAM asked for our Carte Vitales

back last year, and then subsequently returned them saying they were

valid till end March 2008.  We haven't been in to the CPAM yet to sort

out next steps.  But we have now received a letter and bills from the

URSSAF, Union de Recouvrement des Cotisations de Securite Sociale et

D'Allocation Familiales asking for payments for 2007.  Has anyone else

received this and does anyone know if it is to do with CMU

contributions?

[suein56]

[quote user="Ian Rough"] But we have now received a letter and bills from the URSSAF, Union de Recouvrement des Cotisations de Securite Sociale et D'Allocation Familiales asking for payments for 2007.  Has anyone else received this and does anyone know if it is to do with CMU contributions? [/quote]

You pay the charges for your health care cover to URSSAF as they are the collecting agency for your local CPAM office who monitor your CMU cover. The bills are usually sent quarterly - in my area anyway - and they inform you annually what you charges will be for the year depending on your tax declaration.

Sue

[mogs]

We found last year that we made the 2nd trimestre and 3rd trimestre payments and these were exactly the same amounts, but the 4th trimestre payment was more than double the other two.

Does it normally work like this?   We thought the years payment would be divided equally so were a bit surprised by the higher payment request.

[Benjamin]

I think that the fourth quarter payment is the balancing one after your actual tax return for the preceeding year has been received and processed during the summer months. Until then the payment is an estimate based on your tax return from the year before that.

[Ron Avery]

Not sure about that Benjamin, that does happen with income tax  but not usually URSSAF payments, you are notified of the amounts by URSSAF and that is what you pay for the year.

What did happen to many people in 2006/7 was that the 3rd payment was not taken in December 2006 and that was taken together with the 4th one in March/ April 2007 which is what mogs may be referring to.  However if they thought it was a mistake they should have contacted URSSAF or the CPAM English speaking help line for advice at the time.  It looks like this year they might be a bit stricter about proof of earnings being only via French tax returns for continuing members and about time too.

[cooperlola]

Well, I finally got my letter today.   You would not have known anything had been amiss, if you had not known from the forum and other sources - it's just a standard letter telling us the annual amount based on our RFR.  This will be our first full year, but the letter says the payments will be taken quarterly from 1.10.07.  This is not a surprise as we haven't been charged since the problems started, but how does this work Ron?  I take it this will be adjusted once the '07 tax returns are in - is that right?

[antoinette]

I thiink this means that you need to get your carte vitale updated as the rights to CMU for foreigners have been reinstated and will not be stopped at end of march as previously stated.You need to go to the cpam and they will do it.

[Benjamin]

[quote user="Ron Avery"]

Not sure about that Benjamin, that does happen with income tax 

[/quote]

.....brain....addled..............mouth.......gear.........

Thank you Ron.

[Ron Avery]

[quote user="antoinette"]

I thiink this means that you need to get your carte vitale updated as the rights to CMU for foreigners have been reinstated and will not be stopped at end of march as previously stated.You need to go to the cpam and they will do it.

[/quote]

  Not sure to which post this one by Antoinette refers but if its coop's post then that is certainly not the case for URSSAF payments.

EDITED as I have re-read Coop's post

Coops, your 2007 tax return does not come into this yet.  Your 2007/8 CMU payments were based on your 2005 and 2006 income tax return, we have not done our 2007 tax returns yet.

The URSSAF year runs October to October, so your payments in April and June 2007 were based on your 2005 earnings and the last two,  October 2007 and February 2008 on your 2006 return .  The first two 2008 payments in April and July will also be based on your 2006 tax return and then for October and February on your 2007 tax return.

This payments issue could get complicated as few will be in the same circumstance due to the actions or inactions of the various Department's CPAMs and URSSAF's .

Some of us have had our deductions taken as if nothing had happened as our accounts were only cancelled by URSSAF for a short while in October due to the residency qualification not being met (not the booting out others got due to being inactifs).  This was quickly acknowledged as a mistake and payments have continued to be taken by URSSAF.

All existing members of the CMU base were to be allowed to continue in it until March 2008 and URSSAF should have continued to take your money.  You should have had a letter from URSSAF when they gave us the extension to March 2008 telling you that you had to pay the 4th quarter. So the first thing to do is check any payments that have been taken so far in 2007/8. 

If you have not paid anything to URSSAF for 2007,and I'm not sure that is what you are saying, there is really something wrong.  As an existing member, you should have paid all 4 quarters by now.  They were due in April, July, October 2007 and February 2008, so you should have had at least two payments taken by URSSAF before the problems started in September 2007 and with the extension to March 2008 paid all 4 quarters.

If you are behind with your payments, they will take it when they catch up with their records, you should get a letter telling you of the dates that they intend to take the back payments as they did when they forgot to take the 3rd payment in 2006, but don't bank on that.  What you should be aware of is they will expect you to have the funds in your bank to pay the charges whenever they go for it.  As many have found they are not very flexible or the most helpful of French departments to deal with.

[cooperlola]

This is what I thought, Ron, ta.  The last payment made was for the quarter ending 30.9.07, so the date makes perfect sense.  Everything stopped and all we were told was there was an "admin' delay" (no doubt due to the new statement, and not knowing who owed what!)  Don't worry, the cash is sitting there waiting for them to catch up...   I was just interested to know when the tax return figures got factored in to the payments (as they should be a bit lower in '07 for us[:)])