A couple of S1 questions

[Daft Doctor]

I have S1 forms in my hands, valid until January 2014 in respect of me (as the insured), my wife and my 10 year old son (as dependants), and intend to head off to my local CPAM office tomorrow to register, having recently completed our move to France.  I have a couple of questions however and if anyone out there can help me I'd be most grateful:

Firstly, assuming there are no hitches with the paperwork, will health cover under the French system via our S1s be immediate after the visit to CPAM tomorrow?  If not and there a delay in receiving cover, how long might this be?

Secondly, although as mentioned above I have an S1 for my wife, she has just registered as an Auto-Entrepreneur.  She has her letter from INSEE with her SIREN and SIRET numbers on it, but has not heard anything yet about her health cover from RSI.  If I register her tomorrow with CPAM through her S1, will the cover through CPAM via her S1 be cancelled automatically once she has her own cover through RSI (providing current rules re health cover and AE don't hastily change), or would we need to inform anyone?  Should I indeed use her S1 at all in the circs, or is the proper thing now she's registered as an AE just to wait to get her Carte Vitale from RSI (not sure how long that usually takes vs obtaining cover via an S1)?

Finally, apart from the S1 forms, passports and proof of address in France, will I need to take anything else with me to the CPAM office?

Many thanks for any insight or guidance  

  

[cooperlola]

The delay, or otherwise, varies from CPAM to CPAM.  Ours gave us our attestastions on the day we went in - handwritten and valid for a couple of months, then our cartes vitales and full typed Attestations arrived about 6 weeks later.  Others have different experiences and have to wait for the typewritten Attestations and the CV's take months.  Meantwhile, keep any feuilles de soins (brown forms issued by your doc' etc) and you will be able to make retrospective claims once you are in the system.

Your wife cannot use an S1 if she is entitled to treatment via a work scheme.   Thus no, imho, you should not use her dependent's S1, even temporarily.  But you can confirm that at your visit.

Don't forget to take your passports, proof of residence, RIB (for repayment purposes), your birth and marriage ceritifates.

[Daft Doctor]

Thanks Coops, that's more or less what I expected and I was reluctant to take my wife's S1 as she will get cover through RSI because of her AE status.  In any case, if for some weird reason (political or otherwise) she was refused cover, I presume I could then present her S1 to CPAM and piggy back her onto mine?  As regards keeping hold of any feuilles de soins and claiming retrospectively, that makes absolute sense and I guess the same would apply for my wife.  Her AE business officially starts today, so for practical purposes so should her health cover.

Didn't have marriage certificate or RIB on my list of things to take, will add to the folder.  I have a choice of going to my local office down the road or to the regional office in Annecy, which is an hours drive away.  Does it matter which?  Thanks again 

 

[cooperlola]

I can only speak from personal experience and say that the regional offices have many more staff and are much quicker to produce the paperwork than our local one.  Plus they don't close for lunch!  But they do lack the friendliness and familiarity of the local office and cost more to visit in fuel terms.

[Daft Doctor]

Went to the local office as I would have had to virtually drive past it to get to Annecy.  Lovely and helpful lady, kept original this and that but copied everything for me and just as Coops did, suggested I collect any feuilles de soins before my social security number came through.  Didn't give me anything there and then but said I should receive my paperwork including the original birth certificates, etc within a month.  When I asked about the carte vitale though she shrugged and said (in very decent English) 'quite a bit longer'.  I left my OH out of S1 things for now and will wait for RSI to get in touch.  Many thanks again as always for the advice.

[idun]

Once you have your attestation, which is far more important than a carte vitale, then you can send any feuille de soins into your local CPAM. Remember that you need the vignette which are stuck to the prescriptions on your feuille from the chemists, just take them off the prescriptions and stick them on the feuille.

Keep photo copies of absolutely everything. 

[Daft Doctor]

Thanks idun, great advice which I shall follow if any of us have need to consult (i.e. if I can't sort it out myself.....)