E106 - CV - CEAM Merry go round

[AnOther]

We have been in France just over a year now and in CPAM since Sept. 30th 2007 by virtue of  my 'workers' E106 which is renewable annually.

Only a matter of weeks ago we were (finally) invited to apply for our CV's which we duly did and they arrived today, we felt like we'd 'arrived' [8-|]

The daft thing is that they are only valid until Sept. 30th so virtually as soon as we've got them they will run out. We want to apply for our CEAM's but that seems pointless at the moment because even if we got them before Sept. 30th doubtless they they too will have an expiry date of Sept. 30th.

Does anyone know if renewal CV's are likely to take as long as these first ones because if that is the case then it effectively means that we will never actually have CV's or CEAM's, or at least not one's which are valid for more than a few weeks.

I understand that it all revolves around my E106 but it seems such an idiotic and wasteful process potentially resulting in us being on a merry go round and without a CEAM until we've done our 5 years [:'(]  CV's we can live without because we do have our attestations.

If I packed up work today then I would get a 2 year E106, or perhaps a bit more, so why is it that because I'm working and still paying NI HMRC will only give me one year. Surely a better way would be to give me an indefinate one until I stop paying NI, and then another 2 years after that.

Madness [blink]

[Will]

It's all to do with European conventions on social security cover for people 'temporarily' working in another country. Your worker's E106 works like an E101, which always has a one-year validity. EU rules say that this can be renewed - subject to the agreement of both the issuing and host countries. GB (HMRC and DWP) and France (CLEISS) operate a convention that an E101 can normally be renewed once, though Europe allows a maximum of four renewals (i.e. 5 years total cover). I don't think the same renewal restrictions apply to the workers E106 (though they might). However, civil servants and other government employees seem to be able to get workers' E106s with a much longer validity - why am I not surprised?

Not many CPAMs will issue cartes vitales to E101 or workers E106 holders, due to the temporary nature of the cover. As you say, it's no big deal - you have your French SS number so can reclaim the standard percentage from CPAM. But to issue a CV for just a few weeks sounds like madness.

Because you are on an E form, you should apply for a British EHIC rather than a French CEAM.

 

[AnOther]

Thank you Will.

Are you sure I, or rather we, should be on an EHIC ?

I originally thought that but was advised otherwise, here I think. I still have my EHIC, valid to Dec 08 if memory serves, but 'er indoors lost hers when she first applied to CPAM with an E106 refusal letter just after we arrived, that I believe was the procedure pre last years changes, but despite repeated requests and a couple of visits to CPAM she's never had it returned.

I hadn't pushed it too hard though as we're both pretty fully covered under a PPP international private health policy anyway.

[Sunday Driver]

The CPAM 'year' runs from 1 October to 30 September, so your 'account' is renewed every October with your new E106. 

They don't actually issue you with a new plastic carte vitale every year - you just have to pop into your local pharmacy and ask them to update your exisitng one through their machine.

 

 

[AnOther]

That's interesting SD because 'er indoors has now told me that the 100% cover for her 'affection de longue duree' (diabetes) is dated to 2013 which ties in with her receiving a new attestation back in June, also dated to 2013, which I mentioned HERE at the time.

It all seems somewhat at odds now though considering the temporary nature of my E106 as Will earlier explained !

I think I'm actually slightly more confused than ever now [8-)]

[Will]

[quote user="ErnieY"]Are you sure I, or rather we, should be on an EHIC ?

[/quote]

The information I had to hand suggested that E106 holders should have EHIC rather than CEAM. However, I have looked into it further and there seems to be slightly contradictory information. Another site suggests that if you are in the French system on an E106 you should apply to your CPAM for a CEAM (these acronyms will drive me mad). You might get one issued, but what is more likely to happen is that your request will be refused, so you then send a copy of the refusal to the EHIC Applications office in Newcastle.