Another look at Plan B

[Joshua]

The following is

paraphrased from replies to questions asked of the DWP

The entitlement

to reciprocal cover with an E106 is directly related to residual entitlement to

Short Term Incapacity Benefit, which in turn is dependant on Class 1 National

Insurance contributions for the current and the previous two years. The DWP

make no assumptions regarding employment only that you are leaving the UK to

take up residence in another EU country and that you not at the time of moving,

in employment.

Under EC

Regulations, a person who is living in another Member State and is in receipt

of a UK benefit payable under the EC Regulations is entitled to health care

from the UK.  The application of this rule means that a person who leaves

the UK to live but not to work, and is not in receipt of a UK Social Security

benefit, would not be entitled to health care from any state.  This lack

of cover resulted in a number of representations from people in the 1980's

who felt disadvantaged by the lack of provisions.

  Under UK

law it is possible for a person to have residual entitlement to short-term

incapacity benefit for a limited period after the payment of UK class 1 or 2

contributions has ceased.  This forms the basis on which the UK provides

health cover on form E106 to people who would otherwise have no

entitlement.  The practice began around 1982 and forms E106 are

issued under Article 19.1(a) of EC Regulation 1408/71.  Typically, the

group most affected are people who take early retirement but anyone who

satisfies the conditions can benefit from the arrangement.

The

question as to whether the entitlement is enshrined in UK Law remains

unanswered by the DWP but from the above it appears to be a policy

Has the situation changed enough to warrant representations being made again?

Joshua[:D]