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What is the problem with the Perpignan CPAM? My daugher had to visit my doctor last August and paid some 70 euros for essential medication. I sent off the feuille from the doctor, the prescription, the feuille from the pharmacy with the vignettes attached, a copy of her EHIC and full details of her UK address and bank details. No response.
I sent fresh photocopies in November and again in January, and another set to International Relations in Paris. Nothing.
Yesterday I rang the English-speaking Health help-line and she rang me back this morning to say she had spoken to CPAM Perpignan and they denied ever having received anything from my daughter.
I rang the number in England given on the EHIC website and they said they couldn't help - it had to come from France.
I am now going to send further photocopies by Lettre Recommande.
Has anyone had any success in getting reimbursement from them?

It might help to phone them and ask for Patrick Beisser. He is the man in charge of International Relations at Perpignan CPAM Remparts St Mathieu. He speaks English. You will first have to state your case to the obstructive person who answers the phone, so good luck. If you get stroppy, she will be even more obstructive!

Incidentally, I have been instructed to send off my old Carte Vitale, and to apply for the new photo card, which I have duly done. I DID check with CPAM Perp first, to make sure it was the right thing to be doing. Has anyone else been told to do this yet? I'll report back when I get my new card - in less than a month, allegedly.

Haven't had too many problems getting reimbursed but have changed recently from CPAM to MSA and now have to go through all the rigmarole of choosing the medecin traitant again -filling in the form, getting the doctors signature etc etc
My biggest problem with reimbursement is with the mutual. So many places do not accept the mutual card, you have to pay and get reimbursed - therein lies a minefield!

For our complémentaire (mutuelle) we are with Generali, and before that with SwissLife. both were excellent re reimbursements

I'm with La Roussillonaise - they're a bit like the little girl who had the little curl right in the middle of her forehead - when they are good, they are very, very good and when they are bad they are horrid lol!

thumbelina wrote:Haven't had too many problems getting reimbursed but have changed recently from CPAM to MSA

Thats the problem for you " Earth Mothers" who work on the land.

carol sheridan wrote:What is the problem with the Perpignan CPAM?

Carol I thought you had changed your caisse to Haute Garonne! at Toulouse, when you moved.

lol - thanks for that, Michael

our reimbursements through CPAM in perps work well.
however, they refused to reimburse me for treatment here in Tenerife last year (mozzie bite which went horrid - you don't want to know) - because the receipt i got from the doctor here wasn't detailed enough.
likewise, the chemist's receipt - even though it clearly stated the medication they had sold me.
i was just so grateful to be better that i didn't care at the time but will be extra cautious if either of us need to visit a doctor here this year.
by the way, we have the equivalent of a EHIC card which CPAM provide but it only lasts 12 months.

Let us know when you get your new Carte Vitale please, Sue (or Paul) - I would be really scared to send mine away.
And thanks for the Patrick Beisser information. Will make a note of that for future reference.

I am not talking about my normal reimbursements for my own health costs, but about my daughter's visit to my doctor whilst visiting me in France. That was in St. Cyprien Plage, so the nearest CPAM, unfortunately, , is Perpignan.
I will try putting M. Beisser's name on the envelope.

Paul's CV was taken from him at CPAM about a year ago (when some of us were plunged into the "no cover black hole") to be replaced by a photo card. Eventually - 3 months maybe - he got a letter saying his photo was 2mm too long, so he snipped another one and applied again. After that it came back within 2 weeks (the magic quinze jours!). Hope mine comes back as quickly. Meantime, if necessary I have to use my latest attestation (ie the one I was given by P Beisser on 23 Jan, NOT the one of 14 August which they bizarrely sent me with the new card application form).

I intend to stay really healthy till I get my new card!!!!! It's a great incentive not to get ill. Do you think the whole CPAM-debacle is set up with that in mind???

carol sheridan wrote:I am not talking about my normal reimbursements for my own health costs, but about my daughter's visit to my doctor whilst visiting me in France. That was in St. Cyprien Plage, so the nearest CPAM, unfortunately, , is Perpignan.
I will try putting M. Beisser's name on the envelope.

Carol, we once put a claim in for our youngest whilst we were on holiday here. I waited till I returned to UK and sent mine via them.
We were living in France before we actually received our money back.........just over 12 months!


CVs. we were both issued one at the same time, His nibs has had no end of trouble with his. He is always being told he has to go to the bourne put put it up to date, It doesn`t work at the Hospital in Monpellier and the stroppy woman on the desk gets even more uptight when he produces mine along with an attestation. He enquired some while back at CPAM as to whether there was something wrong with it, no just put it up to date!

Yesterday he had a letter , he had used it in the dentist last week and another rigmarole ensued with that, Monsieur il y a un erreur avec votre carte vital........fill in this form and we will send you a photo one

Thanks, Opas, but who did you deal with in the UK? The people on the EHIC website on the 0191 number just told me that we had to get it through the French system.

What opas says rings a bell with me too.
We waited until we got back to England and then I think we just took the paperword to the social security office (or whatever they call it these days).
We definitely didn't send it to CPAM cos we had never heard of them in those days.

Somehow between the two of them, CPAM and BNPParibas have lost €14.40 of ours - a refund from a visit to our doctor. The bank médiateur is supposed to be looking into it, but the feeling seems to leaning towards blaming CPAM. Heigh-ho...it's good language practice! Think positive

Yes, Sue (or maybe Paul), I had a friend who loved cold calls on the phone. Would keep them hanging on, getting them to explain things he didn't understand.
He thought of it as a free French lesson.

It would be around 6 years ago and when the E111 was a book with a long paper form in it, there would have been an address on that and can only think that it would be sent off to Newcastle, as it would be the UK health system that would be claiming the money back frm france on our behalf.

"Yes, Sue (or maybe Paul)....."

ha...well, it sure as hell ain't the dog It's Sue mostly, but sometimes Paul. So don't talk about him behind his back

I am determined to get this money back for Elaine, so I am sending all the documents to M.Beisser at Perpignan by Lettre Recommandee plus keeping copies to send to her local DHSS office when I get there in March.

Deja vu!

Bon courage, Carol !

WOW! Persistence paid off - after sending a 'lettre recommandee'
to M. Beisser together with the fourth set of copies of all the documents, I was very pleased to hear today that Elaine had received a cheque for 61 euros.

Can she pay the cheque into her UK bank account?

Glad to hear the good news.
Can only pay the cheque into a euro account as far as I know.
If she has not got one then this might be a good time to open one.
Barclays do a euro account in UK & are currently paying intrest at 1% gross . Better I think than you can get for a sterling account.

Well held, Carol! I do think M Beisser knows his job, but it can be difficult getting through the switchboard to him. Your lettre recommandée is a good idea...but should we have to go that far?

Not sure if this will work , but just found this link to CPAM
http://www.cpam87.fr/Site Web/anglais/

No it does not work , but some of you who understand the net more than I do may be able to work on this & help find the correct link.
It's just I'm not very good at understanding these things.

there is a www.cpam68.fr but i didn't investigate the contents.
seem to be functioning in spanish these days and the french looked like hard work.

cpam68 is for Mulhouse! you need cpam66.
just type 66000 top right, then click on modifier

I googled 'paying a French euro cheque into a UK bank account' and it seems she can put it in her Halifax account but they will (of course) charge a fee.

What else did you expect? - the treatment was carried out in France and you paid for it in euros......