Disabled & Living in France

[Julie Ann]

My husband and I are seriously considering moving to France and we would like to move to the Aquitaine area. We have good friends already living in that area and since moving there over 2 years ago they are very happy and have settled well. We are taking advice and help from them and also doing our own research and of course learning the lingo! We are finding it difficult though to get information about people with disabilities living in France and the transportation of UK benefits (DLA and Incapacity Benefit). I have managed to sort of clarify with DLA in the UK that the mobilty part of the allowance will terminate on leaving the UK but that the care allowance and his Incapacity Benefit will continue providing my husband continues to qualify. DLA however have been a bit vague and I wondered if there is anyone out there living in France who has been in this situation and their experience or problems they have had of transporting their benefits to live in France? My husband is permanently in a wheelchair and also wondered what France is like on disability/access issues etc. Our friends say that they have heard that the French seem to be very helpful to the disabled but only hearsay. Any information greatly appreciated before we make the next move. Many thanks. Julie

[giantpanda]

Hi!

I would need to know more to be able to give full information.

1. Is one of you entitled to an E106 ( if you have been working ) or an E201 ( if you have a State pension )? If not then you would have to show up a private Health Insurance equivalent to the French basic Health Insurance, which is very dear since it is individual , for healthy people. For handicaped, I have no information.

2. Do you have sufficient income, which is one of the new conditions to be able to settle in France ,also for EC members?

Basically the French do not recognize handicaps, because there are no correspondance agreements. This implies, that you have to go through the procedure of having your handicap recognized, starting at the " médecin traitant ".

How is your French?

Yours,

giantpanda



See also ( you are " étrangers communtaires " if you are from the EC ):

Etrangers en France - Service-public.fr

All about handicap:

Personnes handicapées - Service-public.fr

[Bevdeforges]

I don't really know whether or not your UK benefits can be transferred to France. The French benefits (as described in the Service-Public website Giant Panda gave you) are based on someone who has been contributing to the French system of social insurances (either themselves or through a spouse or parent).

As far as access is concerned, the French have good intentions, but often don't really follow through. A friend of mine is now in a wheelchair due to MS. She and her family are British, but they have been living and working here for 30 years or more and are definitely on the French system.

Technically, there is supposed to be handicapped access to most (if not all) public buildings. In practice we have found that some access works better than others - some towns have a tendency to keep the handicapped access locked to avoid others using it, and you sometimes have to arrange ahead of time for a town employee to come and unlock it for you. Fortunately, she has a good friend who is a retired nurse and knows exactly how to deal with the appropriate authorities. (A native French friend like this is a real treasure!) Ramps installed for wheelchair access are sometimes far too steep, and in those buildings that have installed lifts to accommodate wheelchairs, you may find them out of order at the most inconvenient of times with no back-up system.

Shops and other public conveniences vary greatly. Modern construction usually is reasonably accessible but there are obvious difficulties in re-doing access in older, stone buildings which often have stairs at the entrance. (My friend has to navigate a few stairs to get in to see her doctor. Fortunately she can still do this, but if she gets to the point that she can't anymore, she may just have to change doctors.) In short, there is quite a bit being done (and access in general is much better than it was a few years ago), but they still have a long way to go.
Cheers,
Bev