This is a follow-up to this post . It took nearly 5 years, but in the end, the CIPAV have restored all my missing points!
The initial demand was filed by the lawyers (Pincent Avocats) in July 2021. The next step was to request a hearing at the tribunal in Perigueux, my local prefecture which was done in September 2021. The tribunal heard the case in September 2022 and a decision was published in November 2022. Note that COVID lock-downs etc likely contributed to some of this delay.
The tribunal ruled in my favour and demanded that the CIPAV restore all of missing points plus pay €1,000 in damages. Within a few weeks, I was notified that the CIPAV had appealled this decision and the next hearing would take place at the court of appeals in Bordeaux. Since this was a new procedure, I was required to pay the lawyers an additional €240 TTC.
A new set of documents was submitted to the court of appeals in July 2023 and hearing took place in November 2024. The court made it’s ruling in January 2025 and upheld the initial decision: all points to be restored, and the CIPAV was ordered to pay €3,000 in damages. Due to the agreement with the lawyers, this money goes to them.
There are a few things that need clearing up from the initial blog post. First, the calculation regarding the missing points was incorrect. In the end, I received roughly 40% more standard points and 120% more complimentary points, which works out to approximately an additional €150/month.
Between the time that I made my initial enquiries to the CIPAV regarding my missing points, they made some changes voluntarily. They restored my missing points from 2016 – 2020 and slightly increased the points I was due. I believe they did this for everyone, but I can’t be sure. So I may have got some of that increase without going through all of this, but in either case, this still represents a victory.
I’m very impressed with the lawyers. They were clear in what they needed from me in terms of my career history, and kept me informed thoughout the process. I heard that they’re now charging more for their services but I believe it’s still reasonable (more info). Originally, I thought I would be paid the damages, but considering the lawyers did all the work including filing the court documents and attending the tribunals in Perigueux and Bordeaux, I’m fine with the damages going to them .
So overall, the story has a happy ending, despite the long wait.