Health. An anti-fraud sick leave form will be mandatory as of July 1st.

How can we stem the sale of fake sick leave certificates on social media or online? For the French Health Insurance (Assurance Santé), one solution is to require a new paper form as of July 1st that is "hard to falsify and more secure." While the vast majority of sick leave certificates are currently issued electronically and securely, fake sick leave certificates still represent financial losses for the French Health Insurance (Assurance Santé) of "more than 30 million euros in 2024, compared to 8 million in 2023," according to the official website of the French administration.

The sale of fake sick leave certificates on social media or online is "the cause of this sharp increase," according to the platform. These fraudulent sites have been denounced by MP Antoine Vermorel-Marques (Republican Right). The Loire representative recounts on his social media accounts how "for 19 euros, without even seeing a doctor," he was able to obtain a fake sick leave certificate. "Frankly, I didn't think it was so easy to commit fraud," laments the man who, in April, tabled a bill aimed at "firing employees using fake sick leave certificates."

Magnetic ink

For the time being, the French administration is making a new form mandatory starting Tuesday for all paper sick leave submissions. Available since September 2024, this document was previously only recommended for healthcare professionals. The new form requires seven authentication points: special paper, a holographic label, magnetic ink, and the prescriber's identification features. Sick leave documents "that can be completed and then printed from prescription software" will now be rejected by health insurance organizations. The same will apply "to scans and photocopies of sick leave forms."

The Health Insurance reminds us that "no sick leave can be obtained without a consultation or teleconsultation with a healthcare professional." In the event of a teleconsultation, the sick leave or renewal of sick leave "cannot exceed a duration of three days if the prescriber is neither the attending physician nor the referring midwife."

For healthcare professionals, electronic transmission via the Amelipro platform "of a dematerialized sick leave notice remains the most secure way to avoid fraud and misuse," insists the Health Insurance. Nearly eight out of ten sick leave notices are already transmitted electronically to the Health Insurance "by prescribers (mainly doctors or midwives) from their computer," according to this organization. This electronic transmission allows "not only shorter treatment times, but also enhanced security conditions."

Imprisonment and fines

But in certain situations, such as a home visit, electronic sick leave is not possible, and "a three-part Cerfa paper form must be used," explains the French Health Insurance Agency. The patient must then send parts 1 and 2 within 48 hours to the medical department of their primary health insurance fund (CPAM). Part 3 must be given to the employer, if the patient is employed, or kept, if they are self-employed. If the patient is unemployed, part 3 must be sent to France Travail.

Policyholders who submit false sick leave certificates to the French Health Insurance Fund are exposed to "heavy financial penalties," the organization warns. Fraudsters first risk "full reimbursement of the daily allowances wrongly received." "Very high financial penalties, up to three times the amount of financial loss suffered by the French Health Insurance Fund," may also apply. In the event of a repeat offense or large-scale fraud, legal proceedings may be initiated "for forgery, use of forgery, and fraud, offenses punishable by 5 years' imprisonment and a fine of €375,000."