Claiming back cost of hospital trips

My husband has cancer and has to attend the hospital in Nîmes and will shortly be hospitalised. Can we claim reimbursement for our mileage, as it is a considerable distance from our home? S.G.

Transport to and from hospital can be reimbursed. However, you need to ask your doctor to provide a préscription médicale de transport (ie. he has to prescribe your transport so you have written proof to send to your social security insurance authority for the reimbursement).

For example, taxi fares are reimbursed (completely in the case of a visit for a serious longterm illness, which cancer would be classed as) as long as you use a taxi firm which is conventionné (that is, it has signed an agreement with the social security authority).

Reimbursement for the use of a private car is based on mileage figures varying by the power of the car and distance covered. For up to 2,000km you can claim 25 centimes per km for a car up to five metric horsepower (mhp), 32 for six to seven mhp and 35 for eight mhp or more.