Organisation

The Social Security Centre (Centre commun de la sécurité sociale - CCSS) was founded by the legislator in 1974, and has been an independent public-sector establishment since 1990. It is supervised by the Minister of Social Security (Ministre de la Sécurité sociale), and overseen by a Board of directors.

CCSS staff have the status of public employees (State civil servants) or non-statutory employees (State employees).

Organisation chart:

The Board of directors comprises:

• the 5 civil servants who chair the Boards of directors of the following organisations: the Accident Insurance Association (Association d’assurance accident - AAA), the National Health Fund (Caisse nationale de santé - CNS), the National Pension Insurance Fund (Caisse nationale d’assurance pension - CNAP), the National Family Allowance Fund (Caisse nationale des prestations familiales - CNPF) and the National Solidarity Fund (Fonds national de solidarité - FNS);
• 6 representatives of insured individuals, of whom 5 are nominated by the Chamber of Employees (Chambre des salariés), and the 6th by the Chamber of Civil Servants and Public Employees (Chambre des fonctionnaires et employés publics);
• 5 employer representatives nominated by the Chamber of Commerce (Chambre de commerce) and the Chamber of Skilled Trades and Crafts (Chambre des Métiers), and one representative nominated by the Chamber of Agriculture (Chambre d'agriculture).

The Board of directors runs the Social Security Centre, and is responsible for:

• implementing the 3-year plan set out by Article 408bis, which also includes the Social Security Centre's IT blueprint, and ruling on the annual update as set out by Article 408bis;
• setting governance rules as laid down by Article 408bis;
• setting out the annual budget;
• ruling on the annual balance sheet;
• making staffing decisions;
• setting internal procedures;
• implementing a code of conduct.

The Board of directors is chaired by the Chair of the AAA.

Insured individual or employers must submit any issues relating to affiliation, contributions or fines to the Chair, who will make the final decision. This decision is final unless the party in question contests it within 40 days of notification. The Board of directors shall dismiss any objection without suspensory effect.

Decisions of the Board of directors are also subject to appeal by the same deadline before the Social Security Insurance Arbitration Board (Conseil arbitral des assurances sociales). The ruling of this Board is itself subject to appeal before the High Council of Social Security Insurance (Conseil supérieur des assurances sociales).

The administrative costs incurred by the CCSS are charged to the social security user administrations and institutions.