Challenging an MDPH decision: deadlines, steps and a sample letter in French

First, read the decision again

The decision letter (notification) says what is granted or refused, for how long and, for some rights, the incapacity rate used. It also says how to appeal and gives the address of the competent court.

Before challenging it, look for what may have been missing: a difficulty you did not describe, a report that was not in the file, a need you ticked without an example. You can ask the MDPH to explain the decision.

If your situation has changed since you applied, you can also file a new application: it is not an appeal, but it is sometimes simpler.

To find the exact last day to appeal, and add the deadlines to your calendar, use our MDPH deadlines calculator.

The possible steps

The mandatory administrative appeal (RAPO)

• To whom: the MDPH, which passes it to the CDAPH; for the mobility inclusion card, the president of the conseil départemental.
• Deadline: 2 months after the decision letter.
• Good to know: it is required before any court case. It leads to a new decision; with no answer in 2 months, it counts as rejected.

Conciliation (optional)

• To whom: the director of the MDPH, by simple letter.
• Deadline: 2 months after the decision letter.
• Good to know: a qualified person reviews your situation and reports within 2 months. They cannot change the decision, but asking for conciliation pauses the appeal deadline.

Court

• Which one: the tribunal judiciaire or the tribunal administratif, depending on the right (see below).
• Deadline: 2 months after the answer to your appeal.
• Good to know: no lawyer is needed at first instance.

Sources: CNSA, factsheet 9 and Fédération des aveugles de France, April 2026.

Mediation is another route: a simple complaint to the MDPH, passed on to the Défenseur des droits (the French ombudsman) if needed. It changes neither the appeal routes nor the deadlines; it is more useful when the problem is how the MDPH works (lost file, no answer) than the decision itself.

Writing the appeal

The appeal is made in writing, on plain paper, in French. According to the CNSA and the Fédération des aveugles de France, it must contain:

• your name, address and file number;
• the decision you challenge, with its date and the right concerned;
• the reasons you challenge it, point by point;
• what was not taken into account, and any new documents: assessment, report, certificate;
• a copy of the decision letter.

The reasons can be about substance (the assessment does not match your daily life) or about procedure (you did not receive the compensation plan before the commission, or you were not invited although you had asked to be).

You have the right to be received by the commission, with someone of your choice (CERFA 15692 form, page 4; Fédération des aveugles de France): ask for it in the letter.

Send the letter by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt (“lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception”), or hand it in at the MDPH and ask for a dated receipt. Keep a copy of everything.

Sample appeal letter (in French)

Replace the parts in square brackets, keep what applies to you and delete the rest. The notes after the letter explain each part in English.

What each part says:

• Header: your details and file number, then the MDPH’s address, “for the attention of the CDAPH”. Then the town and date, and “registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt”.
• Objet (subject): “mandatory administrative appeal against the decision of [date]”.
• First paragraph: the date of the decision, the day you received it, what it decided (“refused my request for…”, “granted it only for [length]…”, “set an incapacity rate below 50%…”) and the right concerned. You then state that you are filing the appeal, with a copy of the decision attached.
• Numbered points: your reasons, each with a concrete example from your daily life.
• Attachments paragraph: the new documents that were not in your file.
• Hearing: you ask to be heard by the commission, with the person of your choice.
• Closing: a standard formal French sign-off, your signature, then the list of attachments (“pièces jointes”).

For the mobility inclusion card, address the letter to the president of your département’s conseil départemental, and name the card in the subject, for example “recours dans le cadre d’un RAPO de CMI priorité” (Mon parcours handicap).

Examples of reasons

A good reason links the decision to a precise fact of your life. A few examples, in French, with their meaning:

• « L’évaluation retient que je fais mes courses seul. En réalité, je n’y vais qu’accompagné : seul, je me perds et j’oublie la moitié de ce que je dois acheter. » (The assessment says I shop alone. In fact I only go with someone: alone, I get lost and forget half of what I need.)
• « Le compte rendu d’hospitalisation du [date], que je joins, n’était pas dans mon dossier. Il décrit les chutes répétées qui m’empêchent de sortir seule. » (The hospital report of [date], attached, was not in my file. It describes repeated falls that stop me going out alone.)
• « La RQTH m’a été accordée pour 2 ans, alors que ma maladie est installée depuis 10 ans et ne peut pas s’améliorer, comme l’indique le certificat médical. » (The RQTH was granted for 2 years, although my illness has lasted 10 years and cannot improve, as the medical certificate says.)
• « Je n’ai pas reçu le plan personnalisé de compensation avant la commission, et je n’ai donc pas pu faire mes observations. » (I did not receive the compensation plan before the commission, so I could not comment on it.)

If the appeal is rejected: going to court

You have 2 months after the answer to your appeal, or after the implicit rejection, to go to court. The address is given in the decision. According to the Fédération des aveugles de France:

Court	Rights concerned
Social division of the tribunal judiciaire	AAH, AEEH and its top-ups, PCH, ACTP, CMI invalidité or priorité, referrals (except work-related ones)
Tribunal administratif	RQTH, work-related referrals, CMI stationnement

You apply by registered letter or at the court registry (greffe). A lawyer is not required at first instance; you can ask for legal aid (aide juridictionnelle) if your income is low. Since 1 March 2026, a €50 legal aid contribution (a tax stamp) is in principle due to go to the tribunal judiciaire, unless you receive legal aid; whether it applies to its social division is debated, so ask the registry. It is not due at the tribunal administratif, and if you forget it, the registry gives you a month to pay (French Ministry of Justice circular).

A disability association or a social worker can help you at every step, free of charge.