"It's catastrophic": bugs, delays on the reform of APLs, the nightmare of beneficiaries and CAF agents

Delays in processing files, cancelled allowances, overly claimed by mistake, etc. Since the implementation of the reform of housing allowances, computer bugs have submerged CAF.To the chagrin of his agents, and beneficiaries.Example in the Doubs.

"It's catastrophic" exclaims T.*, Caf du Doubs agent, "we have never been much delayed as that, everything goes wrong".Since January 1, 2021, and the entry into force of the reform of housing allowances, the daily life of this technician, responsible for processing the files and answering the questions of the beneficiaries has become a ordeal, punctuated by the computer bugs."We have lots of things that block," says Rachel Muller-Lerognon, a technician too, and union delegate FO in the Doubs: “Errors, anomalies all the time, and we must take the files all the time, untilto what they go by »."We don't get by, we are three months of treatment deadlines," she said."I have been at CAF since 1995, and I have never seen that," confirms Lise Charlebois, South South Union Delegate.Delay in the processing of files, allocations that do not arrive, unjustified overlying that appear, etc. The list of difficulties encountered by CAF agents and beneficiaries is long."The computer system is obsolete, it no longer holds", breathes the union delegate FO.

CAF ultra -complex management software and housing allowance reform

This computer system is mainly based on software, the same since 1999: crystal.It is in this that the data of beneficiaries and applicants have entered.The software allows in particular to manage the payments of the allowances.But it is also he who, most often, determines them."This is the software that calculates all aid, confirms Rachel Muller-Lerognon, as a technician, we can calculate some, but they are mostly calculated automatically".In particular because this calculation is acute complexity: "The aids are all linked, explains Lise Charlebois, when you move something in a file, it can change everything".

According to the southern delegate, before the housing allowance reform, the software was already taking into account 15.000 rules.Result, to be able to work with, in particular to enter the data properly, "it takes a year of training, and to be effective, it takes two years of experience", announces Lise Charlebois.The 22 years of software service, and all the allowances of the allowances he had to take into account, did not simplify his operation."In addition, in recent years, she says, the CNAF has subcontracted several works to subcontractors and there is information, algorhythms that they lack".

The arrival of the new conditions for allocating and calculating housing aid set fire to the powder.To integrate these new rules, CAF would have implemented a second software, supposed to be worked in symbiosis with crystal."There is a conflict problem between the" new information system "[the name of the second software] and crystal.These two software does not go together », judges Rachel Muller-Lerognon.

Bags in mess and blocked files

“We don't have a hand on this computer tool, exposes the FO delegate, we are dependent on it."When the 'Bugge' machine," we are completely helpless ".In the event of an error, technicians have little room for maneuver."You have to make calculations by hand", which is only possible for certain aids, "this is called forcages" says s.*, also CAF technician.But the software can reject this manipulation, and refuse to validate the file.

In these cases, CAF technicians have no other solution than to start again, hoping that the operation works the next time.“We spend hours and hours on the same file,» laments T.When a file is "blocked", the technicians try to exchange them, hoping that they are accepted if another profile modifies them.If they fail, they put them aside, and try to take them later."There are files that pass, and others not, and we do not know why" notes Lise Charlebois."There are files, we have been trying to spend them for two months," said.“We are starting to have people in very great difficulty.We ask that it be treated in an emergency, but they are sometimes blocked, »laments the FO delegate.Some of these cases concern housing assistance, but not always.

Difficulties that can affect all files

"The concern is that when they bring a solution, a problem will be solved," explains Rachel Muller-Lerognon, but it will cause two or three others.»Files that may be unrelated to housing allowances can be compromised."There are days, children disappear From a file, the next day they re-appear, and we do not know why," says Lise Charlebois.The delegate says she has consoled a colleague a few days before, who had tears in his eyes."She said to me: when I open a beneficiary file, I don't know if what I have before you is her real situation.»Work on moving sands.“We have results which are calculated and which are false.We are no longer sure of what we see in our files "sighs Rachel Muller-Lerognon.

These errors waste time for agents, and are also sources of anxiety for beneficiaries.A few weeks ago, "we ended up with 1.500 unjustified industry », reveals the southern delegate.During the weekend, the computer system would have generated fictitious overpayments to Doubs and Jura beneficiaries.“We had to resume the claims one at a time, to update all the files».

Another time, "we were for more than a week not to be able to record births".A fact on which the premium at birth directly depends, of almost 1.000 euros, allocated to all new parents below certain income thresholds, which represents essential help for the reception of the new child for many households.

Certain aids must be treated as a priority by CAF agents, as these are social minima, which must therefore be paid quickly after filing the file.But, "there are RSA files and disabled adult allowances that are suffering", worries the FO delegate.

The loneliness of CAF technicians

Faced with his difficulties, the two union delegates From CAF DUBS, authors of an intersyndical leaflet dated Wednesday, May 6, say they fear agents' series-outs, already under pressure From successive plans for reducing the workforce.“I see colleagues crying», despairs Lise Charlebois.Because on the one hand the technicians must manage an increased workload by computer errors, manage the worries they experience for beneficiaries who undergo delays and errors, on the other hand it is also they who receive the public, in CAF offices, or on the telephone platform."It's us at the reception, on the phone, and we take the files, confirms t., then after a while ... "

"The hardest part is explaining all this to the beneficiaries, at the reception and the phone," says S., they ask us why there is a significant drop, or why there are unjustified debts, and we cannot answer »."It's hard".According to the FO delegate, "we have 30 -minute expectations on the telephone platform, physical queues in Front of the offices, and last month there were more than 20.000 emails ».In the premises of CAF DU DOUBS, less than a hundred technicians have to face these questions, in addition to the management of files."When we are at the end, management tells us about supplementary hours," said."The National Fund never wanted to put on the CAF page that there are computer problems and that it is necessary to wait," annoys the FO delegate.

- On social networks, beneficiaries are starting to share their dismay at delays -

Today, some unions are asking for the withdrawal of the housing allowance reform, but the agents we have contacted hardly believe they.They hope for the arrival of new software and strengthening of the workforce.In the meantime, "what would be important to say is to inform the population that you have to be patient with employees.They really do everything they can.»

La réponse de la CNAF

Contacted on this subject, the National Family Affairs Fund gave us the following answers:

Agents indicate that IT bugs completely ankylose the processing of beneficiaries files.What do you think ?

Few beneficiaries are affected by computer anomalies and the reasons may be diverse depending on the situation: some files require supporting documents or are awaiting responses From beneficiaries to be treated and therefore do not fall under computer difficulties.For only a part of the beneficiaries (2% throughout the territory), we have encountered computer anomalies for which the teams have done everything to resolve them as soon as possible.A part is already settled.Beneficiaries are aware of the situation of their file in their personal space on the CAF.Fr.We also put a lot of information on the CAF website, on the home page as in the answers made available in the Frequently Questions

Has the reform of housing allowances led to the addition of a new computer tool, which must work with Cristal?Since when has Cristal have been in service?

The implementation of the reform of housing aid has effectively led to the creation of a new computer tool, in connection with Cristal (it has existed since the 90s).This new tool automatically recovers the resources of the vast majority of beneficiaries, in particular employees, via employers' declarations.

This is a facilitating device for the beneficiaries concerned, who no longer have to declare their resources but must verify them in their personal space on CAF.Fr ou sur l’application mobile de leur téléphone.If they find that resources are not the right ones, they are invited to inform their CAF (it is indicated in the responses on the CAF site.Fr).If CAF need other data, beneficiaries are also informed via a message in their personal space.

The anomalies that we currently meet are not linked to Crystal, and they are being resolved: our teams are strongly mobilized to resolve them as soon as possible.

Has a change in the processing time has been noted since January 1?What is in Doubs, in Franche-Comté, in France?Since when have the oldest unrealized files under processing?Has the number of calls and appointments increased since the start of the year?

For a large number of beneficiaries, the processing of files does not experience delays.We traditionally have every year, at the beginning of the year, a peak in requests and exchanges with the beneficiaries, because the month of January is the period when we exploit the data provided by the beneficiaries for the annual renewal of their rights,data necessary for the calculation of all services.We now also have a quarterly renewal of housing rights.The first months of the year are therefore a traditionally busy period, which actually sees more phone calls received by CAF and therefore potentially an extension of processing times.It is a little more marked this year due to the implementation of a reform in a context of health crisis.

I am told that errors of receivables appear in certain files.What can you tell me?

Due to the "computer anomalies" mentioned above, there may have been certain industry..We have of course identified and corrected quickly.Today we have 0.15% of the housing files assigned to this anomaly, and we are in the process of correcting this.The corrections allow not to claim them from the beneficiaries.Some may have been worried about seeing this appear on their personal space my account, the time we have been able to correct these errors, but we will of course not claim this indu which is not justified.

What is you planned to do to solve this problem?

The correction of anomalies is done over the water, and all the teams are mobilized to resolve them as soon as possible. Nous sommes conscients des désagréments causés pour une partie des allocataires et nous nous efforçons de prendre en compte leur situation et de prioriser les plus Fragiles.