MDPH: submitting an RQTH / AAH application without burning out

Why the MDPH application is the administrative Everest

An MDPH application is between 20 and 40 pages to compile, a medical certificate to be filled in by a sometimes hard-to-find psychiatrist, a “life project” to draft (about your disability, your limitations, your needs), supporting documents to gather, a real processing delay of 6 to 12 months depending on your department, and a response that may be partial or negative.

For an ADHD brain, it’s the perfect addition of everything that blocks: huge task, multi-step, delayed, with strong emotional stakes (you have to talk about yourself, your failures, your limits — which RSD and shame make particularly costly). Many ADHD adults submit their file 2 to 5 years after starting it. Some never submit it.

Why you should still do it: RQTH opens workplace accommodations (part-time, remote work, workstation adaptation), protects against dismissal in case of unfitness, gives access to Agefiph / FIPHFP (financial aid, training). AAH, if your income is low, can represent up to €1,016 / month (indicative 2025 figure — check the current ceiling ^[5] ). The inclusion mobility card (CMI) facilitates some journeys and exemptions. These rights are real. Not claiming them is subsidising your own exhaustion.

This guide isn’t here to tell you it’s easy. It’s here to break down the Everest into realistic steps, tell you which traps to avoid, and direct you to the people who help you do it for free.

The concrete steps, step-by-step

1. Check that you’re eligible

To submit an ADHD / AuDHD application, you must have:

• An official diagnosis from a psychiatrist (for adult ADHD) or a specialised team (for ASD). A neuropsychological assessment helps but isn’t enough alone.
• Significant functional impact in at least one area: work, studies, daily life, social relationships.
• A stable residence in France (3 months minimum, with exceptions).

The pure diagnosis of ADHD doesn’t automatically open all rights. It’s the consequences (impact at work, comorbidities, functional difficulties) that justify recognition.

2. Get the right form

The unified national form is Cerfa n°15692*01 ^[7] . It’s identical in all MDPHs in France.

• Downloadable from service-public.fr.
• Or to pick up in paper version at your MDPH, the CCAS of your town hall, or France Services.
• Many departments now offer 100% online submission via their own portal — check on your MDPH site (findable via mdph.fr).

3. The medical certificate (the most blocking step)

The medical certificate is a Cerfa n°15695*01 ^[8] , mandatorily filled in by a doctor (yours, a psychiatrist, or a specialist doctor). It describes your disorder, its functional impact, and the aid requested.

Critical traps:

• The certificate must be less than 6 months old at the time of submission. Schedule your medical appointment after gathering the rest of the file, not before.
• Not all psychiatrists know how to fill in this form. Some rush it, which sabotages your application. Ask explicitly: “Have you ever filled in an MDPH certificate for adult ADHD?”
• The doctor may bill for this act (€30-60 generally, sometimes more). Anticipate.

4. Drafting the life project (the part that changes everything)

The “life project” is a free letter, 1 to 5 pages, where you describe:

• Your history and path (key dates, studies, jobs).
• How your disorder manifests daily (concrete, lived examples).
• Functional difficulties: organisation, memory, emotions, social life.
• What you need (accommodations, aid, income).
• Your short and medium-term objectives.

It’s the piece that differentiates an accepted from a refused application. An MDPH reads hundreds of standardised medical certificates. Your life project is what makes your situation exist.

5. Gather supporting documents

6. Submit the file

Three submission modes (varies by department):

• Online: MDPH portal of your department. Keep the PDF receipt.
• By registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt. Preferable to simple mail for heavy files.
• In person at MDPH reception. Ask for a stamped receipt.

Whatever happens: keep a complete copy of your file before sending. Photocopy or full scan. In case of loss (it happens), you’ll resubmit faster.

7. Real deadlines to expect

• Legal deadline: 4 months (with silence meaning refusal beyond).
• Real deadline: 6 to 12 months depending on your MDPH ^[1] , sometimes 14-16 months in the most congested departments.
• In case of emergency (rights interruption, unfitness dismissal procedure, housing loss): you can request priority processing by attaching a motivated letter.

8. If the response is partial or negative: the appeal

You receive a notification that grants RQTH but refuses AAH, or refuses everything, or grants for too short a duration. You have 2 months to contest ^[6] via a mandatory prior administrative appeal (RAPO).

1. Draft a letter addressed to the CDAPH (Commission for Rights and Autonomy of Disabled Persons) of your MDPH.
2. Explain what you’re contesting, why, attach new elements.
3. Send by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt.
4. The CDAPH re-examines. Response within 2-4 months.
5. If persistent refusal: contentious appeal possible before the judicial court (social pole).

The RAPO works in a significant proportion of cases when motivated by new elements (new certificate, additional assessment, worsening).

ADHD-specific traps to anticipate

Strategies that work

Resources and support

• MDPH directory: handicap.gouv.fr/qu-est-ce-que-la-mdph ^[1] — find the MDPH of your department.
• CNSA: cnsa.fr ^[2] — institution coordinating MDPHs, useful for understanding rights.
• Social worker at the CCAS of your town hall: free, confidential, accompanies your whole file.
• HyperSupers TDAH France: tdah-france.fr ^[9] — support sessions, forums, MDPH guide for ADHD adults.
• France Assos Santé: france-assos-sante.org — defence of the rights of disabled people, appeal support.
• Rights Defender: defenseurdesdroits.fr — free appeal in case of discrimination or abnormally long delay.
• Autism associations: Aspie-Friendly, AFFA, AFG Autisme for AuDHD profiles — specialised in adult neurodivergent MDPH applications.
• France Services: free administrative support in over 2,500 municipalities.

Go further

• French paperwork with ADHD — overview
• CAF and ADHD: the guide to stop drowning
• Ameli and ADHD: reimbursements, ALD and Mon Soutien Psy
• Taxes and ADHD: avoiding surcharges, requesting remission
• Disclosing your ADHD at work: timing and strategies
• Medical pathway: preparing your psychiatric consultation
• Body doubling: the technique that unlocks flat tasks