Critical care customers get added protections from utility shutoffs

From the Michigan Public Service Commission

There are new protections from utility shutoffs for households with someone who needs life-sustaining medical care.

Updated utility billing rules approved recently by the Michigan Public Service Commission add gas and electric shut-off protections for critical care customers who have difficulty paying their utility bills. Utilities also are prohibited from remotely disconnecting households that have a critical care customer, under the revamped Consumer Standards and Billing Practices for Electric and Natural Gas Service rules.

A critical care customer is defined as someone requiring home medical equipment or a life support system and for whom any interruption of service would be immediately life-threatening.

To qualify for the program, critical care customers must annually complete a Medical Certification Form, which will be available at a utility’s website. It must be signed by a physician or public health official and the completed submitted to the customer’s utility for review to ensure that gas or electric service will not be interrupted because a service bill is not paid.

Michigan is believed to be the only state where such protections for critical care customers are part of public utility commission rules. Those participating in the program are still urged to apply for help to pay their utility bills.

“The new rules guarantee important protections for Michigan residents who are dealing with life-and-death situations,” MPSC Chairman Sally Talberg said as the Commission approved the rules in November.

The protection for critical care customers and those experiencing a medical emergency is the result of discussions among MPSC staff, utilities, health care organizations and consumer advocates to revamp and combine two sets of rules that had been in place for nearly a decade with few substantive changes.

“Customers depend on their electricity and gas services for their health and general wellbeing,” Commissioner Rachael Eubanks added. “Our rules are not effective if they are not harmonious with customers’ needs.”

The new rules also keep in place provisions for avoiding utility service shut-offs, with extensions, for up to 63 days if a customer or a member of a customer’s household has an emergency medical condition that will be aggravated by a lack of utility service. These customers must also submit a completed Medical Certification Form to their utility to qualify for the extension.

The new rules took effect in mid-December.