You are protected from service shut-off for nonpayment of your natural gas and/or electric bill for up to 21 days if you or a member of your household has a proven medical emergency.
You must provide written proof from a doctor or a notice from a public health official stating that the shut-off of service will aggravate the existing medical emergency. The certificate must identify the medical emergency and specify the period of time during which the shut-off will aggravate the emergency. If you or a member of your household requires home medical equipment or a life support system, you must provide documentation from a physician or medical facility identifying the equipment or life support system and certifying that an interruption of service would be immediately life-threatening.
If shut-off of service has occurred without any postponement being obtained, the utility shall restore service at no cost to the customer for 21 days. The medical emergency form can be extended and service can be postponed for a total of 63 days in any 12-month period per household member. Annually, the utility is not required to grant shut-off extensions totaling more than 126 days per household.
Contact your local utility company for more information.
See the Michigan Public Service Commission Consumer Alert below for more information about this program and other programs and services for income-eligible families throughout Michigan.
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