District of Columbia program
Stopping the power being cut off
A medical certificate and payment agreement can postpone a utility shutoff in DC.
What it is
A medical certificate and payment agreement can postpone a utility shutoff in DC.
A shutoff can put someone's health or safety at risk. District rules allow a postponement with a physician's or public health official's certificate and a payment agreement. The unpaid bill remains owed.
Eligibility rules
- Someone in the home whose health or safety would be harmed by disconnection; a certificate from a physician or public health official; and a payment agreement.
- District of Columbia.
What you get
- Up to 21 days with the shutoff postponed.
- One extension of up to 21 days with a renewed certificate.
If you decide to apply
- Ask the oncology team whether it can certify the health risk from losing utility service.
- Ask your utility about submitting the certificate and arranging the required payment agreement.
The utility, under the District utility commission's rules · Official page ↗
Good to know
The certificate alone is not enough. The payment agreement is also required.
Scope of the hold
- This medical postponement is in DC’s rules for PSC-regulated electric, gas and landline telephone service, not a blanket rule for water, mobile phones, cable or broadband. It requires certification by a physician or public health official and a deferred-payment agreement: up to 21 days, with one further period of up to 21 days on renewed certification. It delays a nonpayment shutoff; it does not cancel the debt or prevent a safety-related disconnection.
Official sources
“If a shutoff would put our child’s health at risk, could a medical certificate keep service on? Could you help us understand the payment agreement and request a hold if it fits?”
Why I’m asking: I want to understand how long service can stay on and what payments we would need to make.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Get the certificate and call the utility the same day.
Your social worker
The utility must postpone once the certificate and the agreement are in place.
The care team
A clinician writes the certificate saying disconnection would harm the child.
- Who decides
- The utility, under the District utility commission's rules.
- Ask the agency
- “My child is in cancer treatment and depends on power at home. I am supplying a physician's certificate and want a payment agreement, so the disconnection must be postponed.”
How to apply
First step: Ask the oncology team for the certificate today, then call the utility and ask for the medical postponement.
- Ask the oncology team today for a letter saying the child's health depends on the power staying on.
- Call the utility, ask for the medical postponement and set up a payment agreement in the same call.
- Diary the 21 days and ask about renewing before it runs out.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Ask the oncology team for a letter the same day, then call the utility and ask for the medical postponement and a payment agreement.
What to gather
The diagnosis letter, the child’s insurance card, and the last two pay stubs cover most applications. The official page lists the rest.
How long: Twenty-one days, extendable once by up to another 21.
What a yes looks like
Written confirmation that the disconnection is postponed and a payment plan.
What a no looks like, and the next move
Contact the District utility commission and the health care ombudsman on 202-724-7491.
Watch out
- You need the certificate AND a payment agreement; one alone is not enough.
- The bill is postponed, not cancelled.
If they say no, quote this: DC Consumer Bill of Rights § 311: the postponement may be extended for one additional period of not more than 21 days by renewal of the certificate.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
A 21-day hold on a shutoff, renewable once for up to another 21 days, on a doctor's certificate plus a payment agreement.
- $21 — Days a shutoff must be postponed on a medical certificate
- $21 — Days the postponement can be extended, once
Legal protection: The utility must postpone the disconnection
What it costs the family: Nothing for the certificate route; the payment agreement itself still has to be paid.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Other
- Someone in the home whose health or safety would be harmed by disconnection; a certificate from a physician or public health official; and a payment agreement
- Residency
- District of Columbia
The trap: The hold needs both parts: the certificate and a payment agreement. A certificate alone will not stop it, and the debt is postponed, not forgiven.
Where I read this
- DC PSC — Consumer Bill of Rights — DC Public Service Commission, read September 10, 2026
- DC PSC — Consumer Bill of Rights (2026 compilation) — DC Public Service Commission, read September 10, 2026