Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Georgia program

A temporary hold on a utility shutoff

A medical statement can temporarily hold a nonpayment shutoff by certain Georgia electric or gas companies.

What it is

A medical statement can temporarily hold a nonpayment shutoff by certain Georgia electric or gas companies.

This rule can buy time when losing power or gas would worsen an illness. It applies to specified regulated utilities. The bill remains due even while shutoff is held.

Eligibility rules
  • The rule binds Georgia Power for electricity, and Atmos Energy plus gas marketers in the Atlanta Gas Light delivery area.
  • Electric cooperatives and municipal utilities are outside this PSC electric rule. Their own hardship policies may offer different help.
  • Notice can be written or oral. An oral notice must be followed in writing within ten days, and medical proof is also due within ten days.
What you get
  • A hold lasting the shorter of the illness or one month from the first notice.
  • One renewal after repeating the notice and medical-statement steps.
What the help includes
  • The hold starts from the initial notice date, not from the day the doctor signs. It lasts no longer than the illness if that is shorter than a month.
  • An eligible certifier is a physician, county board of health, hospital or clinic. The statement explains how disconnection would worsen the illness.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the utility using the number on the shutoff notice about its illness hold.
  2. Ask the doctor, hospital, clinic or county health board for a statement describing the illness, expected duration and shutoff risk.
  3. Have ready: your written notice, the medical statement and copies showing when the company received them.

The utility on your shutoff notice; Georgia Public Service Commission for covered utilities · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The utility applies the hold and can confirm its end date. A single renewal uses the same notice and statement procedure.
Good to know

Two ten-day deadlines run from the first notice: written follow-up after an oral notice, and the medical statement.

Other details
  • The hold delays disconnection but does not erase charges. A payment arrangement and energy assistance are separate questions. Covered gas marketers must offer a reasonable written payment arrangement before disconnection unless a previous arrangement was not kept; other utility-specific policies need checking.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Would a utility shutoff worsen our child’s illness, and does our utility offer this hold? What are the benefits and limits, and would you help us request it if the team thinks it fits?”

Why I’m asking: I want time to resolve an energy bill without putting our child’s care at risk.

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

Send the written notice, get the doctor's statement in within 10 days, and keep copies.

Your social worker

The social worker gets the statement written and sent the same week.

The care team

Writes the statement naming the illness, its expected length, and that a shutoff would make it worse.

Who decides
The utility applies the rule. The Public Service Commission enforces it for Georgia Power, Atmos Energy and the Atlanta Gas Light-area marketers.
Ask the care team
“Can you write a statement for the power company that my child's illness would be made worse by a shutoff, with how long it is expected to last? I have 10 days.”

How to apply

First step: Tell the utility in writing the day a shutoff notice arrives. Ask the oncology team for a written statement naming the illness, its expected length and that a shutoff would make it worse, and hand it in within 10 days.

  1. Tell the utility in writing the day the notice arrives.
  2. Ask the oncology team for the written statement within 10 days.
  3. Apply for energy help and a payment plan while the hold runs.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Call the number on the shutoff notice, then send the written notice and the doctor's statement; the Public Service Commission takes complaints about Georgia Power and the Atlanta-area gas companies

What to gather

  • The shutoff notice
  • Your written notice to the company (keep a copy)
  • The doctor's, clinic's or hospital's written statement

How long: The hold starts with your notice and runs the shorter of the illness or one month; renew once by repeating the steps.

Clock: Hand in the doctor's written statement within 10 days of your first notice to the utility.

What a yes looks like

The company confirms the hold in writing and no disconnection happens while it runs.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Ask whether the company is outside the rule (a co-op or city utility) or whether a deadline was missed. For Georgia Power or an Atlanta-area gas company, complain to the Public Service Commission.

Watch out

  • Two 10-day clocks: written notice to the company (or a call followed by a letter within 10 days), and the doctor's statement within 10 days of that first notice.
  • The rule binds Georgia Power for electricity and Atmos Energy plus the gas marketers in the Atlanta Gas Light area. An electric co-op or city utility is outside it; ask about its own hardship policy.
  • One month, renewable once. It is a hold, not forgiveness. Use the time for energy help and a payment plan.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 8, 2026.

What it is worth

A shutoff for nonpayment held for the shorter of the illness or one month, renewable one time, on a doctor's written statement.

  • $1 (or the length of the illness if shorter, from the date of your first notice to the company) — Length of the hold
  • $1 (by repeating the notice and statement steps) — Renewals
  • $10 — Days to hand in the written statement after your first notice

Legal protection: Service not discontinued for nonpayment while the certified hold runs

What it costs the family: None. The bill is still owed.

The eligibility facts, as published

Utilities bound
Georgia Power (electric); Atmos Energy and natural gas marketers in Atlanta Gas Light's delivery area (gas), per the PSC consumer handbook (June 2010)
Not bound
electric membership cooperatives and municipal utilities (the handbook says its electric rules apply only to Georgia Power); their own hardship policies are unknown
Certifier
physician, county board of health, hospital, or clinic
Notice
in writing, or orally with written notice within 10 days
Statement deadline days
10
Hold
the shorter of the length of the illness or one month from the date of the initial notice
Renewals
1

Expect friction on: Two 10-day deadlines · Utility scope

The trap: Two clocks. Tell the company in writing, or by phone with a letter within 10 days. Within 10 days of that first notice, hand over the written statement from a physician, county board of health, hospital or clinic naming the illness, how long it will last, and that a shutoff would make it worse.

Where I read this

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