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

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Louisiana program

Weather protections and help with a shutoff

Louisiana’s extreme-weather rules limit when regulated utilities can disconnect a home.

What it is

Louisiana’s extreme-weather rules limit when regulated utilities can disconnect a home.

An extreme-weather rule can temporarily prevent a disconnection. It does not erase the utility debt. Your utility can explain its payment arrangements and any separate medical policy.

Eligibility rules
  • The utility’s regulator and applicable tariff or order determine which disconnection protections apply. Nonmunicipal ownership alone does not establish Public Service Commission jurisdiction. New Orleans utility oversight needs a separate check.
  • Cold protection applies when the previous day’s high did not exceed 32°F and the forecast stays at or below 32°F for 24 hours.
  • A National Weather Service heat advisory triggers heat protection. Gas is included only where it is used for cooling.
What you get
  • Protection from disconnection on qualifying extreme-weather days.
  • A complaint route through the Public Service Commission for regulated utilities.
What the help covers
  • Louisiana has no statewide medical hold on shutoffs; some utilities have their own. Call the company on the bill, ask for its medical policy in writing, and ask what the clinic needs to certify.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the utility about a payment arrangement and its written medical policy.
  2. Have the account number, shutoff notice and a clinic letter about any medical equipment ready.
  3. Ask the social worker about energy assistance and, for a regulated utility, the commission’s complaint route.

The utility; the Public Service Commission on complaint · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • Any payment agreement or company medical accommodation should explain the protected dates and payments due.
Good to know

Weather rules, medical holds and payment agreements have different conditions. The utility should confirm protected dates and payments due in writing.

Other details
  • A medical letter can support a request to the utility. It does not establish a statewide right without the applicable rule.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“What protection applies to our utility if disconnection becomes a concern? Could you explain the limits and help us request the right arrangement?”

Why I’m asking: I want to know what actually prevents a shutoff and what bills would still need to be paid.

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

Call the utility, ask for a payment plan, and ask for its medical policy in writing.

Your social worker

The hospital social worker can write a letter about the medical equipment at home.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The utility decides; the Public Service Commission handles complaints about regulated ones.
Ask the agency
“My child is in cancer treatment at home. What medical protection does this company offer against disconnection, and can you put me on a payment plan today?”

How to apply

First step: Call the utility for a payment plan today and apply for energy assistance the same day.

  1. Call the utility for a payment plan the day a notice arrives.
  2. Ask the utility and its actual regulator for the current medical-disconnection policy, required signer, duration and renewal rules in writing. A medical letter or energy-assistance application does not by itself stop disconnection.
  3. Ask the local energy-assistance agency about available crisis help and contact the utility about the actual shutoff date.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Call the utility for a payment plan and ask in writing what medical protection it offers. Contact the commission if a regulated utility refuses.

What to gather

  • The shutoff notice
  • The account number
  • A letter from the team about medical equipment at home

How long: Immediate on a qualifying weather day. Everything else depends on the utility.

What a yes looks like

A written payment plan, or a written statement of the company's own medical policy.

What a no looks like, and the next move

The Public Service Commission handles utilities within its jurisdiction. New Orleans has a separate regulator; municipal ownership alone is not a complete jurisdiction test. Confirm the regulator for this account.

Watch out

  • Ask the utility and its actual regulator for the current medical-disconnection policy, required signer, duration and renewal rules in writing. A medical letter or energy-assistance application does not by itself stop disconnection.
  • The weather rule is day by day, not a whole season.
  • The Public Service Commission handles utilities within its jurisdiction. New Orleans has a separate regulator; municipal ownership alone is not a complete jurisdiction test. Confirm the regulator for this account.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

A qualifying extreme-weather day can prevent residential disconnection by a utility covered by the applicable rule. Confirm the account’s regulator and any medical protection.

  • $32 — Winter temperature ceiling for the weather protection

Legal protection: No disconnection in a parish on a day when the previous day's highest temperature did not exceed 32 degrees and the forecast stays at or below that for 24 hours · No disconnection on a day when the National Weather Service issues a heat advisory (gas only where gas is used for cooling) · A right to complain to the Public Service Commission about a regulated utility

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Scope
The Public Service Commission handles utilities within its jurisdiction. New Orleans has a separate regulator; municipal ownership alone is not a complete jurisdiction test. Confirm the regulator for this account.
Trigger
defined extreme weather in the customer's parish on the day
Unknowns
Ask the utility and its actual regulator for the current medical-disconnection policy, required signer, duration and renewal rules in writing. A medical letter or energy-assistance application does not by itself stop disconnection.

The trap: The weather rule is narrow: in winter, the previous day's highest temperature must not have gone above 32 degrees and the forecast must stay at or below that for 24 hours. It is not a whole-season moratorium, and gas is protected in summer only where gas runs the cooling.

Where I read this

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