Maryland program
A doctor's note that holds off a utility shutoff
A clinician's certificate can delay an electric or gas shutoff when losing service would worsen a serious illness.
What it is
A clinician's certificate can delay an electric or gas shutoff when losing service would worsen a serious illness.
Electricity or gas may be essential to safe care at home. A medical certificate can buy time when disconnection would aggravate illness or stop life-support equipment. It does not erase the unpaid balance.
Eligibility rules
- Disconnection must aggravate an existing serious illness or prevent life-support equipment from working.
- The rule covers electric and gas utilities under Public Service Commission jurisdiction.
- The rule covers electric and gas companies regulated by the Public Service Commission. Water, heating oil and a landlord’s bill are not covered, and a co-op may not be; ask the utility whether the rule applies to your account.
What you get
- Up to 30 extra days beyond the scheduled shutoff date.
- A possible further postponement when the certificate and payment rules are met.
What the help covers
- A licensed physician, certified nurse practitioner or physician assistant can certify the medical need.
If you decide to apply
- Ask your child's physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant whether the medical test fits.
- Give the signed certificate to the utility with the account details and shutoff notice.
- Discuss a payment agreement with the utility within the required 30-day period.
The utility, under Public Service Commission rules · 1-800-492-0474 · Official page ↗
After you apply
- The payment agreement deadline is 30 days after the certificate is submitted. The initial protection lasts up to 30 days beyond the scheduled termination date.
Good to know
The certificate and the payment agreement do different jobs. Protection can lapse without the agreement.
Other details
- The normal postponement is up to 30 days beyond the scheduled shutoff. The medical certificate must meet the utility rule, and a payment agreement is required within 30 days of certificate submission. The utility confirms the hold and any renewal in writing; the debt remains owed.
Official sources
“Would losing utility service put our child's health at risk under this rule? Could the clinic help with the certificate, and could someone explain the payment agreement we would still need?”
Why I’m asking: I want enough time to keep care safe at home while we sort out the utility bill.
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 signed, hand it in, then set up a payment agreement within 30 days.
Your social worker
The clinician signs the certificate naming the illness or the equipment.
The care team
A physician, certified nurse practitioner or physician assistant signs it.
- Who decides
- The utility, under the Public Service Commission's rules.
- Ask the care team
- “We have a shutoff notice and my child is at home on equipment. Can you sign a utility medical certificate today saying that losing power would make this worse?”
How to apply
First step: Ask the oncology team to sign the certificate the day a notice arrives, and hand it to the utility.
- Ask the oncology team for a signed medical certificate the day a notice arrives.
- Give it to the utility and get the date the protection runs to.
- Ring the utility within 30 days to set up a payment agreement.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Have the clinician sign the certificate and give it to the utility, then agree a payment plan within 30 days.
What to gather
- The shutoff notice
- The list of equipment your child uses at home
- The utility account number
How long: Up to 30 days at a time, renewable with an updated certificate.
Clock: Thirty days from handing in the certificate to enter a payment agreement with the utility.
What a yes looks like
The utility confirms a date the protection runs to, and offers a payment agreement.
What a no looks like, and the next move
Ask whether your supplier is under the Public Service Commission, and complain to it if so.
Watch out
- The certificate does not erase what is owed. Set up a payment agreement within 30 days or the protection lapses.
- Winter protections run November to March, but they are not an absolute ban on cutting service.
- Whether a municipal or cooperative supplier is covered was not established. Ask yours.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
Up to 30 more days before the electric or gas goes off, renewable with an updated certificate. Winter protections run November 1 to March 31 but are not an absolute ban.
- $30 — Initial days of protection beyond the scheduled termination date
- $30 — Days within which a payment agreement must be entered
Legal protection: Service may not be terminated for an initial period of up to 30 days where termination would aggravate an existing serious illness or prevent the use of life-support equipment · Certification may be renewed with updated information, with no numeric cap stated in this rule · Winter protections run November 1 through March 31, subject to the statutory conditions
What it costs the family: None.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Condition
- Termination would aggravate an existing serious illness or prevent the use of life-support equipment
- Certifier
- A licensed physician, a certified nurse practitioner or a physician assistant
- Scope
- Electric and gas utilities under Public Service Commission jurisdiction; municipal and cooperative coverage was NOT FOUND
The trap: The certificate does not wipe the arrears. You have to enter a payment agreement with the utility within 30 days of handing it in, or the protection does not hold.
Where I read this
- COMAR 20.31 — Termination of service — Maryland Division of State Documents, read September 10, 2026