Nevada program
Stopping a power shutoff
A medical certificate can delay a qualifying Nevada gas or electric shutoff during a health emergency.
What it is
A medical certificate can delay a qualifying Nevada gas or electric shutoff during a health emergency.
A shutoff can create a medical emergency for a child. This rule requires both a medical statement and the customer’s statement about payment. It applies to regulated gas and electric utilities, not every supplier.
Eligibility rules
- The medical-emergency rule concerns qualifying gas or electric utility service. The utility or Public Utilities Commission confirms whether your supplier and account fall within it. A supplier outside the rule may have a separate policy.
- A licensed physician, public health official or advanced practice registered nurse can certify.
What you get
- A 30-day shutoff postponement, with one further 30-day renewal.
- Up to 90 days to pay in installments.
What the help includes
- The hold postpones disconnection; it does not forgive the bill. Energy assistance is a separate payment-help route.
If you decide to apply
- Ask the clinic whether it can certify the health emergency to the utility.
- Ask the social worker to help coordinate the clinic certificate and your payment statement with the utility.
Your gas or electric utility; Nevada Public Utilities Commission · Official page ↗
After you ask
- Both the health-emergency certificate and the customer’s payment statement are required.
Good to know
After a telephone certificate, the regulation requires written confirmation to be sent to the utility within five days. The clinic can help confirm the utility received it.
Other details
- Written confirmation must be sent within five days after a telephone certificate. Renewal before the first hold expires can add another 30 days. Both the medical and payment conditions still apply.
Official sources
- NAC 704.370, Postponement of termination of service
- Regulated and Non-Regulated Companies and Service Providers
- Official guidance for Energy assistance, seasons, utility discounts and medical shutoff protection (reviewed September 21, 2026)
- Official guidance for Energy assistance, seasons, utility discounts and medical shutoff protection (reviewed September 21, 2026)
- Official guidance for Energy assistance, seasons, utility discounts and medical shutoff protection (reviewed September 21, 2026)
- Official guidance for Energy assistance, seasons, utility discounts and medical shutoff protection (reviewed September 21, 2026)
“Would a shutoff put my child’s health at risk under this rule, and does our utility qualify? Could you help with both statements and explain the payment terms?”
Why I’m asking: I want a safe way to keep utilities on while we work out the 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 and send both statements.
Your social worker
The clinic signs the medical certificate.
The care team
A physician or advanced practice registered nurse certifies the health emergency.
- Who decides
- The utility, under the state regulation.
- Ask the care team
- “Our power is due to be cut off. Can you sign the utility medical certificate saying a disconnection would create a health emergency for my child?”
How to apply
First step: Ask the clinic to sign the certificate today, then send it to the utility with your own written statement.
- Ask the clinic to sign the medical certificate today.
- Send it with your own inability-to-pay statement; the utility needs both.
- If the certificate was given by phone, post the written version within five days.
- Ask for the instalment plan at the same time.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Get the certificate signed at the clinic and send it with your own statement to the utility.
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: 30 days from the day both statements arrive, with a further 30 on a renewed certificate.
Clock: If the medical certificate is given by telephone, written confirmation must be sent within 5 days; the utility can confirm the applicable tariff and procedure.
What a yes looks like
Written confirmation that termination is postponed and an instalment plan.
What a no looks like, and the next move
A refusal because one statement is missing, or because the supplier is not a regulated utility. Ask which.
Watch out
- The utility needs both statements: the medical certificate and your own inability-to-pay statement.
- Written confirmation of a telephone certificate must be sent within five days.
- City, county and member-owned cooperative utilities are outside these rules, and water is not covered.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
A 30-day postponement of a gas or electric shutoff, renewable once, plus up to 90 days to pay.
- $30 — Days a shutoff is postponed
- $30 — Extra days on a renewed certificate
- $90 — Days allowed to pay by instalments
- $5 — Days to send written confirmation of a telephone certificate
Legal protection: The utility must postpone termination once both statements arrive · An instalment period of up to 90 days
What it costs the family: None.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Utility
- a public utility furnishing gas or electricity; municipal, county, state and cooperative suppliers are outside it, and it does not cover water
- Certifiers
- a licensed physician, public health official or advanced practice registered nurse
- Second statement
- the customer certifies inability to pay normally, or ability to pay only in instalments
The trap: Both statements are needed, not just the doctor's. If the certificate is given by telephone, the written version has to follow within five days.
Where I read this
- NAC 704.370, Postponement of termination of service — Nevada Legislature, read September 10, 2026
- Regulated and Non-Regulated Companies and Service Providers — Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, read September 10, 2026