Ohio program
A temporary hold on a utility shutoff
A clinic's medical certificate can pause a regulated utility's shutoff for nonpayment.
What it is
A clinic's medical certificate can pause a regulated utility's shutoff for nonpayment.
Ohio's medical-certificate rule covers regulated electric, gas and water companies. There is no income test. The protection gives a household time to address the bill while a medical condition makes service especially important.
Eligibility rules
- The medical-hold rule covers PUCO-regulated gas, electric and covered water or sewage companies, without an income test. A clinician must certify the health danger or essential medical-equipment need; a diagnosis alone does not establish it.
- Eligible signers include a physician, physician assistant, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife or local board-of-health physician.
What you get
- A 30-day pause on a covered shutoff for nonpayment.
- Two additional certificates, up to 90 days per household in a rolling 12-month period.
What this covers
- The protection concerns nonpayment shutoffs. A municipal utility or cooperative has its own policy.
If you decide to apply
- Ask the utility for its medical-certificate form and the clinic to review the medical need.
- Send the signed certificate to the utility and ask for the hold dates. Keep a copy with your utility notices.
Your utility's medical-certificate office and your child's clinic · Official page ↗
After you apply
- An authorized clinician can contact the utility for an initial medical hold; written certification must follow within seven calendar days under the rule. Ask the utility to confirm the protected dates. If service has been off no more than 21 days, qualifying medical restoration may be available. Payment arrangements and the utility's restoration schedule still need confirmation.
Good to know
The bill remains owed. The certificate pauses shutoff; it does not pay the balance.
Other details
- The three-certificate, 90-day maximum is per household in a rolling 12 months, not a fresh allowance each January. Bills remain owed, and the household needs an applicable extended-payment agreement when the hold ends. The rule is not a promise of power during an outage or a general protection against municipal, cooperative or bulk-fuel shutoffs.
Official sources
- Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-18-06 — Disconnection procedures
- Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel — 30-Day Medical Certificate
- Ohio official guidance — second-pass review, September 21, 2026
- Ohio official guidance — second-pass review, September 21, 2026
- Ohio official guidance — second-pass review, September 21, 2026
- Ohio official guidance — second-pass review, September 21, 2026
- Ohio official guidance — second-pass review, September 21, 2026
- Ohio official guidance — second-pass review, September 21, 2026
“Would a medical certificate protect our service while we work out the bill, and how much protection would remain? Could you help us arrange it if it fits?”
Why I’m asking: I want to understand our options if a utility shutoff would affect my child's care.
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 certificate the day the notice arrives, keep copies, and keep count of the 90-day cap.
Your social worker
The social worker gets the certificate signed the same day.
The care team
A doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or nurse-midwife signs the note about your child's condition for the utility.
- Who decides
- The utility applies the rule. The state utility commission (PUCO) enforces it for the companies it regulates.
- Ask the care team
- “Can you sign the utility's 30-day medical certificate today, so the power (or gas or water) is not cut off while we sort out energy help?”
How to apply
First step: The day a notice arrives, ask the clinic to fill in the utility's medical certificate form for your child. Then apply for HEAP or crisis help.
- The day a shutoff notice arrives, ask the oncology team for the medical certificate and send it to the utility.
- Apply for HEAP or crisis help and PIPP Plus while the hold runs.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Ask the clinic to certify the medical condition to the utility (the utility's medical certificate form); the OCC fact sheet explains the process
What to gather
- The shutoff notice
- The utility's medical certificate form
- Account number
How long: The hold starts when the utility receives the certificate. 30 days each time, up to three times.
What a yes looks like
The utility confirms the hold dates in writing.
What a no looks like, and the next move
Ask whether the company is state-regulated (PUCO). If it is, complain to the PUCO.
Watch out
- 90 days in any 12 months is the cap. Do not use it up before applying for help.
- A city utility or a co-op is outside the state rule. Ask about its own policy.
- A nurse practitioner or physician assistant can sign. You do not need the oncologist personally.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 9, 2026.
What it is worth
Shutoff for nonpayment paused 30 days per certificate, renewable twice, up to 90 days in any 12 months. No income test. Electric, gas and water.
- $30 — Hold per certificate
- $2 — Renewals
- $90 — Maximum protection per household in any 12 months
Legal protection: No disconnection for nonpayment while a certificate runs · Medically at-risk customers can join the utility's critical-customer list (no guarantee of uninterrupted service)
What it costs the family: None, but the bill is still owed.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Utilities
- PUCO-regulated electric, natural gas and water companies; municipal and cooperative utilities NOT shown to be bound
- Signers
- licensed physician, physician assistant, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or local board of health physician
- Income test
- none
- Period
- 30 calendar days; two additional certificates; 90 days per household in any twelve-month period (rolling)
Expect friction on: Rolling 90-day cap · Utility scope
The trap: It is a pause, not forgiveness: the bill is still owed. The 90-day cap runs over any 12 months, so use the time to get HEAP and a payment plan. The utility's critical-customer list is separate and does not promise the power stays on.
Where I read this
- Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-18-06 — Disconnection procedures — Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (OAC 4901:1-18-06), read September 8, 2026
- Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel — 30-Day Medical Certificate — Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, read September 8, 2026