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

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Pennsylvania program

A doctor's note that holds off a utility shutoff (medical certificate)

A clinician's certificate can postpone a regulated utility shutoff when someone at home is seriously ill. It gives time to arrange payment or help.

What it is

A clinician's certificate can postpone a regulated utility shutoff when someone at home is seriously ill. It gives time to arrange payment or help.

A medical certificate tells the utility that a serious illness makes shutoff a health problem. A doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner can sign it. The protection postpones termination while the underlying bill and payment arrangements still matter.

Eligibility rules
  • A licensed physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner can certify the medical need.
  • The rules cover PUC-regulated utilities, including electric, gas and water service. The exact utility's regulator matters.
  • A certificate can postpone shutoff for up to 30 days and may be renewed twice. For the same unpaid balance, the utility need not accept a further renewal when the required equitable payments have not been made. Clearing the arrears can change that limit.
What you get
  • Up to 30 days of shutoff protection per certificate.
  • Renewal when the payment and medical requirements are met.
  • No charge for the utility's medical-certificate protection.
What the help includes
  • The initial certificate can be renewed twice under the applicable rule. Required payments and the unpaid balance affect later protection. Telling a covered utility that certification will be obtained provides at least three days to obtain it. The utility confirms the deadline and required payment.
  • A non-PUC electric system may have its own hardship policy rather than the state certificate rule.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the clinic whether your child's condition supports a utility medical certificate.
  2. Send the signed certificate to the utility with the account number and shutoff notice.
  3. Ask the utility to confirm the protected dates and explain the payment arrangement for any renewal.

The utility, under PUC rules · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The utility confirms the postponement after receiving a valid certificate. Its confirmation should make the end date clear.
  • If coverage or renewal is disputed, the Public Utility Commission handles complaints about regulated utilities.
Good to know

The certificate does not cancel the bill. Municipal and cooperative electric systems fall outside the PUC rule.

Other details
  • Payments toward current charges and the account balance remain required under the applicable rules. The utility or PUC can explain what payment is equitable for your account and how it affects renewal.
  • Municipal and cooperative electric companies are outside the state rule, though some town gas or water systems are covered. Check the name on your bill; a utility outside the rule may still have its own hardship policy.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Would a medical certificate protect our service, and what payments would we still need to make? Could you help the clinic and utility confirm the dates and renewal rules?”

Why I’m asking: I need to know how long the service is protected while we work on the unpaid 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

Send the certificate to the utility before the shutoff date and ask for a payment plan and the Customer Assistance Program (CAP).

Your social worker

The social worker gets the certificate signed the same day.

The care team

A physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner signs the certificate.

Who decides
The utility applies the rule; the Public Utility Commission (PUC) hears complaints.
Ask the care team
“We have a shutoff notice. Can you sign a PUC medical certificate today saying my child's treatment makes the service necessary?”

How to apply

First step: Get the certificate signed at the clinic and send it to the utility before the shutoff date.

  1. Ask the oncology clinic for a medical certificate the day a shutoff notice arrives.
  2. Ask the utility for its Customer Assistance Program.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Ask the clinic for the certificate and send it to the utility before the shutoff date; complaints to the PUC.

What to gather

  • The shutoff notice
  • The signed certificate
  • Account number

How long: Immediate on receipt; 30 days per certificate.

What a yes looks like

The utility confirms the postponement date.

What a no looks like, and the next move

The utility says the PUC does not regulate it, or the renewal limit is reached: call the PUC and ask for LIHEAP crisis help.

Watch out

  • It postpones the bill; it does not cancel it.
  • City-owned and co-op electric systems are outside the PUC rule; ask them for their own hardship policy.

If they say no, quote this: PUC medical certificate rule: 52 Pa. Code §§56.114 and 56.354.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 9, 2026.

What it is worth

Up to 30 days per medical certificate under the applicable PUC rules; an initial certificate can be renewed twice. Bills and equitable-payment obligations remain.

  • $30 — Maximum length of one medical certification
  • $3 — Maximum total certifications for the same arrears when equitable payments are not made

Legal protection: Postponement of termination on a certificate from a licensed physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner · Renewals continue when the customer has met the payment obligation

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Certifier
licensed physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner
Duration
30 days per certificate
Renewals
Initial certificate plus two renewals for the same arrears when equitable payments are not made; further protection depends on applicable payment and medical requirements.
Scope
Utilities subject to the applicable PUC Chapter 56 rules; the actual utility’s jurisdiction must be checked, including municipal and cooperative systems.

The trap: Thinking the certificate wipes the bill. It puts it off. Ask the utility for its Customer Assistance Program (CAP) at the same time; the discounts differ by utility.

Where I read this

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