DC Attorney General Karl Racine issued a consumer alert, saying more District residents are now eligible for utility assistance programs.
DC residents have already been protected from utility shut-offs during the city’s public health emergency declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) worked to provide an additional protection for struggling individuals who fell behind on paying their bills and may need help after the emergency.
Advocating for the expansion of utility assistance programs to more people, OAG supported a petition by the Office of the People’s Counsel asking the DC Public Service Commission (PSC) to help ratepayers, according to Monday’s statement.
Then OAG collaborated with the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) and filed a motion for these programs to include even more DC populations after the PSC issued an order expanding them to more middle-income households.
Good news: @DC_PSC granted our motion with the @DOEE_DC to make about 50k more DC households eligible for discounts on their utility bills and for utility bill debt forgiveness. For more information & to apply for these utility assistance programs, visit: https://t.co/96trduc4Xa
— AG Karl A. Racine (@AGKarlRacine) June 8, 2021
The PSC granted last year OAG’s motion to make more DC households eligible for discounts on their utility bills and for utility bill debt forgiveness last year.
The DC Public Service Commission’s order that makes approximately 50,000 more households eligible went into effect on May 27, 2021.
The income guidelines for the Utility Discount Program have now been increased to 80 percent of Area Median Income. Eligible households will be provided discounts of:
- Up to $475 per year on electric bills ($300 per year if the household doesn’t have electric heat).
- Up to $276 during the winter season on gas bills.
- Over $400 annually on water and sewer bills.
For detailed information on eligibility and how to apply for the utility assistance programs, click here.