Fee Amounts: Services free of charge

Intake Procedure: Call. When calling the Termination Hotline, customers with PFAs should ignore the message at the beginning of the call that directs them to contact their utility company before pursuing assistance from the PUC. This directive does not apply to utility customers with PFAs. Once the customer is connected to a PUC hotline worker, she should report that she has a PFA. The PUC should automatically accept the case, assign an investigator to work out a resolution, and immediately put a hold on the pending termination. Utility service for a customer with a PFA cannot be terminated while the PUC investigates the case.

Geographical Area: Pennsylvania

Helpful Tips: Utility companies should accept emergency, temporary, or final PFA orders. No other information or documentation should be required of customers.

Because the law also does not specify whether the PFA order has to be in effect at the time of the shutoff notice, utility companies should accept PFA orders either currently in effect, or orders that were in effect during the time utility service was received, or during any billing dispute.

Facility/ADA Access: Information not available