Special Protections
We provide special protections programs for elderly, blind, and disabled persons, persons with medical emergencies, and persons who rely on electrically operated life-sustaining equipment.
Our protections programs do not provide free utility service; customer accounts are still subject to collections measures if the bill is not paid. These collections measures may include placing a lien against personal property. We will work with our customers to help them receive any heating assistance grants they may qualify for. We will also help customers maintain a payment plan to pay off any arrears they may have.
Please call our Customer Contact Center at any time for additional information or to apply for a protection: 1-800-642-4272.
Our special protections programs include:
- Elderly, Blind, and/or Disabled Protection: We will attempt to reach you by phone or in person at least 72 hours before your service is shut off for non-payment.
- Medical Emergency Program: Your account will receive a 30-day protection from service termination for non-payment.
- Life Support Program: We will contact you in advance about any planned electrical outages and attempt to reach you by phone during prolonged unplanned outages. If we are unable to contact you, we will send emergency personnel to your home for a wellness check.
If everyone in your household is elderly, blind and/or disabled, you may qualify for this protection.
If you qualify for this protection, we will attempt to reach you by phone or in person at least 72 hours before your service is shut off for non-payment.
- Annual recertification of your EBD protection may be required
- A form will be sent to you to provide us with your current household make-up along with updated proof for all household members.
- If we do not receive a completed form with updated proof, your EBD protection may be at risk of being removed from your account.
To qualify, your entire household makeup must consist of any combination of the following:
- Elderly: 62 years old or older and if anyone else is in the home, they are 18 years of age or younger.
- Blind: Where the person has a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of a correcting lens or an eye which is accompanied by a limitation in the fields of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees.
- Disabled: Receiving Social Security Disability (SSD), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Military benefits due to a service-related disability.
Different ways to apply
Apply Online
Complete the online Protections Application form. You will also need to upload required documentation for each household member.
Apply by Mail, Email or Fax
Download and complete the Protections Application form. Send this form, along with required documentation to:
Email: Life.Support@nationalgrid.com
Fax: 1-315-460-9343
Mail:
National Grid
Credit & Collections
Residential Protections Team / D-1
300 Erie Blvd West
Syracuse, NY 13202
If you have questions about these programs, please call Customer Contact Center at 1-800-642-4272.
If you or someone in your household suffers from a serious illness or medical emergency, your account may be eligible for this program.
We will send a Physician Protection Form to the patient’s medical professional. The form explains what each protection program is. Using the information on the form, the medical professional will determine which level of protection your account is eligible for.
Qualifications
A Medical Emergency exists when a resident suffers from a serious illness or a medical condition that would be worsened by the absence of service.
If your medical professional selects this protection, they will need to send us a medical letter.
If you are approved for a Medical Emergency, your account will receive a 30-day protection from service termination for non-payment.
- This does not provide phone outreach or special meter tagging. Medical Emergency protection may be extended for 30 or 60 days, depending on the nature of the patient’s condition.
- To renew your Medical Emergency protection, you must first demonstrate an inability to pay for your utility services.
- A financial statement with supporting documents is required before we send a request to the medical professional for an updated medical letter.
Ways to apply
Apply Online
Complete the online Protections Application form.
Apply by Mail, Email or Fax
Download and complete the Protections Application form and return it to:
Email: Life.Support@nationalgrid.com
Fax: 1-315-460-9343
Mail:
National Grid
Credit & Collections
Residential Protections Team / D-1
300 Erie Blvd West
Syracuse, NY 13202
If you have questions about these programs, please call Customer Contact Center at 1-800-642-4272.
This program is for households where electrically operated life-sustaining equipment is in use and where loss of power would result in immediate hospitalization or risk of death.
- Examples include but are not limited to a kidney dialysis machine or a respiratory ventilator.
- Equipment used to refrigerate medication are generally not considered to be life-sustaining. The patient’s medical professional is the best person to advise you as to whether your account qualifies for our Life Support Program.
If you qualify, we will provide the following support:
- During a prolonged unplanned outage (for example, during a storm), we will make two attempts to reach you by phone. If we are unable to contact you, we will send emergency personnel to your home for a wellness check.
- We will contact you in advance about any planned electrical outages
After you apply, we will send a Physician Protection Form to the patient’s medical professional. The medical professional will review the form and determine if your account is eligible for this protection.
If your medical professional returns the Physician Protection Form for Life Support, we will add your account to the program.
What happens next:
- We will add a special white tag seal on your electric meter.
- If your meter is inside, you will be contacted to set up an appointment.
- Annual recertification is required.
- A form will be sent to you to provide updated medical professional information. We will send a follow up form to your medical professional to verify that the patient still qualifies for our Life Support Program.
- You will receive a semi-annual phone number update form to complete.
- We will use the numbers you provide to contact you about any planned electrical outages.
- Any additional emergency contact phone numbers you provide are used for Life Support purposes only.
- During prolonged unplanned outages, we will make two attempts to reach you by phone. If we are unable to contact you, we will send emergency personnel to your home for a wellness check.
- If your backup plan includes relocation, please provide a phone number that can travel with you, such as a cell phone.
- If you no longer require to be a part of our Life Support Program, a removal form will need to be completed.
It is important to know that this program has limitations. Your electric service will not be protected from interruption. No utility can prevent an electrical outage due to weather or other system issues. It is critical to have a backup plan in case your home loses power. Your plan may include a household generator, backup batteries, a relocation plan, or all three.
We may need to make equipment repairs or upgrades that require your home to be de-energized. You will need to rely on your back up plan during the planned outage. We will notify you by phone of any planned outages. It is especially important for customers who are part of the Life Support Program to have working phone numbers on their account.
Apply
Apply Online
Complete the online Protections Application form.
Apply by Mail, Email or Fax
Download and complete the Protections Application form and return it to:
Email: Life.Support@nationalgrid.com
Fax: 1-315-460-9343
Mail:
National Grid
Credit & Collections
Residential Protections Team / D-1
300 Erie Blvd West
Syracuse, NY 13202
If you have questions about these programs, please call Customer Contact Center at 1-800-642-4272.