(Revised 10/00 ML #2629)
The county social service office is encouraged to identify a potential crisis situation and to initiate and maintain contact to prevent the crisis, whenever possible. Early intervention has the best chance for success. If contacted before a serious payment delinquency occurs, most vendors are willing to establish payment plans within the means of the household. Regulated utilities are required by the Public Service Commission to arrange deferred payment plans if the customer makes a contact prior to actual shut-off. Once service has been disconnected, however, they are allowed to require full payment of all past due and current usage, reconnection fees, and deposits.
Although many households do not inquire about Emergency Assistance until they are without fuel or a shut-off is imminent, it is possible to identify some "high risk" households at the time the Heating Assistance application is taken. These may include households who have a very low and/or decreasing income, who have a past history of poor financial management and/or dependence on Emergency Assistance, who buy fuel from a vendor operating strictly on a cash-on-delivery basis, etc.
The purpose of a "preventive service" interview is:
- To identify factors which may potentially cause a crisis;
- To encourage and assist the household to develop and honor realistic payment agreements with the vendor;
- To inform the household about Emergency Assistance and to encourage them NOT to delay application until shut-off is imminent;
- To discuss potential payment problems, deferred payment options, or other appropriate financial management measures;
- To arrange for financial management counseling, if appropriate; and
- To encourage and/or arrange referrals designed to resolve underlying causes of economic crises. Because the resolution of the crisis, and factors causing the crisis, is an important goal, the services required to identify and resolve the household problems leading to or causing the energy crisis, such as a social evaluation, budget counseling, skill training, and other services may be provided by county social service staff, purchased on an individual household basis as needed or by agreement with a State or community based resource.
