Sick or On Life Support? Texas Has to Keep Your Lights On

Under PUCT §25.29, a Texas medical certificate prevents your light company from cutting off service for 63 days — and you can renew it once for another 63 days, giving you over 4 months of protection. If someone in your household depends on powered medical equipment to stay alive or stay healthy, it’s one of the strongest protections Texas offers.

But most people don’t know it exists until it’s too late. Here’s how it works, who qualifies, and exactly how to get one before you need it.

What a Medical Certificate Does

A medical certificate tells your light company that disconnecting your service would be a genuine health risk for someone in your household. Once you file one, the company cannot disconnect your lights for 63 days from the date they receive it.

That’s 63 days of protection. Over two months where your lights stay on regardless of your account balance.

After the initial 63 days, you can renew the certificate one time for another 63 days. That’s a total of 126 days — over 4 months — of protection from disconnection.

During that time, you’re still responsible for the bill. The charges keep adding up. But your lights stay on, giving you time to get financial help, set up a payment plan, or find other resources.

Who Qualifies

You qualify for a medical certificate if anyone living in your home has a medical condition that requires power-dependent equipment. Common situations include:

Oxygen concentrators — For people with COPD, emphysema, or other breathing conditions
CPAP or BiPAP machines — For sleep apnea patients (some companies accept this, others don’t — ask)
Home dialysis machines — For kidney patients doing dialysis at home
Nebulizers — For asthma or respiratory treatment
Ventilators — For patients who can’t breathe independently
Electric wheelchairs that need to charge — For mobility-dependent patients
Powered feeding pumps — For patients receiving nutrition through a tube
Medication that requires refrigeration — Insulin and certain other drugs that must stay cold
Any other electric-powered medical equipment that a doctor says is necessary

You don’t have to be the person with the medical condition. If your child, parent, spouse, or anyone else living at your address needs powered medical equipment, you can file a medical certificate on the account.

How to Get a Medical Certificate

Step 1: Get the Form

Call your light company and ask for their medical certificate form. Some companies have it on their website. Others will mail or email it to you.

If you can’t find the form, you can also write a letter that includes:

The patient’s name
The account holder’s name and account number
The service address
The medical condition requiring power
The specific equipment that needs power
Your doctor’s signature and contact information

Step 2: Have Your Doctor Fill It Out

Your doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner needs to verify the medical condition and sign the form. This is usually a quick appointment or even a phone call to your doctor’s office. Explain that you need a signed medical certificate for your light company.

Most doctors’ offices are familiar with this process. If they’re not, show them the form from the light company. It’s straightforward — they just need to confirm that a patient at your address needs powered medical equipment.

Step 3: Submit It to Your Light Company

Send the completed form to your light company by:

Fax (fastest — ask for their fax number)
Email (if they accept it)
Mail (slowest — use certified mail so you have proof)
In person (if they have a local office)

Step 4: Get Confirmation

Call the light company after submitting and confirm they received it. Ask for the date they have on file and when the 63-day protection period starts and ends. Write down these dates.

What Happens During the Protection Period

During the 63 days (or 126 if renewed):

Your lights stay on. The company cannot disconnect you for non-payment.
Your bill keeps accumulating. You still owe for the power you use. The medical certificate doesn’t forgive the debt.
The company can still send you bills and past-due notices. They just can’t follow through on disconnection.
You should still pay what you can. Paying even a small amount shows good faith and keeps the total from getting overwhelming.

What to Do With That Extra Time

The medical certificate buys you time, not forgiveness. Use those 63-126 days wisely:

Apply for Financial Assistance

LIHEAP — Federal heating and cooling assistance. Call 211 to apply.
Your light company’s hardship program — Many companies have their own assistance funds. Call and ask.
Local nonprofits — Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, and others help with utility bills. Call 211 for referrals.
Your local community action agency — These organizations specifically help with utility bills and other basic needs.

Set Up a Deferred Payment Plan

Call your light company and negotiate a payment plan for the past-due balance. Texas law (PUCT §25.28) requires them to offer a deferred payment arrangement in many situations. A typical plan lets you pay the past-due amount over 2-6 months while staying current on new bills.

Look Into Bill Reduction

If someone in your home has a medical condition, you may also qualify for:

Level billing — Your bill is averaged over 12 months so you pay the same amount each month, avoiding summer spikes.
A rate plan review — You might be on a more expensive plan than necessary. Check if there’s a cheaper option that still meets your needs.
Energy efficiency programs — Your transmission company may offer free weatherization or efficiency upgrades for medical-needs households.

What Happens When the Certificate Expires

After 63 days (or 126 if renewed), the protection ends. At that point:

The company can resume disconnection proceedings. They’ll need to send you a new disconnect notice and follow the standard 10-day timeline.
You can file a new medical certificate. There’s no limit on how many times you can file over your lifetime. But you can’t renew the same one more than once. After the renewal expires, you’ll need a new certificate signed by your doctor.
Any past-due balance is still owed. If you haven’t paid anything during the protection period, you could owe several hundred dollars.

Emergency Situations

If your lights are already being disconnected and someone in your home needs medical equipment, call your light company immediately. Tell them it’s a medical emergency. In many cases, they can halt or reverse a disconnection when there’s a documented medical need at the address.

If the light company won’t help, call the Public Utility Commission of Texas at 1-888-782-8477. Explain the medical situation. The PUCT can intervene quickly in medical-emergency cases.

For Pay-As-You-Go Customers

Medical certificates work differently with pay-as-you-go plans. Since pay-as-you-go service disconnects automatically when your balance hits zero (not because of a billing dispute), the medical certificate protections apply differently.

Contact your pay-as-you-go company and ask how they handle medical certificates. Some companies will extend a credit period when a medical certificate is on file. Others may suggest switching to a traditional billed plan where the full medical certificate protections apply.

Don’t Wait for a Crisis

If someone in your household uses powered medical equipment, file a medical certificate now. Don’t wait until you’re behind on your bill. Having one on file means you’re protected if a financial crisis hits. You can always file a new one if the old one expires before you need it.

It takes one phone call to your doctor and one form to your light company. Thirty minutes of effort for 63-126 days of protection.

Bottom Line

Texas law requires light companies to keep your lights on for at least 63 days when someone in your home depends on powered medical equipment. You can renew once for another 63 days. The process is simple: get a form, have your doctor sign it, submit it to your light company.

If you’re in a medical situation right now and worried about losing power, call your light company today. And if you need to find a plan that works with your situation, enter your ZIP to see what’s available at your address.

For more on your rights as a Texas customer, check our Texas rights guide. For the complete medical certificate process with templates, see our detailed medical certificate guide.

Related reading:

This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. For official rules, visit the Public Utility Commission of Texas. NoDepositLights.com is powered by Compare Power (PUCT License BR190020).