ComEd Offers Bill Payment Help to Veterans and Active Military Personnel
ComEd l media
Published: November 10, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: ComEd Media Relations (312) 394-3500 www.comed.com/news
ComEd Offers Bill Payment Help to Veterans and Active Military Personnel One million in financial assistance is still available for customers in need in 2014
CHICAGO (Nov. 10, 2014) – As we celebrate Veterans Day ComEd is reminding customers, including Veterans and active military personal, of its financial assistance and bill payment programs available to customers who have fallen behind on payments and need help with their electric bill. More than one million of the $10 million in assistance ComEd dedicated this year is still available for distribution.
In addition, ComEd has funds dedicated exclusively for Veterans and active military personal. ComEd’s CHAMP (ComEd Helps Activated/Veteran Military Personnel) program provides bill-payment assistance to deployed members of the military and veterans who reside within ComEd’s northern Illinois service area and demonstrate a need. CHAMP offers a package of benefits, including bill payment assistance of up to $1,000 while funds are available, deferred payment plans, extended payment due dates, cancellation of late charges, deposit reduction/or refund and budget payment plans.
“We realize some customers, including Veterans, fall on hard times and need assistance with paying their monthly electric bill,” said Val Jensen, senior vice president of Customer Operations, ComEd. “As part of our customer commitment, we offer financial assistance and flexible payment plans to customers in need due to a number of reasons, including military deployment, job loss, illness, disability, and to seniors on fixed incomes.”
Additional financial programs offered through ComEd’s CARE program include:
Residential Special Hardship Program – This initiative is intended to supplement established state-sponsored programs such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Eligible ComEd residential customers experiencing a hardship and who are not Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) participants can receive a grant of up to $1,500 toward their electricity bill. Grant amounts may vary.
Non-Profit Assistance Programs – ComEd extended this program to include all non-profit organizations, including faith-based organizations. This program provides a variable grant once every two years up to $2,000 for 501 (c)(3) non-profit organizations that are experiencing a hardship.
ComEd works with state sponsored local administering agencies to help customers receive funding from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) to assist customers in paying their electric bill.
Last year through its financial assistance programs, ComEd helped more than 28,000 customers who might have otherwise faced disconnection due to financial hardship. The utility is urging customers who are having trouble paying their electric bill to contact the utility as early as possible by calling 1-888-806-CARE (2273) or visiting ComEd.Com/CARE for information on financial assistance or bill-payment assistance programs.
To apply for the Residential Special Hardship grant, or the State sponsored assistance programs customers should visit a local LIHEAP Agency.
This is the third consecutive year ComEd is offering $10 million in annual assistance funds, part of a five-year, $50 million commitment to help customers in need. These dollars are a direct result of the Smart Grid law enacted in 2011.
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Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE:
EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 6.6 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Keywords:
ComEd, Exelon. Assistance Programs, Power, Veterans
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