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Duquesne Light Re-enrolling Onto CAP Grandfathered Customers Who Had Previously Been Removed (Results In Customers Losing Choice Eligibility, Customers Could Potentially Be Shopping Currently)

June 27, 2017

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Copyright 2010-17 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

Duquesne Light is re-enrolling some 150-200 customers onto its Customer Assistance Program (CAP) who were supposed to be grandfathered under changes to the program, but who were nonetheless removed from CAP in 2014.

CAP customers are not eligible to shop for a competitive electric generation supplier (EGS) at Duquesne Light. To the extent customers were removed from the CAP program, they gained the ability to shop and potentially may have selected a retail supplier, but their re-enrollment in CAP would ostensibly terminate their selection of an EGS.

In a motion filed for the June 14 PUC meeting, Pa. PUC Vice Chair Andrew Place stated, "In 2011 as part of its rate case settlement, Duquesne limited eligibility for its CAP program to customers with incomes at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty level, but did not extend CAP eligibility to seniors (age 62 or over) with incomes between 150% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. However, while no new enrollees with incomes between 150% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level would be accepted into the program, the settlement required that Duquesne '... grandfather existing senior customers so that they will not be removed from the current benefits programs, so long as their income levels are at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.'"·

"Despite the adjusted eligibility criteria in the rate case settlement, neither the 2014-16 nor the 2017-2019 plans contained any changes concerning the Company's Senior CAP program. Duquesne, in its April 24, 2017 compliance filing (in response to the Commission's March 23, 2017 Final Order) informed the Commission that the Company proposed to remove these previously grandfathered customers. As this provision had not been previously proposed, offered for public comment or discussed with the parties of record, it was rejected by the Commission in its May l, 2017 Secretarial Letter. However, Duquesne subsequently reported to the Commission's Bureau of Consumer Services that anywhere from 150-200 grandfathered customers had been removed from CAP in 2014, without prior notice, permission or due process," Place stated in his motion

"Duquesne also indicated that it is working to identify the impacted customers, credit their accounts for retroactive benefits and re-enroll eligible senior customers into CAP," Place stated in his motion

Place moved that Duquesne Light Company be directed to submit a corrective action plan concerning the matter, including a detailed impacts assessment, the number of customers/households impacted, the dollar value of the impacts, and a detailed plan for communication with, and reimbursement for, affected customers.

M-2016-2534323

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