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or already out of fuel, at the time of application, or if they verbally certify a crisis after the time of application. Applicable crisis timelines will apply to bulk fuel households with a documented declaration of crisis. Because of the nature of bulk deliverable fuels, LSPs are encouraged to expedite processing of these files even if the household does not present as being in crisis. For pre-paid electric utilities, the applicant household is in crisis if it is within ten (10) days of running out of funding in the pre-paid account based on thirty-day rolling average usage. This can be verified by reviewing the account status.

2.3 Moratorium In 1983, the Indiana General Assembly enacted Indiana Code 8-1-2-121 governing the termination of natural gas and electric service without the customer's request. This law states that a utility (municipally-owned, privately-owned, or cooperatively-owned) may not, during the period from December 1 through March 15 of any year, terminate residential utility service to any customer who is eligible for and who has applied for the Energy Assistance Program. The definition of municipally-owned utility means every utility owned or operated by any county, city, or town in Indiana. See Appendix E – Indiana Moratorium Legislation. The language contained in the Indiana Code does not limit moratorium protection based on the method that the utility uses to provide electric or gas service. Therefore, vendors who render service using limiters, meters, and prepaid services must provide moratorium protection to EAP clients as prescribed in by law and reiterated in the EAP memoranda of agreement. Any household who has qualified for EAP on for the current program year cannot have its service disconnected between December 1 and March 15. Utilities may not disconnect service to EAP recipients during this timeframe if: • The customer has submitted an application and has been determined eligible by the local LSP or their subcontractor. • The customer has submitted an application and a staff person at the LSP is determining eligibility (submitting an application makes a household eligible for the moratorium). If the LSP does not have sufficient resources to conduct an immediate eligibility review, then the household is still protected until eligibility can be determined. The LSP must promptly contact the utility vendor to confirm that an applicant with a disconnection scheduled has submitted an application and is covered under moratorium in order for this protection to be extended. If the client is found to be ineligible, the LSP must notify the utility provider as soon as possible. If an applicant was denied and submits an appeal, the moratorium protection is reinstated while the appeal is being considered. • The household has an account in good standing, which is defined as not in disconnect status on December 1.