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EAP Policy Manual FFY24 Chapter 15 Energy Vendors Page 18 • If on other leave, laid off, on an extended vacation, or reassigned to non-EAP duties for 30 days or longer. • Ensuring the private data provided by eHEAT features to employees is appropriate for their job and responsibilities. Energy Vendor Sold, Merged or Out of Business Energy vendors should notify the Service Provider of significant changes to their business. The Service Provider is also responsible for ensuring an energy vendor receiving eHEAT payments is a functioning business. If an energy vendor goes out of business during the EAP program year with EAP funds on accounts, the funds need to be recaptured by the program and forwarded to the household’s new energy vendor. The Service Provider must work with the energy vendor to facilitate the return of funds. If the Service Provider is unable to contact the energy vendor or the energy vendor does not respond, the Service Provider must contact the appropriate local municipal or county attorney. Non-Cooperating Energy Vendors If an energy vendor does not agree to the terms of the energy vendor agreement, the Service Provider must attempt to solicit the energy vendor’s cooperation and explain the implications of refusing to sign or abide by the terms of the agreement. If an energy vendor is non- cooperative they may not receive program payments on behalf of their customers from all EAP Service Providers in the delivery system. The Service Provider may contact Commerce for assistance to solicit the energy vendor’s cooperation. When an energy vendor refuses to sign or abide by the terms of the energy vendor agreement, the Service Provider can request that the energy vendor be designated non-cooperative. The Service Provider must notify Commerce at once by e-mail at eap.mail@state.mn.us, letter, or fax. This correspondence must be addressed to the Service Provider’s Program Performance Auditor and describe the following: • Energy vendor name and address. • Reason(s) the energy vendor is not cooperating. • Approximate number of households affected. • How the Service Provider will serve the households. Commerce reviews the circumstances to validate the request for non-cooperative status and may make attempts to resolve issues directly with the energy vendor. If an energy vendor is designated as non-cooperative in the eHEAT ‘Energy Vendor Profile’, payments for households with this energy vendor go directly to the household. Non-cooperative designation is considered to be a serious matter.