Ohio Military Financial Help

With more and more of our Ohio residents serving in the Armed Forces deployed to Iraq, the State has taken steps through a new law to protect Ohio households from getting into trouble with their utility companies. The Governor has signed a bill that gives Ohio households that have a family member who is deployed on active military duty additional protections regarding their utility service. The provisions of the new law are in effect and provide the following protections to military families.

Electric and natural companies are not permitted to shut off electricity or natural gas for nonpayment of bills for residential customers with a deployed military member. Once the military member returns from active duty, the company must offer the customer a time period equal to the time of deployment to pay any past due balance. If that offer presents a hardship, the customer has the right to request more time in which to pay the balance. The utility company can not charge the customer late fees or interest during the period of deployment or while the customer is working to repay the past due balance.

To help families of deployed members keep in touch with their loved ones, the law allows the Ohio Department of Administrative Services to buy bulk long-distance telephone services to resell to the immediate families of servicemen and women. The State will sell the long distance service at cost, with should be at a discounted rate below what the single family is usually charged.

Any military member who is deployed will be able to terminate a cellular phone agreement without penalty if the contract was made after the new law went into effect. The contract can only be terminated by the deployed service member or his or her spouse. If the person who terminates the agreement does not own the cellular phone, then the phone must be returned to the company as soon as practicable after the individual is deployed for military duty.

There may be additional help offered by the utility companies themselves. Several utility companies in Ohio have additional protections and programs available. Call your utility company and ask.