Covid 19 Response

We at Vital Power would like to take a moment and thank all of its customers for continuing to support us and selecting us as your energy provider. As a small business, we understand the importance of being there to support both the members our staff and our customers. We clearly understand the need to support one another during this time of need.

Our staff is readily available to assist you.

Below is some general information provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. We hope it can provide helpful information as to how we can all do our part in managing the Coronavirus and its impact.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

COVID-19 Electricity Relief Program

The Public Utility Commission of Texas has created a relief program, “COVID-19 Electricity Relief Plan”, that will assist customers experiencing financial hardships due to COVID-19. It is important to understand that not all customers qualify and that enrollment cannot be performed by the company. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are enrolled with the state’s program, therefore, the best option is to contact the state’s administrator to enroll in the program.

Deferred Payment Plans

Deferred Payment Plans will be offered to all customers in need during this unprecedented and challenging time. Deferred payment plans allow you to set aside or defer past due charges via a payment plan to be paid back in weekly installments, along with your regular charges, by being deducted from your available prepaid balance. At this time, Vital Power will allow you to defer up to 100% of your past due balance plus an additional 3 days of service. If you agree to a deferred payment plan, you will not be able to switch to another electricity provider until the deferred balance is paid in full.

How do I get added to the list? If you are a residential electricity customer in areas of Texas open to retail competition who qualifies for unemployment benefits or are enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid whereby you are genuinely in dire economic straits as a result of COVID-19, then please contact the State of Texas Low Income List Administrator (LILA) by one of the following two methods:

1. BEST OPTION: You may complete the enrollment form online at https://www.txcovid19erp.org/.

2. Call the LILA call center at 1-866-454-8387. Their call center is operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
To qualify for the COVID-19 Electricity Relief Plan, you must be enrolled in and receiving benefits from at least one of the three following programs. You must contact the LILA administrator to ensure that you are enrolled in the Electricity Relief Program.

• SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

  https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program

• Medicaid

  https://www.medicaid.gov/

• Texas Unemployment

  https://www.twc.texas.gov/jobseekers/unemployment-benefits-services

CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act)

On Friday, March 27th, the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) was passed by the United States Federal Government. In this act, the IRS intends to provide an “Economic Impact Payment” or stimulus payment to qualified Americans. The funds are intended to provide necessary support for Americans to pay for the most important needs. To learn about the Economic Impact Payment, please visit the IRS official website at https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/economic-impact-payments-what-you-need-to-know.

211Texas.org

If you need help paying your electricity bill, call 211 within Texas or visit 211texas.org. 2-1-1 Texas does not distribute funds directly but can refer customers to agency partners who may have available resources. Be sure to contact the agency you’re referred to by phone to get the latest information on how to submit your application.