Submit a Claim
Reimbursement Following a Prolonged Outage
Outage and Eligibility
A prolonged outage occurs when a) at least 20,000 customers lose power at the same time and b) at least some of those customers are without power for 72 hours or more due to utility-owned equipment unable to provide power. The 72 hours start at the time power goes off, so such an outage can span into a fourth calendar day.
Who is eligible for compensation?
- Residential Customers: All customers may be eligible for bill credits and spoiled food/medicine reimbursement.
- Commercial Customers: Customers with recorded peak demand of 40kW or less may be eligible for a Daily Service Charge credit and spoiled food reimbursement.
Customers will have fourteen (14) days from the end of the outage event to submit claims for food and prescription medication spoilage due to lack of refrigeration.
Once an eligible customer has been without power for at least 72 hours because of a prolonged outage, the following apply:
-
Residential and Commercial Customers
- A credit for the Daily Service Charge for each 24-hour period during the outage, including the first 72 hours.
Residential Customers- A $25 credit per 24 hours starting at 96 hours.
Example: Once an outage lasts 72 hours, a customer will receive a bill credit for the Daily Service Charges during the entire outage (Days 1-3+) and become eligible for spoilage reimbursement. If the outage lasts another 24 hours or more, residential customers will also then be eligible for a $25 credit per 24 hours starting at 96 hours (Day 4+).
-
Residential Customers
PSEG Long Island will reimburse residential customers:- Up to $235 for perishable food that spoiled due to a lack of refrigeration, when providing an itemized list, or
- Up to $540 for spoiled food, when also providing proof of loss (i.e., photos, receipts).
- The actual loss of spoiled prescription medication when providing both an itemized list and proof of loss.
Small Business Customers
PSEG Long Island will also reimburse certain small business customers:- Up to $540 for perishable food that spoiled due to a lack of refrigeration, when providing both an itemized list and proof of loss (i.e., photos, receipts).
Customers will have fourteen (14) days from the end of the outage event to submit claims for food and prescription medication spoilage due to lack of refrigeration.
-
Residential Customers
The amount of the actual loss of prescription medication due to lack of refrigeration – if an itemized list and proof of loss are provided.
Customers will have fourteen (14) days from the end of the outage event to submit claims for food and prescription medication spoilage due to lack of refrigeration.
Required Documentation
We will apply bill credits automatically when we are aware that a customer is eligible. You may also request credits if you have not received a credit and believe you are eligible. No documentation is required.
To receive food/medication reimbursement, you must submit a request with the following documentation:
Itemized List: a list of perishable food and/or prescription medication that spoiled, including the names of and prices of the items. Required for all types of reimbursement.
All commercial customers and residential customers seeking reimbursement of up to $540 for food and/or the actual loss of prescription medication must also submit:
Proof of Loss: In addition to the itemized list, you must provide photos of the perishable food and/or prescription medication spoiled. To determine the reimbursement amount, you must provide at least one of the following:
- itemized receipts
- itemized cash register receipts
- itemized credit card receipts
- photographs of replacement goods that also indicate the price of the item, or
- other verifiable documentation of the market value of the item