Income Qualified Programs: Rate Discount Application Terms & Conditions

Revised 12/2024

Income Qualified Programs: Rate Discount Application Terms & Conditions

Declaration:

By completing this application, you affirm the accuracy of the information provided, agree to provide proof of income or eligibility upon request, and authorize SCE to share your information with other utilities, SCE contractors, state and federal agencies, and entities designated by the CPUC about other residential assistance programs. Additionally, you consent to receive promotional messages via phone, text, and email regarding voluntary participation in other programs and services, and you can later opt out of these messages. Your participation is subject to the terms and conditions at sce.com/carefera.

Terms and Conditions:

The information provided by you to Southern California Edison Company (“SCE”) in your written, online, or phone application for the California Alternate Rates for Energy (“CARE”) or Family Electric Rate Assistance (“FERA”) program must remain accurate. Eligibility for either the CARE or FERA discounted rate is determined by household size and current income; however, participants are qualified for only one of these programs, not both. Unless stated otherwise, all terms and conditions listed below apply to your participation in either the CARE or FERA discounted rate program (each referred to as the “Program”).

The SCE account for the Program discount must be in your name (except for property owners or managers). You can receive either CARE or FERA discount, but not both, on your primary residence’s electric bill. Discounts at multiple residences are not allowed.
Your home must be on a residential energy rate as per SCE’s CARE and FERA Tariffs. Home-based businesses are not eligible for the discounted rate.
Sharing an energy meter with another home is not permitted unless your home is covered by a master meter.
At the time of enrollment and throughout participation in the Program, participants must either (1) be enrolled in an eligible public assistance program (CARE Program only) or (2) have a combined household income that meets the current guidelines of the Program (CARE or FERA Program).
The applicable household income guidelines and public assistance programs were listed on your application. This information is updated annually and can be reviewed at sce.com/carefera.
Household income includes all taxable and nontaxable income from everyone living in the home. This includes wages, salaries, interest, dividends, alimony, child support, public assistance, Social Security, pensions, rental income, self- employment income, employment-related income, and non-cash income.
You cannot be claimed as a dependent on another person’s income tax return unless that person is your spouse.
You are required to notify SCE if you no longer qualify to participate in the Program for any reason, including because your household income exceeds the Program guideline limits and/or you are no longer actively participating in eligible public assistance program(s). You may discontinue your participation by visiting sce.com/apps/iqp or by calling 1-800-798-5723.
If you obtained the Program discount without meeting the eligibility criteria or through deceptive methods, you may be required to repay the amount discounted.
You will be required to recertify your eligibility every two years if you wish to remain on the Program (or every four years if on a fixed income like Social Security, Pensions, and/or 401k disbursements). You may complete your recertification by visiting sce.com/apps/iqp or by calling 800-798-5723.
To remain in the Program, you may be randomly selected for income verification, if selected, you must provide all documentation that SCE requests, in its sole discretion. If you do not provide this documentation, you may be removed from the Program and not allowed to re-enroll until you provide the necessary documentation.
Your participation in the CARE Program may require that you participate in the Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) program, which allows income-qualified customers to receive energy-efficient appliances at minimal to no charge.
You may be removed from the Program if your monthly electricity usage exceeds 600% of your allotted monthly baseline allowance.
- If removed, you have the right to file an appeal and request reinstatement. The appeals process and relevant forms can be found at sce.com/carefera.
You may be removed from the Program if SCE receives or discovers information from any other source (i.e., other programs) that demonstrates you are not eligible. If you are deemed ineligible for the CARE Program, you may still be eligible for the FERA Program, and may be switched to that Program, if appropriate.
If your energy bill is directly provided by a property owner or property management company (master-meter accounts), your participation in the Program will be communicated to the SCE account holder (property owner or management company). This ensures that your share of the energy bill receives the appropriate discount.
By enrolling in the Program, you authorized SCE to share your personal information with SCE’s contractors, other utilities, federal and state agencies, or third parties designated by the California Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”).
Your personal information will be collected, used, shared, and stored in accordance with SCE’s Privacy Notice, available at sce.com/privacy.
As a participant in the Program, you agree and understand that you may receive texts or calls at the phone number you provided to SCE, including through an Automated Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) or a prerecorded message from, or on behalf of, SCE for rebates, savings, or other low-income qualified program information. Receiving these calls is not required to continue enrollment in this Program, and if you do not want to receive these calls or texts, you can opt out after you receive the first one. Message and data rates may apply.
SCE may send informational and marketing emails to the email address(es) you provided. To be removed from optional marketing email messages, visit sce.com/mysce/preference-center and de-select “SCE Updates” to be removed from the list or click “Unsubscribe” in the optional marketing email message.

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The CARE and FERA Programs are funded by California ratepayers and administered by SCE under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and may undergo term changes, including those mandated by CPUC orders. SCE reserves the right to revise or update these terms and conditions at its discretion, without prior notice.

For additional information pertaining to SCE’s financial assistance programs, please visit our helpful internet portal at sce.com/billhelp.

If you or someone in your household requires the regular use of electrically powered medical equipment or other qualifying medical devices, you may be eligible for our Medical Baseline Allowance (MBL) program. This program provides an additional 16.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per day. Provided at the lowest baseline rate, this helps offset the cost of operating the medical equipment. Visit sce.com/mbl for additional details.

Additionally, the Arrearage Management Plan (AMP) offers a debt forgiveness payment option for residential customers enrolled in CARE and FERA and have a total account balance of $500 or more, some of which have been past due for over 90 days. After 12 individual on-time monthly bill payments, your debt will be fully forgiven (up to $8,000 per customer). If you have questions or want more information about AMP, please visit our Help Center.