United Way assisting seniors with high Entergy bills through “Power to Care”

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - The United Way of Southwest Louisiana has been added to Entergy Louisiana’s “Power to Care” program which helps senior citizens and those with disabilities who may be struggling with high bills.

As a result, United Way caseworkers are now receiving applications from residents with active Entergy accounts in Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jeff Davis Parishes.

Qualifications

To qualify for the program, an individual must:

Live within Southwest Louisiana.
Be either 60 years or older, or 18 years or older with a mental or physical impairment that is receiving Social Security Disability.
Meet the 150% Federal Poverty Level guidelines below.

150% Federal Poverty Level guidelines(United Way of Southwest Louisiana)

How to Apply

Customers can apply by dialing 211 or can visit the United Way’s website HERE.

To apply, you will need:

An active account that is not in a final/inactive/closed status.
Your most recent fully itemized bill.
A state-issued ID matching the name of the account bearer.
And contact information that a caseworker can reach you back at.

You can also find other parish-specific agencies that you can apply through as well as their contact information HERE.

Things to Remember

Once an Entergy Louisiana customer has reached an annual cap, additional assistance will not be provided until the following year.
There is a 90-day (3 months) waiting period between assistance requests.
It can take 90 days (3 months) for a credit to impact your utility bill.
The Entergy account must bear the exact name of the applicant requesting assistance. The only exception is a legal spouse, legal power of attorney, or legal caregiver with proof. Call Entergy at 1-800-368-3749 to be added to the account if you are related to the account holder or have remarried and changed your name.

Most common reasons applications are not approved

Power to Care program funds are donations and the funds were depleted.
The customer has received assistance from other sources and United Way reserves the right to assist others in need.
The customer has reached the annual Power to Care cap set by Entergy.
The customer has a final (inactive/closed) Entergy account. Customers will need to call Entergy at 1-800-368-3749 for a new account number. (The balance will be transferred from the closed account to the new account number).
The customer has more than one service account with Entergy and has received a credit on another account.

Donating to Power to Care

The Power to Care program is funded by donations from Entergy customers, employees, and a match by shareholders. All donations go directly to customer assistance without any fundraising or administrative costs.

You can donate in several ways online via myEntergy.

To donate by check, include your Entergy account number on the check and mail it to:

The Power to Care

Contributions Processing Center

PO Box 24568

Jackson, MS 39225-4568

Additional Help

For Entergy customers who do not meet the requirements for the Power to Care program, Entergy offers several bill assistance options on its website HERE.