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From the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) filed a Proposed Final Decision:

[ *** ] The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (Authority or PURA) approves the 2025- 2026 Joint Energy Affordability Assistance and Arrears Management Plan (Plan) submitted by The Connecticut Light and Power Company and Yankee Gas Services Company, each individually d/b/a Eversource Energy (CL&P and Yankee Gas, respectively; jointly, Eversource), and The United Illuminating Company, Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation, and The Southern Connecticut Gas Company (UI, CNG, and SCG, respectively; collectively, Avangrid; together with Eversource, Companies), subject to the modifications and additions discussed herein. [ *** ]

ORDERS 

For orders requiring a filing, the Companies shall file an electronic version through the Authority’s website at www.ct.gov/pura. Submissions filed in compliance with the Authority’s orders must be identified by: Docket Number, Title, and Order Number. Compliance with orders shall commence and continue as indicated in each specific order or until the Company requests and the Authority approves that the Company’s compliance is no longer required after a certain date. Unless otherwise provided or determined by the Authority, filings submitted in compliance with an order shall constitute satisfaction of the order. Filings requiring Authority approval must be filed as a motion. 

1. As of the date of issuance of this Decision, Order No. 14 of the 20-07-04 Decision, as modified by the Interim Decision, is stayed. 
2. As of the date of issuance of this Decision, the Companies shall increase the payment required for non-financial hardship customers to reenroll in a FPA after the first broken payment arrangement to 20% of the customer’s arrearage.
3. As of the date of issuance of this Decision, the Companies shall begin implementing the bi-annual MPP auto-enrollment proposal, as discussed in Section II.B.2.i, Annual Auto-Enrollment. 
4. As of the date of issuance of this Decision, the Companies shall continue to accept and verify household income for customers, except for customers who the Companies deemed ineligible within a 12-month period, whom the Companies may refer to the CAAs, as discussed in Section I

I.C, Financial Hardship Income Verification. 

5. No later than 30 days after the issuance of the Decision, all Participants whom the Authority preliminarily determined eligible to receive stakeholder group compensation, including those who received advance payments, shall submit a completed (1) Evidence of Substantial Contribution form and (2) Stakeholder Group Compensation Itemized Expenditures form in Docket No. 23-09-34, PURA Implementation of the Stakeholder Group Compensation Provisions of Section 15 of Public Act 23-102.  Both forms must be submitted as a comment to the motion representing the Participant’s Application for Stakeholder Group Compensation.
6. As of the date of issuance of this Decision, the Companies shall begin implementing the bi-annual MPP auto-enrollment proposal, as discussed in Section II.B.2.i, Annual Auto-Enrollment.
7. As of the date of issuance of this Decision, the Companies shall continue to accept and verify household income for customers, except for customers who the Companies deemed ineligible within a 12-month period, whom the Companies may refer to the CAAs, as discussed in Section II.C, Financial Hardship Income Verification. 
8. No later than 30 days after the issuance of the Decision, all Participants whom the Authority preliminarily determined eligible to receive stakeholder group compensation, including those who received advance payments, shall submit a completed (1) Evidence of Substantial Contribution form and (2) Stakeholder Group Compensation Itemized Expenditures form in Docket No. 23-09-34, PURA Implementation of the Stakeholder Group Compensation Provisions of Section 15 of Public Act 23-102.9 Both forms must be submitted as a comment to the motion representing the Participant’s Application for Stakeholder Group Compensation.
9. Within 30 days of the Authority’s order to pay stakeholder group compensation, the Companies shall pay that compensation in the following proportion: 

7. Within 30 days of the Authority’s order to return stakeholder group compensation, the relevant Participant shall return the compensation to the Authority, for return to the Companies. 
8. No later than December 4, 2025, the Companies shall incorporate the modifications and additions discussed in Section II., Arrearage Forgiveness Program Plan, and submit as compliance both a clean copy and a red-lined version of the revised plan. 
9. No later than December 4, 2025, the Companies shall submit for review and approval a proposal to modify each Company’s IT system to track how each customer receives a financial hardship designation, as discussed in Section II.D.2, Hardship Designation Tracking.
10. No later than December 15, 2025, Eversource shall provide a detailed cost proposal and timeline to update their IT systems to auto-enroll MPP-eligible customers when they receive a CEAP commitment, as discussed in Section II.B.2.i, Annual Auto-Enrollment. 
11. No later than January 6, 2026, Eversource shall submit as compliance a confirmation that its IT and billing systems, corporate policy documents, and training materials have been updated to allow financial hardship customers to participate in MPP, if eligible, even if such customers successfully completed MPP within a 12-month period, as discussed in Section II.B.2.ii, Re-Enrollment. 
12. No later than January 6, 2026, the Companies shall submit as compliance a plan for utilizing legal collections and wage garnishment activities to address customer arrearages, as discussed in Section II.H, Collections Practices. 
13. No later than March 16, 2026, OCC shall facilitate a working group to consider any changes to the current FPA financial hardship and non-hardship customer downpayment requirements and, in consultation with the working group, submit a final report as compliance, as discussed in Section II.H.4, Collections Practices.
14. No later than June 1, 2026, as part of the 2026 Plan, the Companies shall: 
15. Track and report in the 2026 Plan, and annually thereafter: 
16. The new metrics, as discussed in Section II.B.1, MPP Metrics; 
17. the MPP payment metrics, as discussed in Section II.B.2.ii, Re-Enrollment; 

iii. the number of financial hardship customers with multiple premises and the arrearage associated with each premise, as discussed in Section c, Multiple Premises; and 

28. the medical protection metrics, as discussed in Section II.F, Medical Protection Claims. The Company shall also report on the medical protection metrics in Docket No. 25-06-28. 
29. Provide a proposal for additional MPP success metric(s) as needed, as discussed in Section 

II.B.1, MPP Metrics; 

1. Research how other states, as well as other entities in Connecticut, confirm household size and submit a proposal regarding how the Companies could incorporate those practices and policies in their own household income verification process; and c. Submit a detailed cost proposal and timeline to update their IT systems in alignment with NAG’s recommendation, e.g., to use “fuzzy logic” or layered verification that recognizes common address variations, as discussed in Section II.D.1, Address Mismatches. 
2. No later than August 1, 2026, in Docket No. 26-05-01, CNG and SCG to provide an implementation update regarding LIDR and BBP cessation.elect
3. No later than November 1, 2026, CNG and SCG shall cease offering the $50 BBP to customers.

Proposed Final Decision (10/06/2025)
25-05-01 (10/29/2024)
(Annual Review Of Affordability Programs And Offerings (Energy Affordability Annual Review)