Seniors eligible for Winter Protection Plan

By Jalen Maki

Tomahawk Leader Co-Editor

LINCOLN COUNTY – The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a phone scam being reported in the area.

A release from Thursday, Nov. 28 stated three citizens reported receiving calls from someone who identified themselves as working with Wisconsin Public Service (WPS). In each case, the caller told the resident that they owed money to WPS and their power would be shut off within the hour if payment wasn’t received.

“As in any case, if someone call you demanding money for any reason, use caution, ask questions, don’t rush into offering any personal information or giving any money,” said Lieutenant Grant Peterson. “Also, never hesitate to call someone you trust or your local law enforcement agency to help you determine if this is a real call or not.”

WPS has established a Winter Protection Plan (WPP) that “protects both seniors and low-income customers from service disconnection and high energy bill payments during the winter months (Nov. 1 to March 31),” according to WPS’s website. Those who meet one of the following requirements qualify for the plan: Are age 65 or older; receive Department of Health and Human Services cash or food assistance, or Medicaid; or have a household income at or below 150 percent of federal poverty level guidelines.

Eligible seniors participating in WPP are not required to make specific payments during the heating season. Eligible low-income customers who participate in WPP need to make monthly payments equal to 7 percent of their estimated annual bill, November through March, to avoid service disconnection during that time. At the end of the protection period, both low-income and seniors must pay off any money owed in installments between April and November.

For more information, call WPS at 800-450-7260.

To read about WPS’s winter protection plan on the company’s website, visit https://accel.wisconsinpublicservice.com/home/winter_protection.aspx.