WEST NYACK – As part of its current four-year rate plan, Veolia North America is offering New York State’s first-ever Water Affordability Program to assist its most financially vulnerable water utility customers.
Veolia received permission from the State Public Service Commission to extend the program across its New York utility service territory, which covers over 500,000 residents in Rockland, Westchester, Orange, Putnam and Tioga counties.
Under the new program, qualified residential customers will be able to access bill discounts of up to 25 percent with additional benefits that include boosted rebates on certain water-saving appliances.
Veolia’s Affordability Program is designed to create a financial cushion for customers who are facing a hardship that could prevent their ability to stay current on paying their basic expenses. It offers a lifeline to families that find themselves in financial distress and is also structured to help customers access assistance before their unpaid bills become a family crisis.
“Losing a job, raising a family, unexpected medical bills. There are so many reasons we can find ourselves behind in affording basic services. That’s why we want to make sure we provide as much access as possible to the assistance customers need, when they need it most,” said Chris Graziano, regional president of Veolia’s New York operations and chairman of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Water Companies.
Veolia’s residential customers who previously received benefits under the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program will automatically be enrolled for the first year. Customers are also eligible for the program if they participated in another utility affordability program in the last 12 months or received assistance through qualifying government programs.
“Without question, these last few years have been difficult for families trying to make ends meet and I thank Veolia for creating this program to provide residents some much-needed fiscal relief on their water bills,” said Rockland County Executive Ed Day.
