News
GVEA Board Approves $5 Million in Capital Credit Refunds
At their regular September meeting, the GVEA Board of Directors made the decision to retire all capital credit allocations from 1995 (and earlier), which totals $5 million. All refunds will be distributed by the end of November 2020.
How will the capital credit refunds be rolled out?
Members with active accounts that have a refund under $100 will have a credit posted to their membership account, while refunds over $100 will have a check mailed. However, members with past due or delinquent balances with GVEA will have their entire capital credit refund applied to their membership account. Former members will be issued checks if balances exceed $25 or their balance of under $25 has been held for five years.
If a capital credit refund is posted to an account, the line description on the statement will indicate which year the refund ties to, along with an associated account / service location tracking number.
It’s very important GVEA has a current mailing address on file, so capital credit refunds can reach you.
Questions on capital credits can be directed to (907) 451-5625 or email capitalcredits@gvea.com. Additionally, there’s more information available on GVEA’s website, located here.
Get Help With Your Energy Bills
On November 16, the governor’s bill protecting Alaskans who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 expired and GVEA resumed normal fees and disconnection procedures for members in past due/delinquent status. At this time, GVEA members struggling to keep up with payments still have several resources available to prevent disconnection.
First, if you are directly impacted by COVID-19, you must complete two forms: 1) Sworn Statement of Financial Hardship Due to COVID19 Public Health Disaster Emergency and 2) Residential Electric Member Deferred Payment Agreement Based on Financial Hardship Due to COVID-19 Public Health Disaster Emergency. For more information click here.
Next, talk to us. Often GVEA can work out a payment agreement to spread overdue payments over a few months. That might be all you need to get back on track.
If your financial situation is more complicated, you may want to seek financial assistance. The State of Alaska’s Heating Assistance Program (HAP) opened back up October 1, 2020, and GVEA encourages its members who are eligible to apply. We distribute applications as a resource for members to utilize, however, we do not accept completed applications, turn them in to the State of Alaska, or follow up on their approval or outcome.
Am I eligible for HAP?
HAP assists households with income at or below 150% of the federal poverty income guidelines, who have a minimum of $200 in out-of-pocket heating costs per year and meet all other eligibility criteria. Example of the current income guidelines:
The benefit is a one-time payment applied directly to the member’s electric account.
How do I apply?
If you would like to apply for HAP assistance, you should complete an application form found here, provide all required documentation, and send it to the Department of Health & Social Services Public Assistance Office.
How do I check the status of my application?
To check the status of your application or find out your grant amount, you may contact the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-470-3058 or 1-888-804-6330. More information can be found here.
As always, GVEA remains committed to its members. Disconnection is the last thing we want to happen. Go to our website and explore your options or give us a call.
GVEA Will Be Closing Lobbies
In light of the rising number of Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the Interior and Governor Dunleavy’s recent emergency alert, GVEA will be temporarily closing its lobbies to the public beginning on Monday, November 16, until further notice. We are once again taking this precautionary measure for the safety of our employees, members and the communities we serve. Although the lobbies will be closed, GVEA’s Member Service Representatives will still be available during normal business hours to answer member inquiries at (907) 452-1151 or 1-800-770-4832 (toll-free).
Additionally, GVEA is urging members who are experiencing financial hardships caused by COVID-19 to contact our Member Services Section to address any concerns (ms@gvea.com or 452-1151, select Option 2).
GVEA encourages its members to use GVEA’s “My Account” member portal platform at gvea.com to pay bills, manage their accounts and track usage. A list of payment options is available by clicking here. GVEA has payment kiosks in Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Nenana and Healy. Access to the Fairbanks kiosk is available from 6am to 9pm seven days a week. The Delta Junction kiosk remains accessible 24/7. Three Bears Alaska is home to the Healy kiosk and can be accessed during their normal business hours. In Nenana, the kiosk can be accessed inside Coghill’s General Store during their normal business hours.
GVEA appreciates your cooperation and understanding during these challenging times. We will continue to post updates as needed via these platforms:
- GVEA Blog If you subscribe, updates will be emailed to you.
- Webpage
- Facebook page
GVEA is closely monitoring the rapidly evolving issues and recommendations related to COVID-19. We are following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), along with local and state directives, to help prevent the spread of the virus in the Interior. For the latest updates on the Coronavirus, visit the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov.
Ready. Set. Snow!
TGIF! Plans this weekend?- PREPARE: Do you have an outage kit? The extensive Emergency Outage Kit is a great resource.
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CONNECT: Do we have your current contact information? When you call (907) 452-1151 and report an outage, the system matches your phone number with your address. Because the system is automated we can handle 100s of calls per minute and using the information from callers we can determine the size of the outage and narrow down the location of the disruption.
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- Pro tip: connect with us and update your current contact information here.
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- BE INFORMED: When an outage is reported, we immediately post at https://outage.gvea.com/. This map notes the location of outages, the number of members who are affected and when crews are assigned to respond.
GVEA Lobby Access Restricted
Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the Interior, GVEA lobby access is restricted.
As a precautionary measure for the safety of our employees, members and the communities we serve, GVEA is restricting lobby access. Only one member will be admitted to the GVEA lobby at a time, on a first-come, first-serve basis.
GVEA remains committed to our members and all services are available.
- Fairbanks’ Member Services Building: Hours of operation: 9am to 5pm, Mon-Fri.
- Note: Member Services, Billing, Credit and Capital Credits Sections are located in this building.
- Delta Junction Office: Hours of operation: 8:30am to 4:30pm, Mon-Fri. Closed from 10:30am to noon, Mon-Fri.
- Nenana Office: Hours of operation: 8:30am to 4:30pm, Mon-Fri.
As a reminder, there are a number of electronic/no-contact options to conduct GVEA business:
- Payment drop boxes are available in Fairbanks, Delta Junction and Nenana
- Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) Phone System, call 907-452-1151
- GVEA’s Mobile App
- GVEA’s Member Portal (look for the yellow “My Account” button in the upper right-hand corner at gvea.com)
- Bill Payment Kiosks in Delta Junction, Fairbanks, Healy and Nenana
- Via Phone at 907-452-1151
- To learn more about these options, visit: http://www.gvea.com/rates/payments
Your cooperation and understanding is appreciated during these challenging times. GVEA continues to closely monitoring issues and recommendations related to COVID-19. GVEA is following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), along with local and state directives, to help prevent the spread of the virus in Alaska. For the latest updates on the Coronavirus, visit the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov.
