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2 2. Definitions
This section provides a definition of commonly used LIHEAP terms.
Disabled - an individual who receives Social Security Disability, State Supplemental, or Veterans’ Affairs (VA) benefits based on disability or who is temporarily disabled due to hospital or home confinement under the care of a licensed physician.
Elderly - an individual who is at least sixty (60) years of age.
Head of Household - the person who is acknowledged by the other household members as being responsible for major decisions affecting the household. Consider in whose name the utility bill is paid, the home property is assessed, tax returns are filed, etc.
Household - any individual or group of individuals who are living together as one economic unit and for whom residential energy for heating or cooling is customarily purchased in common or who make undesignated payments for heating or cooling in the form of rent. Examples of different scenarios are provided below:
• A mother, living with her adult daughter in a single-family home, pays rent to the daughter which covers a portion of the heating or cooling costs. The mother is not considered to be a separate economic unit if there is not a separate heating and cooling bill; therefore, the mother is a member of the daughter’s household.
• A mother maintains an apartment in her adult daughter's home and has a separate heating and cooling bill. In this scenario, the mother is considered a separate economic unit and would not be a member of the daughter's household.
• An individual who is away from home for periods of time because of the nature of his work is still considered a member of the household unless he has established a permanent home elsewhere.
• A student who is away from home to attend school or training is considered a member of the household unless he maintains a separate living arrangement whereby he is responsible for paying all or part of his own heating and cooling and/or shelter costs.
The size of the household is determined by its composition at the time of application. If a client applies on January 6, count the household size as of that day.
Mixed-Status Household - households in which the immigration status of at least one member is different from the others. A common example is a household with one or more