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ii. Crisis Assistance payment may be provided one (1) time within the Eligibility Period. iii. Crisis Benefit Calculation A) Crisis Assistance benefits are determined based on Household need, with a minimum benefit of $5.01 and a maximum benefit of $500. Any calculated payment of $5.00 or less will automatically be rounded up to $5.01. 1) This minimum benefit is based on the requirement that payments made directly to Energy Utility Vendors must exceed $5.00. B) When calculating Crisis Assistance benefits, an Applicant’s benefit may be increased to account for payment minimums, so long as the total Crisis Assistance benefit does not exceed $500. c. Benefit Calculation for Categorical Eligibility i. Households with Categorical Eligibility status are exempt from Verification of Income requirements at the time of application. These Households will have benefits calculated using the reported income of the Household member who is actively enrolled in DES Cash Assistance or Nutrition Assistance. A) If a Household member is actively enrolled in multiple qualifying programs and different incomes are reported, the higher reported income will be used. i. If a household is categorically eligible based on enrollment in Cash Assistance, the Household income will include both the Household’s reported income plus the Cash Assistance benefit. d. LIHEAP assistance payments are not considered Household income. e. A Household’s participation in LIHEAP must not adversely impact the Household’s eligibility for other public assistance programs provided by DES. 2. Decision Notices a. DES will issue decision notices to Applicants via email through the LIHEAP Portal. 32 of 41