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applicants are encouraged to apply by appointment. Historically, FAP funds become available to Delaware in mid-December. Usually this coincides with the onset of cold weather. During this time frame, walk-in traffic usually accelerates. However, there are crisis situations and sometimes convenience situations where a client applies as a walk- in.

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APPLICATION PROCESS

Application for the program is made on the Delaware Energy Assistance Program Application form. The application must be completed, signed and dated to be valid. Incomplete applications may be pended for a limited time.

The application process is critical to the applicant as eligibility is established during this process. The time required to complete an application varies according to household size, the number of adults in the household for which income documentation must be acquired and calculated and whether the income is fixed or non-fixed. Households who have consistently been employed with the same employer or households who have been receiving a form of fixed income can routinely be processed in a shorter time frame than households with unstable employment or income. This element of uncertainty, as to whether an application will take twenty (20) minutes to process or one (1) hour, makes scheduling of appointments challenging. It is important to have employees cross-trained to support the intake staff if required to cover the over-flow generated from clients who come in to the office without a prior appointment.

Another factor that impacts time efficiency while processing an application involves the type of application format utilized. The two (2) forms are described below: 1) If the applicant is new to DEAP, a full application is required. (See Section 1800, Forms). This form takes more time to collect pertinent data and takes more recording time. Additional time is required to inform the client about the program components, timelines and intent. The new application also requires more data entry time because a new client must be input into the CAPS system.

2) If the applicant is on file from the previous year, and if there are minor changes, the caseworker would use a “Recertification Form”. (See Section 1800, Forms). This recertification application is generated and printed from the data base in May. It replicates the data entered into the database the previous year. During the month of June, the recertification forms are filed into individual client records in preparation for the following program year scheduled appointments. During the interview, information is updated. This process decreases dramatically the time required to record information at application and data entry. If the applicant is on file from the previous year but there are significant changes in household information, a new application may be utilized.