Page 24

DEO LIHEAP Policies and Procedures Manual Page 24

F. To calculate the benefit for an eligible household approved for a Home Energy Benefit: 1 Identify the household size 2 Identify the amount of total household income 3 Identify any household members who may be elderly, disabled or 5 years of age or under 4 Use the DEO Benefits Payment Matrix to determine the amount of the benefit the household will receive. .02 Crisis Assistance A. (See the definition of Crisis Assistance in Section 200, Definitions). An applicant must have a verifiable Home Energy Crisis. A subrecipient may provide multiple Crisis Assistance benefits per year. Prior to awarding a benefit, the subrecipient must verify that the applicant has not received the maximum amount of crisis assistance during the program year. 1 If less than $5000 for the season, then it is allowable. 2 If more than $5000, and if the applicant is also eligible for a Home Energy Benefit, then the crisis assistance may be approved if the combined funds will resolve the crisis. The subrecipient may pay the minimum amount needed to resolve the crisis. Home energy funds may not be used for purchase of fans, heaters, blankets or air conditioners. 3 If more than $5000 and other arrangements cannot be made (payment plan, other assistance, etc.) to resolve the crisis, the applicant is ineligible, and the subrecipient must deny the application. B. Multiple crisis assistance benefits may be applied to a client’s account throughout the year up to the maximum per-household set forth by DEO. C. May be used to pre-pay home energy usage. To calculate the benefit for an eligible household for a Prepaid Energy Account: 1 Identify the household size 2 Identify the amount of total household income 3 Identify any household members who may be elderly, disabled or 5 years of age or under