Page 28

VENDOR MANAGEMENT SECTION 500

LIHEAP MANUAL JANUARY 2022 28

501.5 VENDOR NON-COMPLIANCE

Direct payments will be suspended for failure to comply with the Vendor Agreement and responsibilities outlined above.

501.6 VENDOR REFUNDS

If a credit balance exists and the account is closed by the customer, the Vendor must issue a refund to the household.

If a credit balance exist and the customer cannot be located, the Vendor must issue a refund to the agency. The agency will issue the check to the customer if located.

If a credit balance exists and the customer is deceased with no surviving household members, the Vendor must issue a refund to the agency. The application will be voided, and the benefit issued to another eligible household if in the same program year.

501.7 PERFORMANCE MEASURE DATA COLLECTION

Vendors will need to collect complete annual bill information (12 months) from each bill payment assisted household's main fuel vendor. This data includes all required customer payments, such as monthly service charge, usage charge, and taxes.

This Includes:

• Total heating costs and number of months billed • Account status (Active/Inactive/Final Billed) • Consumption (kWh or Therms) • Current customer? • Number of customer payments made (excluding LIHEAP payments) • Customer arrearages and amounts • Did the customer enroll in an arrearage forgiveness program? • Did the customer successfully complete an arrearage forgiveness program?

Process for Performance Measure Data Collection:

• Agencies will enter all data from client application into EAP. • DHS/DFCS Information Technology staff will create and provide spreadsheets from EAP data to vendors for completion. • Vendors will enter the data (data dump) and send it back to the State office for submission to OCS.