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Iowa LIHEAP Policy and Procedures Manual 20.00 Definitions

Effective 09/01/2023

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DISABLED A person who has a physical or mental impairment, which substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such impairment. For LIHEAP purposes, applicants self-declare a disability.

DEFERRED PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT (DPA) A Deferred Payment Arrangement (DPA) is a formal arrangement between the utility and the LIHEAP customer, allowing the LIHEAP customer to pay an outstanding bill in installments.

ELDERLY Individuals, as of the application date, who are 60 years of age or older.

ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION The process by which a household’s eligibility for LIHEAP is assessed. This includes the verification of documentation provided to complete an application and the certification of the correctness of an application.

ENERGY BURDEN The term “energy burden” means the expenditures of the household for energy costs divided by the income of the household.

ENERGY CRISIS The term “energy crisis” means weather-related or supply shortage emergencies or other household energy-related emergencies.

FAMILY A family is a group of two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together; all such related persons are considered as members of one family. For instance, if an older married couple, their daughter and her husband and two children, and the older couple's nephew all lived in the same house or apartment, they would all be considered members of a single family.

FIP The Family Investment Program (FIP) is Iowa's Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. FIP provides cash assistance to needy families as they become self-supporting so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives.

FISCAL YEAR Fiscal Year refers to the LIHEAP federal fiscal year of October 1 to September 30 of each year.

FIXED INCOME HOUSEHOLD A household that receives only one or more of the following income types, and income may include: Social Security Administration (SSA) Benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Veteran’s Assistance, VA Service-Connected Disability Pension, VA Non-Service- Connected Disability Pension, pensions. Only mark “fixed income” when that is the ONLY source(s) of income.

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD The head of household is the household member responsible for payment of the heat cost. Usually, this is the person who will be the LIHEAP customer for heating assistance and who will sign the application. However, any other adult household member could provide the application information and documentation and could sign the form to attest to its accuracy.

HOMEBOUND A person who due to a physical or mental impairment or lack of transportation is unable to apply for the program outside their home.