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3.4 Who is Vulnerable? HHS mandates in Assurance 2 of the LIHEAP statute (see Appendix D – Federal LIHEAP Statute) that households with at least one member that is elderly (age 60 or older), disabled, or have a child five or younger be prioritized as vulnerable populations. Indiana has included those with Veteran’s status to the vulnerable populations categories. In order to qualify as vulnerable, households only have to prove that they fit under one of the vulnerable categories. Vulnerable population points are only awarded once per household; however, all applicable vulnerable population categories must be recorded in the statewide database. Persons with a Disability: A person is determined to be living with a disability if they receive benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). A household with any member meeting the definition of a person with a disability above is counted as a Disabled Household for EAP statistical purposes. A household member may automatically be considered to be a person with a disability if the receive one or more of the following benefits: • Supplemental Security Income (SSI) • Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) • Veterans Disability • Medicaid Disability • Medical Assistance for Aged, Blind, and Disabled (MAABD) • Railroad Retirement Disability • Vocational Rehabilitation Services • Black Lung Disability

SSI benefits are paid to low-income clients who are elderly, blind, or disabled with little or no income. This program is designed for people with very limited income and assets. If the person with a disability does not receive any of the above benefits, they may present a doctor’s statement, along with a pending SSA application or appeal for benefits. The doctor’s statement must indicate that the client is unable to engage in any substantial, gainful employment, by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death, or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of twelve (12) months or longer. The doctor’s note should not indicate the nature of the disability, or any other medical history. Instead, it should only state that the person has a disability that will last twelve (12) months or longer. If this method is used to provide proof of disability status, both the medical statement and the application or appeal for benefits are required. If information regarding the nature of disability or medical history is provided, it must be redacted prior to being uploaded into the statewide database. If an applicant household member indicates on the application that they are disabled and they do not receive any of the above-listed benefits, the intake caseworker must follow up with the applicant and request a medical statement and SSA application or appeal for benefits. The intake is to document the outcome of this request in case notes within the