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If an LSP chooses to enter into an MOA with one or more biofuel vendors, the LSP may award the client’s benefit in the form of a voucher. This voucher can then be redeemed with any approved biofuel vendor in exchange for a delivery of fuel. The voucher must, at a minimum, indicate the name of the applicant, the amount of the benefit being awarded, both numerically and written out, the physical home address of the client, which is to be used as the delivery address, and the phone number of the client. In addition, the voucher must have fields for the vendor to complete. These include: the vendor’s name, vendor’s business address, and vendor’s phone number. Finally, the voucher must include spaces for both the vendor and the applicant to sign upon satisfactory delivery of the fuel. The voucher must be fully executed by both the recipient and the vendor in order to be eligible for payment.

Vendor Lists If an LSP chooses to enter into an MOA with one or more biofuel vendors, the LSP will be responsible to create and maintain a list of biofuel vendors with whom these agreements exist. These lists are to be provided to clients who heat with biofuel upon request. The lists should be updated to include all vendors with whom an MOA exists. The lists may be separated by heating fuel type, but otherwise, the vendors on the list are to be presented in a neutral manner. Neither an LSP nor any of its representatives may indicate a preference for one vendor over another either implicitly or explicitly, nor try to encourage an applicant to purchase fuel from a particular vendor unless the vendor in question is the only vendor from which a particular fuel type is available. A copy of each MOA should be sent to the LIHEAP e-mail eap@ihcda.in.gov and vendors@ihcda.in.gov.

Benefit Payment If the LSP chooses not to enter into MOAs with any local vendors, or if the client chooses to purchase fuel on the market rather than through one of the vendors with which an agreement exists, the LSP is to issue a check for the crisis portion of the benefit. The LSP can then receive reimbursement for the benefit as a normal third-party payment transmittal with the vendor as the LSP themselves. The regular portion of the benefit is to be entered as a direct pay claim and will be issued by IHCDA according to regular direct pay procedure.

For all client benefits for fuel purchased from a vendor with whom an MOA exists at the LSP level, the LSP is to issue a check to the vendor upon receipt of a fully executed voucher indicating delivery and receipt of fuel. The LSP can then receive reimbursement for the benefit through the transmittal process, with the LSP receiving the funds as the vendor. All direct payments must go through QA, including crisis. LSPs are advised to determine an internal control that allows checks to be issued in a timely fashion including from outlying offices that might not typically have the ability to issue checks. Payment scenarios: