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Louisiana LIHEAP Service Delivery Guide 48 | P a g e

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4.2 Determining the Energy Assistance Benefit for Heating/Cooling Assistance The applicant’s energy burden is automatically calculated by the LES system based upon that LIHEAP year’s approved Model Plan. The energy burden is the percentage of household income used for energy costs.  Total Energy Cost ÷ Monthly Income = Energy Burden The energy burden along with household size is used to determine the applicant’s benefit amount. Households with zero income shall receive the maximum benefit payment allowed for their family size. A. Additional Payment to Targeted Priority Groups Those households that contain one or more members of the targeted priority groups shall receive an additional benefit of $100. Targeted priority groups are:  Persons 60 years or older  Persons who are disabled  Persons five years of age and younger Verifying and Documenting Disability Subgrantees shall obtain support documentation for verification of disability of all household members claiming a disabled status. Disability can be proven through the Social Security Administration, Veteran Affairs, Worker Compensation, or any other medical approved documentation. Regardless of the number of priority members in one household, the household is eligible for only one additional $100 payment per household. B. Frequency of Benefit Payments (Heating/Cooling Assistance) Applicants may be eligible to receive one Heating and one Cooling LIHEAP benefit each Program year. For example, if an applicant receives a benefit payment during the Heating season, they cannot receive another benefit payment until the Cooling season begins. The LES system will automatically prohibit a payment of a benefit for any application filed more than once for a season. LHC reserves the right to make Supplemental Heating/Cooling Payments to clients in the same program year.