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Louisiana LIHEAP Service Delivery Guide 7 | P a g e

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Subgrantee Agreement, unless LHC has allowed some flexibility for Subgrantee procedures as stated in these documents (i.e. Intake Procedures, Grievance Procedures, etc.). LIHEAP policies that allow flexibility at a Subgrantee level may not be more stringent or more relaxed than the requirements that LHC has provided. 1.3 Administrative and Programmatic Changes/Updates to the LIHEAP Service Delivery Guide Provisions in this service delivery guide are subject to change at any time, depending on revisions to federal, state and LHC requirements. When changes occur to the written policy, LHC will provide each Subgrantee with either LIHEAP Notices, Memorandums, and/or with replacement page(s) to the Guide. Any policy updates will supersede previously issued policy. Subgrantee must insert the replacement page(s) in all copies of the LIHEAP Service Delivery Guide and ensure all intake workers are made aware of the changes that impact their jobs. 1.4 Subgrantee Technical Assistance LHC staff will provide technical assistance, as needed. In addition, LHC will also provide training to the Subgrantees at least once annually. Training may be in the form of any of the following: on-site at LHC, webinar, one-on-one screen share sessions, or conference. 1.5 Funding Allocations Funds are distributed by allocation factors derived from the most recent census data for each parish. Households are eligible under federal standards. Income cannot exceed 150 percent of the poverty level or 60% of the state median income. LHC reviews the eligibility criteria annually to determine which income requirement serves the most eligible households. Refer to Section 3.6 for income eligibility guidelines. The law requires benefits to be targeted to households with the highest energy costs in relation to energy burden. To receive LIHEAP funding, LHC develops and submits a Model Plan to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) annually. As part of the Plan, the State is required to hold a public hearing to solicit comments on the proposed use and distribution of the funds. The proposed Model Plan is posted at www.lhc.la.gov for review and comments prior to the public hearing. The FINAL Model Plan will be posted to LHC’s website upon DHHS approval. The LIHEAP service delivery is comprised of the following components:  Heating Assistance: The non-crisis component helps eligible low-income households pay heating costs.