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C. Direct Payments to Applicants ● Require a current W-9

● Direct payments require proof of use for heating assistance.

● Preferred alternatives include two-party checks or payment to secondary heating suppliers.

D. Non-Participating Energy Suppliers If a supplier is not on the OHEP-approved list: 1. Confirm the supplier’s legitimacy.

2. Invite them to participate.

3. If declined, ask the applicant to choose an approved supplier.

4. If no alternative exists, consider direct payment or a two-party check in crisis cases.

E. Supplier Refusal If a supplier refuses a grant: ● Encourage the household to identify a secondary supplier.

● Explore issuing a two-party check.

● Direct payments are a last resort.

At season’s end, suppliers submit an Energy Delivery Record (EDR) accounting for delivered and undelivered grants. Undelivered funds are refunded to the LAA. 11.2 Refunds LAAs must make every effort to minimize the number of funds returned due to duplicate payments or application processing errors. To help prevent duplicate payments, LAAs are required to run the Duplicate Payment Report in the OHEP Data Management System every Monday. Any identified duplicate payments must be

Updated May 2025