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3.0 CLIENT ELIGIBILITY Income guidelines are legislatively mandated and are based on the Federal Poverty Level as published each year by the Federal government. Eligible households must be at or below 150% FPL, and MEAP Eligibility Guidelines will be established at the beginning each fiscal year. 3.1 CLIENT APPLICATION PROCESS Provide specific services that will intervene to assist eligible low-income households meet home energy costs for their primary residence through payment or partial payment of bills for natural gas, electricity, propane, fuel oil, geothermal, or other household heating fuel used to provide residential heat. Provide programs that include services that will enable participants to become or move toward becoming energy secure, which may include assisting participants to enroll in energy supplier affordable payment plans. Other services include those that will assist participants in paying their energy bills on time, assisting participants in budgeting for and contributing to their ability to provide for energy expenses, and assisting participants in utilizing energy services to optimize on energy savings. Implement the MEAP Energy Security Plan or obtain MPSC approval of the form being utilized by the MEAP Grantee. This will ensure that every MEAP assistance form includes all questions and requested information contained in the MEAP Energy Security Plan (Appendix B). A signed and dated (including a received date-stamp if received by mail or electronically) Energy Security Plan document must be included in the client file. It is critical that all completed Energy Security Plan documents MUST BE signed and dated. If the name on the utility bill is different than the client’s name, an explanation must be included in the client file as to why the responsible party listed on the utility bill is not the one applying for MEAP assistance. The only requirement is that the service must be at his/her residence. Please see 3.6 Client File Employees who are eligible to receive LIHEAP benefits must not be denied MEAP solely based on the fact that they are employed by a grantee. Agencies must put into place sufficient program integrity safeguards to ensure that employees are not receiving differential treatment or self-certifying their own Self-sufficiency Plan or those of their relatives. When a bill represents combined residential and nonresidential or business usage please see section 4.3 Non-Covered Services. 3.1.1 AFFORDABLE PAYMENT PLAN CRITERIA In addition to general MEAP eligibility criteria, households must meet other eligibility criteria for enrollment in an Affordable Payment Plan. Consumption/Usage and customer account balance criteria vary by utility company. Households with income below 20% FPL should not generally be considered for Affordable Payment Plan enrollment, but grantees can allow enrollment on an exception basis or as part of an approved pilot program.