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EAP Policy Manual FFY24 Chapter 8 Benefit Payments and Refunds Page 10 Received after the program year has ended • Make efforts to reassign refunded payments to a household’s new energy account until December 1 • Submit refund checks received by the Service Provider to Commerce after December 1 Refunding EAP Benefits Received During Current Federal Fiscal Year Refunds occurring during the program year have different guidelines then those occurring after the program year. Energy vendors and Service Provides both have roles in the refund process. It may help to think in terms of two independent processes. During the program year, energy vendors enter refunds into eHEAT. Refunds are then automatically deducted from future EAP payments to the energy vendor. If an energy vendor is not an eHEAT user or if otherwise directed by the Service Provider or Commerce, they must send a refund check to Commerce. Service Providers work to pay out refunded benefits to the household’s new energy vendor before the December 1 deadline (refer to the following Managing remaining benefits from refunds in eHEAT flowchart). After the program year ends, funds must still be returned, but the handling process is different. Refunds Received by Commerce after September 30 through December 1 Refunds received after the program year has ended, through December 1: • Service Providers should forward any refund checks received to Commerce Fiscal. • Commerce enters refunds received into eHEAT. This amount is still an obligated benefit for the household. • Once in eHEAT, Service Providers must attempt to locate a household’s new energy vendor account information. • If new information is known, the Service Provider redistributes the benefit to the household’s new energy vendor account. This may take assistance by Commerce. • The last day to redistribute benefits from the prior program year is December 1. After this date, the household can no longer receive these benefits. • Commerce will revise the carryover report accordingly (not to exceed the allowed 10%). Refunds Received by Commerce after December 1 Service Providers should forward refunds for benefits from any prior program year received after December 1 to Commerce Fiscal.