Page 279

EAP Policy Manual FFY24 Chapter 15 Energy Vendors Page 7 Note: For delivered fuels, once fuel is delivered to the dwelling it is the household’s property. Refunds Energy Vendors must refund unused EAP payments back to the program if at any point the household discontinues as a customer or at the Service Provider’s request. The refund must be made within 10 days of the energy vendor’s termination of the account or the Service Provider request. Refunding Current Program Year Benefits Current program year refunds should be entered in eHEAT if an energy vendor is an eHEAT user. eHEAT reconciles the refund by deducting the refund amount from subsequent payments. If the energy vendor does not receive a subsequent payment from EAP, the energy vendor may be required to send a check to reconcile accounts. Contact Commerce with questions regarding this process at 651-539-1869 or eheat.doc@state.mn.us. Refunding Prior Program Year Benefits All prior program year refunds, with the exception of deposits, which should be given to the household, must be returned to Commerce by check. Include with the check: • The household’s name. • eHEAT household number. • The amount of refund for the household (if multiple households are in one check). • Refund reason. Mail the check to: Financial Accounting (EAP), Minnesota Department of Commerce, 85 7th Place East, Suite 280, St. Paul, MN 55101-2198 EAP funds always belong to the program; see the Ownership of Assistance section above for more detail. Entering Refunds in eHEAT After ensuring a refund meets the guidelines described above, the energy vendor should follow the steps below to enter a refund in eHEAT and contact the Service Provider with any questions: 1. Go to ‘Payment Services’ menu > ‘Vendor Payments’ tab. 2. Enter the household number for the customer receiving the refund and the ‘Payment Status’ ‘Paid’ and click ‘Go’. 3. Click the radio button next to the household number for any payments for that household. 4. Click the ‘Add Refund’ button. The ‘Payment Refund’ screen will appear.