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pg. 58 If a household member has an active EA claim for restitution, the amount owed the state will be deducted from any benefit amount. If the household is eligible for ECIP, negotiate these funds with the supplier taking into account the CARS information from the E1LW screen. The contract agency should inform the supplier of the reduced EA payment amount based on the withheld amount due to CARS to pledge the correct payment amount needed to maintain or restore service to prevent a crisis. ECIP ECIP payments are produced and distributed by the local contract agency. Payments must be issued to suppliers no later than forty-five (45) calendar days after the payment pledge date. Prior to pledging an ECIP payment to the supplier,  Determine eligibility before making a pledge.  Determine if there is an active EA claim for restitution. This information displays on the E1LW screen, CARS field. ECIP payments will be pledged and issued to suppliers that have a contractual agreement with either the State of Missouri LIHEAP or with a contract agency on behalf of all eligible households. Winter ECIP available from, November 1st elderly & disabled. December 1st for all other households to May 31, and Summer ECIP beginning June 1st and ending September 30th, unless funds are exhausted prior to that date. The winter maximum payment is $800, and the summer maximum payment is $300. When pledging to a supplier, only the bill amount will be paid. Renter Household Payment If a household meets the definition of a renter household, it will receive a one-time direct cash payment equal to 16% of their annual rent not to exceed the maximum EA benefit payment for their household size, income, and energy source displayed on E1IR or in Appendix E. The system calculates this expense by multiplying the amount of the regular monthly rental charge by 12. Multiply the annual rent amount by 16% to determine the estimated rental energy expense. To determine if a household meets the definition of a renter household, reference landlord-renter applicants in the Application section of the manual. The estimated rental energy expense will display on the E1LW screen if the E1MM screen indicates it was a renter household and the E1AP screen has the monthly rent amount completed. Renter applicants are eligible to receive EA benefits; however, they are not eligible to receive ECIP benefits.