4 CRISIS ASSISTANCE

Eligibility - 2604(c), 2605(c)(1)(A) 4.1 Designate the income eligibility threshold used for the crisis component Add Household size Eligibility Guideline Eligibility Threshold 1 All Household Sizes State Median Income 60.00% 4.2 Provide your LIHEAP program's definition for determining a crisis. If you administer multiple crisis assistance programs (winter, summer, and/or year-round), Include all program definitions. The Energy Assistance Crisis Program (ECIP) is designed to provide financial assistance to households in a verifiable energy crisis. Crisis is defined as: 1) receipt of a termination or disconnect notice indicating a specific disconnect date; 2) A final billing statement advising the account has been terminated; 3) a propane/fuel oil tank is filled at less than 20% capacity; 4) the customer is a cash on deliver (COD) customer; 5) pre-paid electric customer indicates their pre-paid usage is about to run out; of 6) when an applicant indicates another fuel source is about to run out (wood, corn pellets, kerosene). 4.3 What constitutes a life-threatening crisis? A household currently without or in threat of disconnection of energy services that could impact: An illness or medical condition that poses an immediate risk to the health or life of any LIHEAP household member due to a life-threatening medical condition. Medical statement required; or when a life-threatening condition is sustained by the use of a medical devise which requires the use of a source of energy for operation. Medical statement required. Reasonable exclusions: carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms, other devises not medically required to support life. The reasonable exclusions listed are not all inclusive. Crisis Requirement, 2604(c) 4.4 Within how many hours do you provide an intervention that will resolve the energy crisis for eligible households? 48Hours 4.5 Within how many hours do you provide an intervention that will resolve the energy crisis for eligible households in life-threatening situations? 18Hours Crisis Eligibility, 2605(c)(1)(A) Winter Crisis Summer Crisis Year-Round Crisis 4.6 Do you have additional eligibility requirements for Crisis Assistance? 4.7 Check the appropriate boxes below to indicate type(s) of assistance provided 0 Do you require an Assets test? Do you give priority in eligibility to: Older Adults (60 years or older)? Individuals with a disability? Young Children? Households with high energy burdens? Other (Specify): In Order to receive crisis assistance: Must the household have received a shut-off notice or have a near empty tank? Must the household have been shut off or have an empty tank? Must the household have exhausted their regular heating benefit? Must renters with heating costs included in their rent have received an eviction notice? Must heating/cooling be medically necessary? Must the household have non-working heating or cooling equipment? Other (Specify): Do you have additional/differing eligibility policies for: Renters? Renters living in subsidized housing? Renters with utilities included in the rent? Explanations of policies for each "yes" checked above: Each client must meet the crisis definition above to receive ECIP bill assistance. Renters with utilities included in the rent are not qualified for ECIP services. To receive a repair/replace service the appliance must be non-working. Determination of Benefits 4.8 How do you handle crisis situations? Separate component Benefit Fast Track, no separate amount of crisis funds is issued. Rather benefits are issued to crisis customers within crisis response time frames. Other - Describe: 4.9 If you have a separate component, how do you determine crisis assistance benefits? Amount to resolve the crisis. $0 Other - Describe: The ECIP benefit amount is the amount needed to resolve the crisis, not to exceed $800 for Winter or $300 for Summer. Crisis Requirements, 2604(c) 4.10 Do you accept applications for energy crisis assistance at sites that are geographically accessible to all households in the area to be served? Yes No Explain. Each of Missouri’s nineteen (19) contract agencies provide access to services at a set number of counties. Missouri has 114 counties and the City of St. Louis which all are covered by the nineteen (19) contract agencies. 4.11 Do you provide individuals who are individuals with a disability the means to: Submit applications for crisis benefits without leaving their homes? Yes No If No, explain. Travel to the sites at which applications for crisis assistance are accepted? Yes No If No, explain. If you answered "No" to both options in question 4.11, please explain alternative means of intake to those who are homebound or physically disabled? Benefit Levels, 2605(c)(1)(B) 4.12 Indicate the maximum benefit for each type of crisis assistance offered. Winter Crisis $800.00 maximum benefit Summer Crisis $300.00 maximum benefit Year-round Crisis $0.00 maximum benefit 4.13 Do you provide in-kind (e.g. blankets, space heaters, fans) and/or other forms of benefits? Yes No If yes, Describe Emergencies Services can be provided to protect the health and safety of the household when other forms of assistance under LIHEAP will not resolve the energy related crisis. Applicants must be LIHEAP eligible in order to receive Emergency Services. Emergency Services funding comes from ECIP Direct Service dollars. Recipients of ECIP funding are not entitles to direct payments. If an Emergency Service is provided, the household will be reimbursed if they pay out of pocket in advance. Contracted agencies are allowed to utilize no more than 2% of the Direct Service funding if they choose to provide Emergency Services as part of their LIHEAP services. This is funding for Emergency needs: blanket purchases, emergency lodging, air conditioner window units, wood stoves, furnace and central air replacement or repairs. Funding used for Emergency Services are deducted from the ECIP Direct maximum of $800 for Winter ECIP and $300 for Summer ECIP. Additional funding up to $400 can be applied to furnace or central air replacement or repairs for applications eligible for LIHEAP. The additional $400 cannot be utilized for the household’s energy bills and cannot be accessed until the maximum ECIP benefit for that season has been reached. 4.14 Do you provide for equipment repair or replacement using crisis funds? Yes No If you answered "Yes" to question 4.14, you must complete question 4.15. 4.15 Check appropriate boxes below to indicate type(s) of assistance provided. Winter Crisis Summer Crisis Year-round Crisis Heating system repair Heating system replacement Cooling system repair Cooling system replacement Wood stove purchase Pellet stove purchase Solar panel(s) Utility poles / gas line hook-ups Other (Specify): 4.16 Do any of the utility vendors you work with enforce a moratorium on shut offs? Yes No If you responded "Yes" to question 4.16, you must respond to question 4.17. 4.17 Describe the terms of the moratorium and any special dispensation received by LIHEAP clients during or after the moratorium period. The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) established a Cold Weather Rule (CWR) for Missouri’s investor-owned utilities. The CWR prohibits the disconnection of heat-related services and allows customers to make a payment arrangement when the temperature is forecasted to drop below thirty-two (32) degrees Fahrenheit. The period covered under the CWR is November 1 through March 31 of each year. Households that do not honor the payment arrangements made will be subject to disconnect once the temperature is above thirty-two (32) degrees Fahrenheit or beginning in April; whichever comes first. The PSC established a Hot Weather Rule (HWR) for Missouri's investor-owned utilities. The HWR addresses time periods which prohibit the termination of energy services to customers when certain extreme heat conditions are forecasted to exceed ninety-five (95) degrees Fahrenheit, or the heat index is predicted to rise above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The period covered under the HWR is June 1 through September 30. Households will be subject to disconnect once the temperature is below ninety-five (95) degrees Fahrenheit or beginning in October; whichever comes first. Should an applicant present proof a crisis exists for purposes of receiving ECIP funds, the contract agency should verify with the energy provider whether the service will be terminated or is terminated or whether the service will continue due to the CWR or HWR. If the service remains on due to one of these rules, the 18/48-hour requirements do not begin until the day after the service will actually be disconnected. The contract agency should not assume the CWR or HWR are in place just because the timing falls between the moratorium time periods. Liberty Utilities currently has a moratorium in place due to faulty billing software issues. This applies to all LIHEAP customers being serviced by Liberty Electric, Liberty Gas, and Empire Gas. 4.18 If you experience a natural disaster, do you intend to utilize LIHEAP crisis funds to address disaster related crisis situations? Yes No If yes, describe If any of the above questions require further explanation or clarification that could not be made in the fields provided, attach a document with said explanation here.