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E. Pre-pay accounts – Caseworker should access the company’s portal or website. A copy of the client’s account page should pull up. It will state an average bill amount which is an average monthly amount. The average bill amount should be allocated, plus any past due amount. The total amount allocated must not exceed the benefit matrix amount for the client. If an energy company does not have a portal/website to access this information, the client must obtain a printout from the energy company to state this information. The printout must be scanned into VR2 and tagged to Invoice/Bill for energy type.

F. Subgrantees may use vendor portals, when possible, to verify the amount of the bill(s).

G. In addition to the household benefit amount, additional benefits can be provided to the client. The additional benefits include Blankets, coats, heating/cooling system repair or replacement, furnaces, space heaters, hot water tanks, air conditioners, and fans. Additional energy related materials/services (such as home meter bases, utility poles/gas line hook-ups/repairs, and energy kits/incentives) may be provided depending on need and State Office approval.

H. Other miscellaneous charges on the bill that are not energy-related cannot be paid, such as appliance purchases, tampering fees, returned check fees, and charge/write offs.

I. If a household uses part of the residence for self-employment or work-at-home, a prorated bill for residential use must be provided. Only the amount of the residential portion can be paid from LIHEAP funds.

Source: Miss. Code Ann. § 43-1-2(4); Miss. Code Ann. § 43-1-4. Revised: January 2026

Rule 7.5 Fees and Deposits.

A. Reconnect fees or late fees resulting from a client’s inability to pay can be paid from LIHEAP funds. The Subgrantee should advocate with energy vendors to ask for waivers of these fees.

B. As part of the client’s consumer education/energy conservation sessions, the case worker should communicate the importance of making timely payments or requesting extensions with energy vendors to avoid such fees. C. If reconnect fees or late fees are incurred because of the subgrantee’s negligence or failure to make timely payments, these fees cannot be paid from LIHEAP funds. Fees must be paid from non-federal funds.

D. Deposits may be paid more than once, depending on the household situation, such as emergency or life-threatening situations, as described in section 7.10. If a household has requested more than four (4) deposits, subgrantee should refer the household to case management to stabilize the household, however compliance/non-compliance with case management is not a requirement for additional LIHEAP services.