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Part 24 Chapter 1: Introduction

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is administered by the Division of Community Services (DCS) at the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS). LIHEAP is designed to provide appropriate and timely assistance to eligible households by paying home energy bills and assisting with other energy related services. LIHEAP provides federal funds to subsidize the cost of energy bills for low-income families throughout the state of Mississippi. Information contained in this manual is in compliance with the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, DHHS-OCS regulations, MDHS policies and procedures, and the LIHEAP state plan.

*Due to technical aspects of the LIHEAP Weatherization program (WX) a separate manual is required.

Rule 1.1 Legal Authority.

LIHEAP is authorized by the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (under Title XXVI of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, as amended.)

A. Statute- Sections of the LIHEAP statute are listed below as amended through August 1, 1999. The LIHEAP statute was amended in 2005 by Subtitle B of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58) which reauthorized LIHEAP through FY 2007. The LIHEAP statute is in the United States Code at: 42 U.S.C. § 8621-8630 (2008).

B. Regulations- The HHS regulations for the LIHEAP block grant are found in Title 45 (Public Welfare) of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 96 (Block Grants)(45 CFR 96)

Source: 45 CFR 96; Miss. Code Ann. § 43-1-2(4); Miss. Code Ann. § 43-1-4. Revised: January 2026

Rule 1.2 Program Purpose.

The purpose of LIHEAP is to provide appropriate and timely assistance to eligible households to pay home energy bills and to assist with other energy related services. The amount of financial assistance an eligible household will receive will be determined by the amount of the bill at the time the bill is due. Assistance will be provided in the form of payments made directly to energy vendors on behalf of eligible households.

A. LIHEAP is offered in each of the 82 counties in Mississippi, pending the availability of funds. Once income eligibility criteria are established, priority is then given to vulnerable households. Vulnerable households include those households with members who are elderly, disabled, or with children age 5 or younger.

The State of Mississippi may elect to use up to 12% of the state’s LIHEAP allocation for