Page 21

ENERGY PROGRAMS EP-300 LOW INCOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

21 Section 300 Change #2-2026 May 1, 2026 300.13 PAYMENTS FOR DECEASED, INCARCERATED, OR INSTITUIONALIZED PAYEES If an applicant becomes deceased after a LIEAP payment has been made to the energy provider and the payment results in a credit, the county should verify if there are any other adults remaining in the household. If so, the credit will remain. If there are no other adults residing in the applicant’s household, the energy provider is responsible for returning the credit amount to the local county agency. The county will forward the payment amount with a cover letter giving identifying information, reason why submitted, and date of death if known, to the Clerk of Court to be applied to the deceased payee’s estate. If no administrator has been appointed to the applicant’s estate, the Clerk of Court disburses the funds as follows: • Provide for spouse’s and children’s needs for the year as allowed by law. • Pay or reimburse others for funeral expenses up to a maximum of $2,000. • Pay or reimburse others for hospital, medical, and physician’s bills incurred during the individual’s last illness (not to exceed a period of 12 months). • Pay the balance to the surviving spouse or to the heirs if there is no spouse. If the Clerk of Court returns a check to the local county agency and states the payee’s estate has been settled, the local county agency would refer to job aid Energy-Overpayment Underpayments in NC FAST Help to process funds that have been returned. If a LIEAP payment is made to an energy provider and it results in a credit due to the applicant becoming incarcerated or institutionalized and there are no other adults in the home; the energy provider is responsible for returning the payment amount to the local county agency. The local county agency would refer to job aid Energy- Overpayment Underpayments in NC FAST Help to process funds that have been returned. 300.14 RETURN PAYMENTS The only time a LIEAP payment is subject to return is at the discretion of the provider, once the balance is paid and a credit is remaining, if the provider does not allow credits that credit amount will be issued back to the County DSS office. If the payment is returned in the current fiscal year or the previous fiscal year from when it was issued, counties will complete the return/overpayment process in NC FAST. If this is a return payment from a fiscal year outside of that allowable time frame, the county will complete this outside of NC FAST on a 1571 with a negative entry and a note on the case in NC FAST referencing the fiscal year of the returned payment for monitoring purposes. Regular partial return payments can be entered in NC FAST. Returned partial payments for supplement payments cannot be entered in NC FAST. These must be completed on a 1571.