3 COOLING ASSISTANCE

Eligibility, 2605(c)(1)(A), 2605 (b)(2) - Assurance 2 3.1 Designate The income eligibility threshold used for the Cooling component: Add Household size Eligibility Guideline Eligibility Threshold 1 All Household Sizes HHS Poverty Guidelines 150.00% 3.2 Do you have additional eligibility requirements for Cooling assistance? Yes No 3.3 Check the appropriate boxes below and describe the policies for each. Do you require an Assets test? Yes No If yes, describe: Do you have additional/differing eligibility policies for: Renters? Yes No If yes, describe: Yes, cooling is under the crisis program and household must meet the vulnerbility policy: To be eligible, a household must be vulnerable at the time of application. A household is vulnerable if it has a heating source billed separately and it is subject to the rising cost of heating for the heat expense. Accept the applicant’s statement about the vulnerability status for the household. 1. If a household lives in a private living arrangement with a heating source and heat costs are billed separately, it is fully vulnerable. 2. If a household lives in public housing where heat costs are billed separately from the rent, it is fully vulnerable. 3. An applicant who lives in a private living arrangement who does not receive a separate bill from the energy provider, they are not vulnerable. 4. A household living in public housing where utilities for heat are billed separately from the rent or where utilities for heat are included in the rent, and the household has paid an excess in utilities for heat in the last 12 months at the current address, is fully vulnerable. County needs to have the public housing/housing authority sign a vendor contract for the payment check to be written to them directly or the public housing/housing authority needs to provide the account number for the household applying for benefits. For additional verification of a heating arrangement in public housing, contact the local public housing authority. 5. A person living in an institution is not vulnerable. State policy section 400.06 Renters Living in subsidized housing? Yes No If yes, describe: Yes, cooling is under the crisis program and household must meet the vulnerbility policy: To be eligible, a household must be vulnerable at the time of application. A household is vulnerable if it has a heating source billed separately and it is subject to the rising cost of heating for the heat expense. Accept the applicant’s statement about the vulnerability status for the household. 1. If a household lives in a private living arrangement with a heating source and heat costs are billed separately, it is fully vulnerable. 2. If a household lives in public housing where heat costs are billed separately from the rent, it is fully vulnerable. 3. An applicant who lives in a private living arrangement who does not receive a separate bill from the energy provider, they are not vulnerable. 4. A household living in public housing where utilities for heat are billed separately from the rent or where utilities for heat are included in the rent, and the household has paid an excess in utilities for heat in the last 12 months at the current address, is fully vulnerable. County needs to have the public housing/housing authority sign a vendor contract for the payment check to be written to them directly or the public housing/housing authority needs to provide the account number for the household applying for benefits. For additional verification of a heating arrangement in public housing, contact the local public housing authority. 5. A person living in an institution is not vulnerable. State policy section 400.06 Renters with utilities included in the rent? Yes No If yes, describe: Yes, cooling is under the crisis program and household must meet the vulnerbility policy: To be eligible, a household must be vulnerable at the time of application. A household is vulnerable if it has a heating source billed separately and it is subject to the rising cost of heating for the heat expense. Accept the applicant’s statement about the vulnerability status for the household. 1. If a household lives in a private living arrangement with a heating source and heat costs are billed separately, it is fully vulnerable. 2. If a household lives in public housing where heat costs are billed separately from the rent, it is fully vulnerable. 3. An applicant who lives in a private living arrangement who does not receive a separate bill from the energy provider, they are not vulnerable. 4. A household living in public housing where utilities for heat are billed separately from the rent or where utilities for heat are included in the rent, and the household has paid an excess in utilities for heat in the last 12 months at the current address, is fully vulnerable. County needs to have the public housing/housing authority sign a vendor contract for the payment check to be written to them directly or the public housing/housing authority needs to provide the account number for the household applying for benefits. For additional verification of a heating arrangement in public housing, contact the local public housing authority. 5. A person living in an institution is not vulnerable. State policy section 400.06 Do you give priority in eligibility to: Older Adults (60 years or older)? Yes No If yes, describe: Individuals with a disability? Yes No If yes, describe: Individuals presending with a medical disability or need that requires heating and/or cooling assistance to prevent a life threatening or health related crisis must be processed with a shorter due date which requires processing within 18 hrs/ 1-business day of the date of application. State policy section 400.03 I. Young children? Yes No If yes, describe: Households with high energy burdens? Yes No If yes, describe: Other? Yes No If yes, describe: Explanations of policies for each "yes" checked above: Vulnerability state policy section 400.06 and medical issues state policy section 400.03I 3.4 Describe how you prioritize the provision of cooling assistance to vulnerable populations, e.g., benefit amounts, early application periods, etc. For cooling assistance which is under the crisis program all households are considered vulnerbale due to being in jeopardy of a disconnection or all ready disconnected. When evaulating the crisis for the 18 or 48 hr application processing timeframe, medically vulnerable applicants and applicants with disconnected service require 18 hr processing. Households with no underlying medical issue with a past due or disconnection notice require 48 hr processing. State policy section 400.03K. Determination of Benefits 2605(b)(5) - Assurance 5, 2605(c)(1)(B) 3.5 Check the variables you use to determine your benefit levels. (Check all that apply): Income Family (household) size Home energy cost or need: Fuel type Climate/region Individual bill Dwelling type Energy burden (% of income spent on home energy) Energy need Other - Describe: Cooling assistance under the crisis program uses the varibles of income in the 150% FPL, household size and energy needs in relation to a crisis. State policy section 400.03F3 For cooling assistance which is under the crisis program all households are considered vulnerbale due to being in jeopardy of a disconnection or all ready disconnected. When evaulating the crisis for the 18 or 48 hr application processing timeframe, medically vulnerable applicants and applicants with disconnected service require 18 hr processing. Households with no underlying medical issue with a past due or disconnection notice require 48 hr processing. State policy section 400.03K Benefit Levels, 2605(b)(5) - Assurance 5, 2605(c)(1)(B) 3.6 Describe estimated benefit levels for the fiscal year for which this plan applies. Please note: the maximum and minimum benefits must be shown in the payment matrix. Minimum Benefit $1 Maximum Benefit $600 3.7 Do you provide in-kind (e.g., fans, air conditioners) and/or other forms of benefits? Yes No If yes, describe. The cooling assistance under the crisis program can receive up to $600 max benefit allotment per fiscal year depending on the need. If the household does not need $600 to alleviate their crisis, the can reapply with the fiscal year if they are needing assistance again until they have utilized the full $600 max per household limit. This in-kind assistance would include window air conditioning units and fans needed for cooling purposes. State policy section 400.04D7 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.