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Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Division 10 Service 415 Program 415 Chapters 05 - 65 North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services

Emergency Payments on Old Bills 415-50-10-20 (Revised 10/00 ML #2629) View Archives

LIHEAP Emergency Assistance may not be used to pay off the entire amount of old bills or arrearages as described in 415-50-05-30, #5.

However, LIHEAP staff is encouraged to facilitate the development of realistic deferred payment plans for these arrearages. As a "facilitator," you may, with the client's permission, use information from the client's Emergency Assistance records to help the client and vendor arrive at a realistic deferred payment plan. Some clients will not be able to contribute much toward the arrearage at the time of the emergency, and this would not be "realistic" for the vendor.

LIHEAP Emergency Assistance may be used to help a client pay part or all of one or more of the deferred payments, until the client's financial circumstances enable him to take full responsibility for his deferred payments. To qualify for this assistance, the client must be eligible for Emergency Assistance as described in 415-50-10-10. In addition, the following factors must be considered: 1. Amount owed and date incurred. 2. The household effort and ability to pay these costs at the time they were incurred. 3. The household's effort and cooperation to secure payment from an absent household member if that person was responsible for these costs when they were incurred. 4. The household effort to negotiate and honor a previous reasonable payment plan with the supplier. 5. The energy supplier's collection efforts, and cooperation in extending credit and offering a reasonable payment plan. 6. A reasonable expectation that such payment will resolve or alleviate the household's payment problem. NOTE: Please see Section 415-35-30-05, STEP 2, for an explanation of how to submit these bills.