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Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services Energy Assistance Program Manual C. Required Documentation Time Frame

The day a request for Fast Track assistance is received the application must be given to a case manager to review so they can determine if the applicant household qualifies for Fast Track assistance. If documentation/verification is missing, the case manager will contact the applicant household the same day to request the missing documentation/verification (the case manager must narrate who was contacted in the EAP system). The applicant household is required to provide the documentation/verification necessary to establish eligibility and benefits within twenty-four (24) hours of the request. An applicant household that does not comply with the 24 hour time frame is denied Fast Track assistance and put back in date order for application processing. If the verification is received, the application may be pulled forward for review/processing. If the household has been notified by the utility provider their energy source is going to be disconnected within 48 hours and the household requests Fast Track assistance, the applicant household will need to contact the utility provider to request a 24 hour extension on the disconnect to enable them the opportunity to provide verifications to EAP. If the 24 hour period occurs on a weekend or holiday, the household has until the next business day to provide the requested verification. Once the requested documentation/verification is received the case can be processed. The case manager must process the case the same working day the applicant household provides the requested data and inform the utility vendor if benefits were authorized. NOTE: The benefit may not cover all arrearages. If a disconnect/shut-off occurs, all arrearages will remain unless the household applies and qualifies for an arrearage payment. (Refer to MS 1105). D. Household Income Reduction Under specific circumstances, household income used to determine eligibility may be reduced by qualifying expenses. To consider a household income reduction the household must have experienced a recent (during the last 2-5 months) unexpected (event a reasonable person would not have anticipated or planned for) loss, or reduction in income of at least 15% of the household’s total gross income, which resulted in the inability to pay heating and/or cooling costs. A loss or reduction of income from a seasonal or temporary position or for being terminated for misconduct does not qualify; or The household must have experienced recent emergency expenses of at least 15% of the household’s total gross income, which caused the inability to pay heating/cooling costs. Increases in utility costs due either too harsh weather or utility fee increases levied on all residents do not qualify as unexpected since they are not individualized to any particular household. I. Emergency expenses include: 1. Unreimbursed medical expenses for a medical emergency, (to include expenses paid by a credit card as long as the expense is only allowed once); or MTL 01/24 June 25, 2024 - 3 - Section 1100 – Emergency Assistance