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ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Section One: Application Process Intake, Operations & Policy Manual Program Year 2026 25 ➢ Local Application ➢ OHCS Authorization Form ➢ OPUS Authorization Form Local applications and/or OPUS Authorization Forms must be signed and dated by the applicant, the intake worker, data entry worker if applicable and an authorizing agency representative. If a non-household member is signing the application/OPUS Authorization Form, a Power of Attorney form or a “permission to sign” form, with a justification must be included in the file. An intake worker is generally defined as the person who gathers information, conducts the interview with the applicant via phone, mail, or in person and determines eligibility. A data entry signature is required from the person who enters the application information into OPUS. If the same person is completing the intake and the data entry, an intake signature alone is sufficient. An authorizing agency representative is generally defined as the person who reviews the application for accuracy and signs the application for processing. For internal control purposes, the person completing the intake and the person authorizing the file (and their corresponding signatures) may not be the same. For monitoring and quality assurance purposes, all applications must be reviewed for accuracy and contain an authorizing signature prior to being authorized in OPUS. In addition to the things listed above, all pages of the intake report/application must have matching dates and times. 2. Income documentation for all household members, excluding income earned by minors. This could include, but is not limited to: ➢ Wage Slips ➢ Employer Statement ➢ Official State and/or Court documents ➢ Benefit Verification Letters ➢ Self-employment form ➢ Bank Statements