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ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Section Three: Payment Types Intake, Operations & Policy Manual

Program Year 2026 62 to receive 50% of a regular payment based on the Benefit Matrix (See Roomer/Boarder definition on page 1.16). • Crisis Payment – An amount of up to $1000 for LIHEAP, or $2500 for OEAP based on actual need, may be paid to help alleviate an existing crisis. Households must have received a Standard Payment prior to receiving crisis payment (See Section Four on Crisis Services.). A Crisis payment should not be used to supplement the cost of delivered fuels and/or delivery costs. • Combo Payment – A payment made on behalf of a household to prevent disconnection, facilitate reconnection or replenish fuel supply. A combo payment is issued as a standard and a crisis payment at the same intake appointment. The amount may not exceed the total of a standard payment plus the maximum crisis payment. Like a crisis payment, a combo payment should reflect actual need and should not be used to supplement the cost of delivered fuels and/or delivery costs • Fuel Payment (LIHEAP Only) - For those households where a Standard benefit will not cover minimum delivery requirements (oil, propane, wood), a Fuel Payment may be issued for up to $1000. This type of payment is an alternative to Regular/Standard benefits and should only be used when circumstances require. Households who receive a Fuel Payment are still eligible for a Crisis Payment. A fuel payment cannot be split between vendors (Compare this amount to the standard benefit amount to ensure that the household is receiving the highest amount). o Please note: Fuel payments are intended to generally be for deliverable bulk fuels only and are to be based on need. The need justifying the payment amount select must be explained in the comment section in OPUS. • Heating/Cooling Equipment Repair/Replacement (LIHEAP only)- A maximum of $12,000 may be used to install, repair, or replace unsafe or dysfunctional heating/cooling equipment. In certain cases, the amount to install, repair or replace this equipment may cost more than the established maximum payment amount, in these cases, approval from OHCS must be obtained prior to work. Payment overage requests should be sent directly to both the OHCS energy programs coordinator and the OHCS energy programs compliance officer for review and if approved, will be sent to the OPUS HelpDesk for processing. Such overage request must include the authorization number of the payment overage request; the amount the payment needs to be and included a justification