4 CRISIS ASSISTANCE

Eligibility - 2604(c), 2605(c)(1)(A) 4.1 Designate the income eligibility threshold used for the crisis component Add Household size Eligibility Guideline Eligibility Threshold 1 All Household Sizes HHS Poverty Guidelines 150.00% 4.2 Provide your LIHEAP program's definition for determining a crisis. If you administer multiple crisis assistance programs (winter, summer, and/or year-round), Include all program definitions. (1) The household shall meet the general eligibility requirements under §601.31 (relating to general eligibility requirements), income limit, responsibility for heating costs, Pennsylvania residency and lawfully admitted non-citizen status. (2) The household shall be without heat or in imminent danger of being without heat because of a weather-related or energy-supply shortage emergency. (3) The household shall be eligible for a crisis benefit that, alone or combined with other resources available to the applicant household, will resolve the home-heating emergency. (4) The applicant must provide proof of the home-heating emergency Crisis benefits for energy-supply-shortage emergencies include payment for the following: 1. Home-heating fuel for a household that is out of fuel or if the heating fuel supply will last less than 15 calendar days. The payment may be for either the main or secondary fuel type and may include the cost of an added charge for off-hours delivery service. The payment amount will not exceed the cost of the delivery; including any necessary reconnect fees and/or minor furnace start-up costs. Any credit balance with the household's vendor will be deemed available to resolve the crisis and will be deducted from the household's benefit amount. 2. Utility bills to restore or continue home-heating service if the household is without heat or in imminent danger of being without heat because of actual or scheduled termination of the main or secondary source of heat by a utility company. The payment may include the charge, if required, for a service reconnection. NOTE: Crisis benefits may be approved in this instance based on issuance of a termination notice. The following applies: (A) For utilities regulated by a governing body such as the Public Utility Commission (PUC), winter termination procedures prevent the termination of service without the governing body’s approval from December 1 through March 31. Regulated utilities may still issue termination notices from December 1 through March 31. They cannot, however, act on these notices to terminate service without having been granted permission to terminate service by the governing body. In these situations, contact must be made with the utility to determine if the governing body has granted the utility permission to terminate service for the applicant household before crisis benefits may be authorized to relieve the emergency. The household is ineligible for crisis benefits if the utility has not been granted approval to terminate service. (B) For utilities not regulated by a governing body, a termination notice means that the utility has established a date when service will actually terminate, in accordance with the utility's current termination procedures. Documentation of the termination notice must be provided before crisis benefits may be authorized to relieve the emergency. 4.3 What constitutes a life-threatening crisis? This must be a documented medical emergency. The local County Assistance Office (CAO) would either need to already have on file or the household would need to provide documentation from a doctor that someone in specific in the household would be in a life-threatening emergency if the household was without heat due to a specific medical condition. If the household provides a Release of Information, the CAO could also verify this information via collateral contact with the doctor as well. Crisis Requirement, 2604(c) 4.4 Within how many hours do you provide an intervention that will resolve the energy crisis for eligible households? 48Hours 4.5 Within how many hours do you provide an intervention that will resolve the energy crisis for eligible households in life-threatening situations? 18Hours Crisis Eligibility, 2605(c)(1)(A) Winter Crisis Summer Crisis Year-Round Crisis 4.6 Do you have additional eligibility requirements for Crisis Assistance? 4.7 Check the appropriate boxes below to indicate type(s) of assistance provided 0 Do you require an Assets test? Do you give priority in eligibility to: Older Adults (60 years or older)? Individuals with a disability? Young Children? Households with high energy burdens? Other (Specify): In Order to receive crisis assistance: Must the household have received a shut-off notice or have a near empty tank? Must the household have been shut off or have an empty tank? Must the household have exhausted their regular heating benefit? Must renters with heating costs included in their rent have received an eviction notice? Must heating/cooling be medically necessary? Must the household have non-working heating or cooling equipment? Other (Specify): Do you have additional/differing eligibility policies for: Renters? Renters living in subsidized housing? Renters with utilities included in the rent? Explanations of policies for each "yes" checked above: Crisis benefits for energy-supply-shortage emergencies include payment for the following two items: 1. Home-heating fuel for a household that is out of fuel or if the heating fuel supply will last less than 15 calendar days. The payment may be for either the main or secondary fuel type and may include the cost of an added charge for off-hours delivery service. The payment amount will not exceed the cost of the delivery; including any necessary reconnect fees and/or minor furnace start-up costs. Any credit balance with the household's vendor will be deemed available to resolve the crisis and will be deducted from the household's benefit amount. 2. Utility bills to restore or continue home-heating service if the household is without heat or in imminent danger of being without heat because of actual or scheduled termination of the main or secondary source of heat by a utility company. The payment may include the charge, if required, for a service reconnection. NOTE: Crisis benefits may be approved in this instance based on issuance of a termination notice. The following applies: (A) For utilities regulated by a governing body such as the Public Utility Commission (PUC), winter termination procedures prevent the termination of service without the governing body’s approval from December 1 through March 31. Regulated utilities may still issue termination notices from December 1 through March 31. They cannot, however, act on these notices to terminate service without having been granted permission to terminate service by the governing body. In these situations, contact must be made with the utility to determine if the governing body has granted the utility permission to terminate service for the applicant household before crisis benefits may be authorized to relieve the emergency. The household is ineligible for crisis benefits if the utility has not been granted approval to terminate service. (B) For utilities not regulated by a governing body, a termination notice means that the utility has established a date when service will actually terminate, in accordance with the utility's current termination procedures. Documentation of the termination notice must be provided before crisis benefits may be authorized to relieve the emergency. Renters who pay for heat indirectly as an undesignated part of rent may be eligible for LIHEAP Crisis benefits for a secondary heat source if they are responsible for payment to a vendor, either in full or in part, for its secondary heating costs. Determination of Benefits 4.8 How do you handle crisis situations? Separate component Benefit Fast Track, no separate amount of crisis funds is issued. Rather benefits are issued to crisis customers within crisis response time frames. Other - Describe: 4.9 If you have a separate component, how do you determine crisis assistance benefits? Amount to resolve the crisis. $1,000 Other - Describe: Amount to resolve the crisis up to a season maximum of $1,000 Crisis Requirements, 2604(c) 4.10 Do you accept applications for energy crisis assistance at sites that are geographically accessible to all households in the area to be served? Yes No Explain. There is an assistance office in every county in Pennsylvania. Some of the counties with a larger population have more than one office. Applicants can always apply online at the COMPASS website, or if they have already received LIHEAP Cash they can apply by phone as well. 4.11 Do you provide individuals who are individuals with a disability the means to: Submit applications for crisis benefits without leaving their homes? Yes No If No, explain. Travel to the sites at which applications for crisis assistance are accepted? Yes No If No, explain. Individuals can apply on the COMPASS website online. If they are already approved for a LIHEAP Cash grant, they can also call their assistance office to apply for Crisis benefits. If you answered "No" to both options in question 4.11, please explain alternative means of intake to those who are homebound or physically disabled? Benefit Levels, 2605(c)(1)(B) 4.12 Indicate the maximum benefit for each type of crisis assistance offered. Winter Crisis $1,000.00 maximum benefit Summer Crisis $0.00 maximum benefit Year-round Crisis $0.00 maximum benefit 4.13 Do you provide in-kind (e.g. blankets, space heaters, fans) and/or other forms of benefits? Yes No If yes, Describe 4.14 Do you provide for equipment repair or replacement using crisis funds? Yes No If you answered "Yes" to question 4.14, you must complete question 4.15. 4.15 Check appropriate boxes below to indicate type(s) of assistance provided. Winter Crisis Summer Crisis Year-round Crisis Heating system repair Heating system replacement Cooling system repair Cooling system replacement Wood stove purchase Pellet stove purchase Solar panel(s) Utility poles / gas line hook-ups Other (Specify): 4.16 Do any of the utility vendors you work with enforce a moratorium on shut offs? Yes No If you responded "Yes" to question 4.16, you must respond to question 4.17. 4.17 Describe the terms of the moratorium and any special dispensation received by LIHEAP clients during or after the moratorium period. For utilities regulated by a governing body such as the Public Utility Commission (PUC), winter termination procedures prevent the termination of service without the governing body’s approval from December 1 through March 31. Regulated utilities may still issue termination notices from December 1 through March 31. They cannot, however, act on these notices to terminate service without having been granted permission to terminate service by the governing body. In these situations, contact must be made with the utility to determine if the governing body has granted the utility permission to terminate service for the applicant household before crisis benefits may be authorized to relieve the emergency. The household is ineligible for crisis benefits if the utility has not been granted approval to terminate service. 4.18 If you experience a natural disaster, do you intend to utilize LIHEAP crisis funds to address disaster related crisis situations? Yes No If yes, describe 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.