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Tennessee Housing Development Agency 2025 LIHEAP Policy Manual for Regular and Crisis Assistance 14

Additional Documentation: Certain cases may require further documentation to confirm eligibility, especially for households with the highest energy burdens. Any agency form requiring a signature must be signed, or verbal verification can be used by the intake worker. Any unlisted documentation must be specified in the Agency-Specific Operational Plan. Application Processing: Physical applications must be date-stamped upon receipt (via mail, fax, email, drop box when provided by subgrantee, or hand delivery). When entering the application into SmartSimple, the time/date stamp must be changed to when the application was received. Client applications, submitted directly through SmartSimple, a time/date stamp will be automatically applied. The Grantee shall use SmartSimple’s online application. THDA will provide a “paper version” of the online application in the event a household needs to complete their request on paper. While paper copies of the SmartSimple application may be accepted, the Grantee is required to enter all information from the paper application into SmartSimple to ensure proper prioritization, review, and processing of assistance. Additional questions and fields may be added that are unique to the Grantee, but all components of the SmartSimple application must remain intact and a copy of the edited application must be submitted in the agency’s Operational Plan. THDA must approve it at a minimum 15 business days before the start of the new program year. Digital Applications: Scanned, electronic, or photographed signatures are acceptable. Agencies will be required to establish a dedicated email address for receiving client applications. Verbal verification is allowed for signatures and forms, with agency staff initialing the application and for date verification. Online client applications are time-stamped automatically by SmartSimple. Applications for regular assistance are processed year-round. Intake staff must enter all relevant documents into SmartSimple, whether the application is approved, pending, or denied.