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Tennessee Housing Development Agency 2025 LIHEAP Policy Manual for Regular and Crisis Assistance 21

2.7 LIHEAP Online Applications Applicants may apply for LIHEAP services using SmartSimple’s online portal. Subgrantees must ensure all online documentation is uploaded to the clients record in the system.

2.8 Pre-Paid Accounts Clients with pre-paid accounts must provide documentation showing energy usage and associated costs to calculate their energy burden. Applicants can have $50.00 or less of a previous LIHEAP benefit on their account.

2.9 Crisis Funding Crisis assistance is a component of LIHEAP that addresses urgent situations where households are facing disconnection of their energy services or are out of home delivered fuel at 20%. Applications for Crisis Assistance must be processed year-round, ensuring that assistance is available as needed. Crisis assistance must be provided, and notification must be sent to eligible households no later than forty-eight (48) hours (excluding weekends or holidays) after a household applies. In situations where a household member is in a life-threatening situation, such as requiring utility services to sustain medical equipment that depends on continuous power crisis assistance must be provided, and notification must be given no later than eighteen (18) hours after the household applies.

Crisis Eligibility Requirements Crisis Assistance is available to households facing uncontrollable circumstances that include one of the following: • A shut-off notice for utilities • Disconnected utilities • Eviction notice for tenants who are responsible only for overages • A lack of home-delivered fuel, particularly when the tank is 20% or lower and delivery is refused • A non-functioning heat/air unit or equipment not working properly To qualify for a Crisis, benefit, a household must meet two critical requirements, one (1) from each of the lists below: