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 State Median Income 60.00% 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. Crisis Assistance will be provided based on the household's determined benefit level. A household is eligible for Crisis Assistance when they meet the following criteria: Receipt of a shut off notice, disconnection or lack of home delivered fuel notice, AND one of the following: • Unanticipated medical expense or major household expense. • Household wage earner with at least 1 year of stable work history has lost his/her job within the last twelve (12) months. • Household wage earner has left the home within the past forty-five (45) days. • Death of wage earner within the last twelve (12) months. • Significant loss of work hours. • Household wage earner is unable to work due to illness and does not receive sick leave or compensation for personal time off. • Household has a non-functioning or malfunctioning cooling / heating system. • The household has one or more family members who meet priority eligibility (age sixty (60) and older, disability, child age five (5) and under, active military, or Veteran). • 4.3 What constitutes a life-threatening crisis? A crisis is deemed life-threatening when a household member is in eminent danger of death or serious injury. In situations where a household member is in a life-threatening sitution, 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 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): Active Duty & Veterans 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): See 4.2 above. 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 Assistance will be provided based on the household's determined benefit level. A household is eligible for Crisis Assistance when they meet the following criteria: Receipt of a shut off notice, disconnection or lack of home delivered fuel notice, AND one of the following: • Unanticipated medical expense or major household expense. Out of pocket expense should exceed 100% of the current utility bill. Documentation could include receipts of payment made to meet unanticipated medical or major household expense. • Household wage earner with at least 1 year of stable work history has lost his/her job within the last twelve (12) months. Documentation could include a letter from an employer, termination or lay-off notice, unemployment income claims, or unemployment notice of eligibility. • Household wage earner has left the home within the past forty-five (45) days. Documentation could include recent application for family assistance (Families First) an order of protection, police report, revised lease, or other legal documentation. • Death of wage earner within the last twelve (12) months. Documentation could include obituary, death certificate, or funeral program. • Significant loss of work hours. Documentation could include a letter from the employer outlining details of loss of work hours or a pay stub showing fewer hours/wages. • Household wage earner is unable to work due to illness and does not receive sick leave or compensation for personal time off. Documetnation could include a statement from the employer. • Household has a non-functioning or malfunctioning cooling / heating system. • The household has one or more family members who meet priority eligibility (age sixty (60) and older, disability, child age five (5) and under, active military, or Veteran). • 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. $0 Other - Describe: 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. 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. 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? We did not answer "no" to either of the options in 4.11, but we do allow subgrantees to travel to homes where disabled individuals live in order to receive an application, and we offer an on-line applicantion to all households. Benefit Levels, 2605(c)(1)(B) 4.12 Indicate the maximum benefit for each type of crisis assistance offered. Winter Crisis $0.00 maximum benefit Summer Crisis $0.00 maximum benefit Year-round Crisis $750.00 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 THDA will allow subgrantees to provide tangible goods. Tangible goods must be provided in-kind, and may not impact the maximum benefit allowed. 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. 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 Subgrantees are able to utilize LIHEAP funds (cooling, heating or crisis) to address disaster related crisis situations when a disaster is declared. After a Federal or State declared natural disaster, LIHEAP funds can be used to meet the energy related needs of Eligible Low-Income households. Below is a list of items that THDA has deemed allowable usage of LIHEAP funds in response to a natural disaster. These items are only available to LIHEAP eligible households that have been deemed affected by the natural disaster with verification by local jurisdiction records or energy vendor records for extended power outages or damage. If a FEMA number is assigned, the number must be provided, once available. No payments can be made directly to the client. All client information must be tracked using the statewide database for eligibility. Payments must be processed through the online LIHEAP system directly to the supplier. Allowable uses of LIHEAP funds to deal with disaster situations, particularly with respect to assistance for home energy related needs resulting from a tornado or other natural disaster, include: Eligible households have a maximum income of 60% State Median Income Costs to temporarily shelter or house individuals in hotels, apartments or other living situations in which homes have been destroyed • • or damaged, i.e., placing people in settings to preserve health and safety and to move them away from the crisis situation LIHEAP funding for temporary housing due to energy related needs will not exceed 3 days and must be reasonable. Any period requested beyond 3 days must submitted to THDA for review on a case-by-case basis. • Costs for transportation (such as taxis, ride-share cars, shuttles, buses) to move individuals away from the crisis area to shelters, when health and safety is endangered by loss of access to heating or cooling. Costs must be reasonable and energy related. Vehicles are not allowed to be purchased. • • Utility reconnection costs Must be energy related and if costs exceed $500 they must be approved by THDA on a case by case basis. • • Repair or replacement costs for furnaces and air conditioners. • Insulation repair. • Coats and blankets, as tangible benefits to keep individuals warm. • Crisis payments for utilities and utility deposits. • Purchase and installation of fans and air conditioners. • Purchase and installation of generators. Generators may be purchased in life threating situations when a household member must have power for medical equipment • • All costs must be reasonable and follow State and Federal regulations including established procurement requirements. Subgrantees shall contact THDA on a case-by-case basis for any questions or for additional review. Costs of these items are only allowable for LIHEAP eligible households that were affected by the natural disaster. State and Federal LIHEAP regulations must be followed and all eligibility guidelines must be followed as described in the THDA LIHEAP Manual. Reasonable exceptions for documentation requirements or alternative documentation, when original versions have been destroyed, must be submitted to THDA for review on case-by-case bases. All LIHEAP households must have an approved LIHEAP Application. If the household has already been approved for LIHEAP during the current program year, the original application can be used and they do not have to re-apply. If a client has not yet been served by LIHEAP, they will be required to provide a new application in order to be approved for LIHEAP Crisis Disaster Assistance. 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.