Page 130

VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT

OF SOCIAL SERVICES ENERGY ASSISTANCE

06/16 VOLUME IX, CHAPTER J, PAGE 12

9. PAYMENTS

Services provided as the result of the issuance of a credit authorization are exempt from Virginia state sales tax, except for hotel lodging. Prior to entering a payment in the system, subtract any state tax erroneously included in the bill.

The Cooling Assistance system will be used for all Cooling Assistance payments. For cases requiring multiple payments for different types of assistance, approvals must not be entered in the system simultaneously. The first approval must be entered in the Cooling Assistance system and the bill paid before the second approval can be entered in the Cooling Assistance system.

All payments for Cooling Assistance will be entered by the LDSS. Payments will usually be made directly to the vendor. Payments will be provided to the vendor after receipt of proper invoices and in accordance with the Virginia Prompt Pay Act. In a few instances, payments will be made directly to the applicant.

Cases for which a credit authorization is issued must not have payment information entered at the time of case approval because the vendor will not know which account to credit. Vendor payments are entered in the Cooling Assistance system upon receipt of a credit authorization billing or an itemized bill.

When a bill is received and the payment is entered in the Cooling Assistance system, the case will be automatically closed; the unpaid benefit balance will be unencumbered and returned to the benefit pool.

No bill will be received from a security deposit option vendor; therefore, no bill amount will be entered or paid. The Cooling Assistance system generates a credit authorization and automatically closes the case. The vendor will waive the deposit.

If the total bill amount exceeds the benefit maximum, the worker must enter the maximum for that type of assistance in the bill check field and enter the total of Cooling Assistance and money from other sources used to alleviate the emergency amount in the total bill field. The Cooling Assistance system will generate a check for the bill check amount only. The total monies from other sources must be entered in the other paid field. The Cooling Assistance system maintains a history of total costs for each case.

Payment may be made directly to the client when no agreement exists for the electricity vendor serving the customer who has a window air conditioner, central air conditioning unit or heat pump. See requirements for direct pay in Chapter D.8.b. or see requirements for local checks in Chapter E.9.b. In order to issue a check to the household, the LDSS must enter payment information at time of case approval.

If a visit is made by a vendor and no work is performed, the vendor may assess a trip charge not to

TRANSMITTAL #16-1