Page 116

PY26 WHEAP Manual

115 Revised: August 2025 Chapter 8 | Payment Adjustments, Refunds, and Returns 8.1 Basic WHEAP Payments Most WHEAP payments are issued directly to a vendor. For some Regular WHEAP Benefit cases a check is sent directly to the applicant.

8.2 Payments Sent Directly to the Vendor Regular WHEAP Benefit payments are sent directly to the applicant’s vendor (fuel supplier/utility). Crisis Assistance payments are sent directly to vendors supplying the crisis services. 1. In order for WHEAP to make payments to any business entity, the vendor must be registered with the State, have an assigned vendor number, and be designated as “active” in the HE+ System. Registered vendors must agree to comply with the policies outlined in the “Fuel Supplier/Vendor Agreement” and set forth their services and servicing requirements.

A vendor may be active for LIHEAP (heat), PB (non-heating electric), or both funding sources. If a vendor is not active for a funding source, it cannot receive a payment from that source. An example of a vendor only eligible for payments from one source is a utility not participating in PB; such a vendor may be eligible to receive LIHEAP payments and is not eligible to receive PB payments. 2. If a local WHEAP agency believes the fuel supplier, or vendor, is not adhering to its agreement, the local agency should notify the Division for investigation. If there is a violation of the agreement, the Division staff will work with the vendor to achieve compliance with the agreement or recommend to the Division Administrator that corrective action is taken, e.g., suspension of fuel supplier/vendor agreement.

8.3 Checks Sent Directly to the Applicant A single party check for Regular WHEAP Benefits will be sent to: • Recipients who have heat/electric included in their rent • Recipients who pay heating and/or electrical costs to the landlord or a mobile home park owner • Some recipients on master meters (see Chapter 3) • Recipients who purchase fuel from a non-registered WHEAP supplier/vendor

Crisis Assistance benefits are sent directly to a vendor on behalf of a recipient, not directly to a recipient.

8.4 Checks Sent to the Local WHEAP Agency When a local WHEAP agency enters its address for the applicant mailing address, the HE+ System sends single party checks for the Regular WHEAP Benefit directly to local agencies.

Checks are returned to the Division when a lost or stolen check is replaced or if the mail is returned via USPS for an invalid address as specified in Section 8.6.3.