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PY26 WHEAP Manual

43 Revised: August 2025 The worker shall indicate in HE+ System Notes what the applicant stated about the child(ren)’s current living situation and how to include or exclude the child(ren) as a current household member was determined.

To verify the current living situation of a child(ren), consider any of the following information: court order(s), information from Income Maintenance cases or other economic support records, school registration records or contact information. Please contact the HE+ Help Desk if assistance is needed in determining if the child(ren) should or should not be included.

NOTE: 50% legal custody is not the same as 50% physical placement. The parent must have at least 50% physical placement in order to include the child(ren) on the application as an eligible household member.

3.2.6.2 Non-citizen Household Members 1. Enter eligible non-citizens as household members. See Section 3.2.2.4. 2. Enter ineligible non-citizens as household members and indicate their status as ineligible non-citizen. All policy related to counting income applies to ineligible non-citizens. Count all applicable income for ineligible non-citizen household members.

3.2.6.3 Medical Attendants or Caregivers for Individuals with a Disability A medical attendant or caregiver is a person who cares for a household member to allow the household member to remain in their home, instead of a nursing home or institution. Money paid to the caregiver in this situation that allows an individual to remain in their home is not counted as income as long as the caregiver resides in the same dwelling as the disabled person. If the caregiver applies for energy assistance and doesn’t reside with the disabled individual, then the caregiver income is counted on the caretaker’s WHEAP application. If the dwelling is an Adult Family Home, see Section 3.3.2, #7 for more information. A caregiver is not counted as a household member if they maintain a separate household as their primary residence and do not live with the household member they are caring for. If the medical attendant or caregiver lives in the household of the person they are caring for and it is their primary residence, then they are counted as a household member.

3.2.6.4 Household Members Not Included on Application The following is a list of the persons who should NOT be included as household members: 1. A temporary household member. Do not count the person or their income. 2. A foreign exchange student from another country attending school on an exchange program. 3. College students, unless they live in the home full-time and are commuting to school. If the student has any living facilities other than the home, they may not be counted in the household, for example: have a dorm room, rent a room or an apartment. Individuals who have started their post-secondary education may not be counted as household members during semester breaks or over the summer (between terms) unless they are commuting students.