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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 21

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 43 Chapter 21 Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP)

When repayment involves the energy needs of another AG, the repayment process is not complete until that AG receives the LIEAP benefit. The Worker must send a copy of the completed LIEAP repayment agreement to the Office of Client Accounts with instructions to write a check to the correct case. 21.6.4.B Refusal to Sign the Repayment Agreement or Make a Repayment The Worker must explain the Fair Hearing process to the client if he refuses to sign the DFA- LIEAP-3 form. In addition, the Worker must follow up the discussion with a letter which states that certain LIEAP benefits the client may otherwise be entitled to receive will be affected by his refusal to sign the repayment agreement. When the client refuses to make repayment, the amount owed is deducted from future LIEAP benefits. These deductions are assessed only after the Worker has completed the instructions outlined above. Repayment deductions can only be imposed during a program year following the program year in which the client refused to repay. The Worker must record in the eligibility system case comments that the client may be eligible for LIEAP, but that payment must be reduced or withheld to satisfy repayment for a previous year. 21.6.4.C Tracking the Penalty All Regular LIEAP cases must be screened to determine if repayment is due from a previous year. When a case is approved for Regular LIEAP and identified as one in which repayment is due, the Worker must ask the client to come to the office to discuss repayment. After the Worker explains the need for repayment, the client is given the following options: • When the repayment amount is equal to the Regular LIEAP payment, the client makes repayment in full or the Regular LIEAP payment is withheld. • When the repayment amount is less than the Regular LIEAP payment, the client makes repayment in full or the Regular LIEAP payment is reduced by the amount of the repayment and the balance is paid to the client. • When the repayment amount is more than the Regular LIEAP payment, the client makes payment in full or the Regular LIEAP payment is withheld and deducted from the amount of the repayment. The client then receives written notice from the Worker of the balance due.