State and Territory LIHEAP Program Duration: Heating, Cooling, and Crisis

We do not run a cooling program. We are returning to a seasonal heating assistance program. Only emergency/crisis/expedited applications will be accepted during the summer months.

We are starting our crisis aka expedited program later this year, on January 2, 2024, and will leave it open until the end of the federal fiscal year (Sept 30, 2024). This will ensure that all clients who are in a crisis situation will be addressed over the summer months and prior to the end of the federal fiscal year. The reason for the late start is that Alaska issues PFDs (permanent fund dividends) each fall to every qualifying Alaskan. Each household should have funds to assist with any fall heating needs.

Arizona has identified date ranges for heating and cooling and has assigned a date range to each county for FFY 2024.

 

1) HEATING (November 1 - March 31) and COOLING (April 1 - October 31) for counties: Coconino, Yavapai, Navajo, Apache, Greenlee, Graham,Cochise, and Santa Cruz.

2) HEATING (December 1 - March 31) and COOLING (April 1 - November 30) for counties: Mojave, La Paz, Yuma, Maricopa, Gila, Pinal, and Pima.

 

The heating and cooling months overlap due to weather conditions. Since the LIHEAP adjudication and application processing portion of this program will be administered within DES through the utilization of an online portal, DES will be allocating monthly LIHEAP funds based on the heating and cooling needs of each location. DES will budget in this manner in order to keep the LIHEAP program operating throughout the entire year. The heating and cooling months illustrate when heating and cooling begins for each Arizona region. The above dates are based on the calendar year and not on the FFY 2023. Funding for the Federal Fiscal Year is not affected by the heating and cooling months listed above.

 

Energy-Related Repair (ERR) Crisis assistance start date: 10/01/2023, or when funds are available, whichever is later. End date: 9/30/2023. When a date of operation falls on a weekend or holiday, the effective dates will be the first business day following the list date except for 9/30/2024. The last date of operation for the federal fiscal year or the last business day is 9/30/2024

07/01 - 09/30

11/01 - 09/30

Crisis assistance will run parallel to the heating and cooling assistance programs with a break in between.

 

Throughout the heating and cooling season, AEO will review the applicant's need and CAA spending and adjust benefits before each program if needed. AEO might extend each program (summer and winter) to accomodate for rising fuel costs or also issue supplemental payments to applicants.

Heating, Cooling, and Crisis start dates are contingent upon receiving usable PE data on time. If not received on time, Winter will be pushed back. Summer will start using PE data from Winter.

 

It might also be necessary to implement an additional program for relief from natural disasters. In such an instance,if funds are available, AEO may allow an additional benefit to households in affected areas. The disaster relief program may not follow traditional program timeframes of the Winter or Summer programs but may be made available when necessary.

 The 2024 Contract Term runs from October 1, 2023 through June 30, 2025. The program’s dates of operation are October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024. These dates were chosen because the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services required CSD to align the dates of operation with the federal fiscal year for reporting purposes. However, 2024 funds will be available through June 30, 2025. Local Service Providers are expected to expend funds by December 2024.

The year round Crisis Intervention Program (CIP) allows for the repair or replacement of inoperable primary fuel heating systems. The State contracts with Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC), a local non-profit agency, to manage this program. EOC coordinates with local weatherization agencies and other licensed HVAC companies, which has provided the opportunity to repair and/or replace inoperable systems prior to the start of the cold weather season ensuring the health and safety of vulnerable households, and throughout the entire year. Renters will be assisted with furnace replacements when the landlord qualifies for LEAP.

11/01 - 06/17

11/01 - 06/17

Heating assistance application process is 1 August - 31 March, Cooling (Air Conditioning) assistance application process is 1 April - 15 August. Crisis assistance application process is ongoing but dependent on the weather conditions. However, the weather criteria will be waived for the program year 2023.

Florida Operates a year-round heating, cooling and crisis assitance program.

04/03 - 07/31

12/01 - 07/31

The contract to the Community Action Agencies for the LIHEAP program is from October 1, 2023 until September 30, 2024. The Heating and Crisis assistance is seasonal from December 1, 2023 until July 31, 2024. A cooling program is seasonal from April 1, 2024 until July 31, 2024. 

03/01 - 09/30

03/01 - 09/30

LIHEAP Program Timeline Late September – Distribute policy and forms to Community Action Agencies (CAA) for new FFY October 1 - New LIHEAP year begins with year-round Weatherization and Crisis assistance. Weatherization is overseen by the Hawaii DLIR OCS and contracted to the CAA. LIHEAP Crisis assistance intake is done by CAA. February to March - Finalize training materials (presentations, handouts). CAA preparation begins including hiring seasonal staff. April - Training for year-round staff of CAA that elect to do early outreach in May. CAA contact resident managers at Senior and Public housing to schedule on-site application intake. May - Year-round CAA staff conduct early outreach for Heating and Cooling Assistance. Training done for seasonal staff hired by CAA to assist with Heating and Cooling application intake. June 1-30 - LIHEAP applications accepted from the general public for Heating and Cooling Assistance

10/01 - 03/31

The end date for heating assistance is estimated. This category is dependent on the amount of funding received and the number of Households served.

The heating assistance program is scheduled to start Monday, October 2, 2023 beginning with a priority for seniors, disabled and families with children under the age of six years utilizing FY2023 and FY2024 HHS funds. The program will continue until August 15, 2024, or until funding is exhausted. The weatherization program started July 1, 2023 utilizing 2023 HHS funding. Illinois will not administer a separate Cooling assistance program during FY2024. Eligible customers will be assisted with both gas and electric until August 15, 2024, or until funding is exhausted.

11/01 - 05/20

11/01 - 05/20

Indiana allows for mail-in applications for vulnerable/at-risk populations to begin August 14. On October 02, LSPs may distribute applications to the general public and begin to schedule appointments to begin on November 01. Crisis starts on November 01 because by starting crisis November 01, clients will be able to qualify for moratorium.

 

The online application portal will open on October 02.

 

We do not plan to administer any benefits in the summer. We have attempted to adjust our matrix to expand the majority of LIHEAP funds during the winter.

In 2024, we are allocating 9% to Weatherization.

12/12 - 03/29

04/01 - 09/30

Kansas elects to run it heating only program starting in mid December

11/06 - 12/15

05/01 - 09/30

If funding allows, additional programs may be implemented

04/01 - 09/30

Any Heating assistance funds that have not been expended by March 15 will be reprogrammed to Cooling assistance. Any Weatherization assistance funds that have not been expended by June 30 will be reprogrammed to Cooling Assistance.

Heating Assistance: For FFY 2024, Subgrantees will begin taking applications on July 17, 2023 and will continue taking applications through May 31, 2024.

 

Weatherization Assistance Component: End date of 09/30/2024 unless MaineHousing extends beyond 09/30/2024.

Program components will all be open year round based on availability of funds.

Year-round

Year-round

10/01 - 03/31

Customers do not apply separately for crisis assistance in Maryland and there are no separate fuel benefits provided. Crisis assistance is provided as expedited assistance as defined by Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 07.03.21.10. Crisis assistance funds are also provided to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development through an Inter-Agency Agreement for emergency heating and/or cooling

system repair and replacement.

An application received on April 30th must be completed by the applicant no later than May 31st. If April 30th falls on a weekend, the last business day in April will serve as the final date to apply for home energy assistance. After consideration of the circumstances, which may include a particularly inclement winter, increases in energy prices, lower than expected application numbers, an extension of the statewide moratorium, etc., EOHLC may extend the application date from the end of April into the month of May.

 

An online client portal is offered in addition to the hard copy application, and includes the options of online appointment booking, prescreening tools, and submitting the application online.

When a date of operation falls on a weekend or holiday, the effective date will be the first business day following the listed date with the exception of September 30. The last date of operation for the Federal Fiscal year is September 30 or the last business day in September if September 30 is on a weekend.

• Primary Heat and Crisis will be made available upon receipt of initial federal award

• ERR will begin 10/1

• Crisis may be obligated through 7/1

• ERR may be obligated through 9/15

• Applications must be received or postmarked by May 31

Funding for Weatherization Assistance will be available to the Weatherization Assistance Program in the Minnesota Department of Commerce (Commerce) after receipt of 100% of the regular LIHEAP federal allocation and the approval of the EAPWX State Annual Plan

10/01 - 05/31

 

Energy Assistance: 10/1/2023 (elderly and disabled applicants, remaining applicants 11/1/2023) - 5/31/2024

Energy Crisis Intervention Program: 11/1/2023-9/30/2024

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) provides heating assistance to eligible households during the heating season (October through March).

DHHS may determine a household's eligibility for heating assistance after the heating season if a household applied for/requested LIHEAP assistance during the heating season and eligibility was not determined, eligibility was incorrectly determined, or a household had a current application (a pending or active economic assistance program case) during the heating season and eligibility was not determined.

 

DHHS may begin determining eligibility for heating assistance prior to the beginning of the heating season. If this occurs, heating assistance payments will not be issued until the beginning of the heating season. DHHS will make this decision based on operational and technical capabilities. Eligibility staff will be notified via guidance if eligibility will be determined prior to the begin date for the heating season.

 

DHHS currently provides a year-round crisis assistance program. For each program year (October through September), DHHS accepts and processes applications and crisis assistance requests according to the earliest application date until DHHS determines that pending payments will exhaust available funds for the program year. Upon making this determination, DHHS will accept no more applications for crisis assistance for the program year.

 

DHHS contracts with the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) to administer the weatherization assistance program.

 

The availability of the cooling assistance program and the variables used to determine eligible households will depend on the LIHEAP funding received and available for the current federal fiscal year. DHHS typically provides cooling assistance to eligible households during the cooling season (June through August).

 

DHHS may determine a household's eligibility for cooling assistance after the cooling season in certain situations, such as eligibility for a timely application or request was not determined by the end of the cooling season, or eligibility was incorrectly determined.

 

DHHS may determine a household's eligibility for cooling assistance prior to the beginning of the cooling season. If this occurs, cooling assistance payments will not be issued until the beginning of the cooling season. DHHS will make this decision based on operational and technical capabilities. Eligibility staff will be notified via guidance if eligibility will be determined prior to the begin date for the cooling season.

 

For heating or cooling eligible households, an extra payment may be made in the form of a supplemental payment or an increase in the regular season's payment. The supplemental payments may be processed and issued at any time during the current LIHEAP program year (October through September). The need for a supplemental payment for households that received heating and/or cooling assistance may be identified during or following the heating or cooling season, as the reason for the supplemental issuance may be due to circumstances including but not limited to: high energy costs; extreme weather; disasters; pandemics; excess funding; or receipt of additional funding.

 

For example, a supplemental payment may be issued in September (or any month of the year) for LIHEAP eligible households that received heating assistance or for LIHEAP eligible households that received cooling assistance if it identified excess funds exist. Processing and issuing the supplemental payments late in the program year allows DHHS to more easily project the number of households that will receive the

supplemental payment. These payments may be issued to either a provider or to the household. Supplemental payments are typically issued to the utility provider; however; below are some situations in which a supplemental payment would be issued to the household:

 

10/01 - 06/30

10/01 - 06/30*

11/01 - 03/15

Program end dates are contingent upon availability of funds.

 

Request for Cooling Assistance is part of the general application for LIHEAP Assistance which starts 10/01 and ends 06/30 of the following year. *However, the Program starts issuing Cooling payments the first week of May through August.

 

11/01 - 03/15

04/15 - 08/30

04/15 - 08/30*

*Regular benefits under Heating Assistance component will operate from 11/1/2023 through 3/15/2024 or until funding allocated to this program is exhausted, whichever comes first. Benefits under the regular component may be extended beyond the proposed 3/15/2024 closing date if New York State receives additional funding. This Plan is based on an assumption of flat Federal funding.

 

Emergency benefits under Crisis Assistance will operate from 1/2/2024 through 3/15/2024.

 

New York State will operate a Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement component under Crisis Assistance from 10/02/2023 until 9/30/2024, or until funding allocated to this component is exhausted, whichever comes first.

 

New York State will operate a Clean and Tune benefit under Heating Assistance from 10/02/2023 and to close on 09/30/2024, or until funding allocated to this program is exhausted, whichever comes first.

 

New York State will operate a Cooling Assistance component from 4/15/2024 until 8/30/2024, or until funding allocated to this component is exhausted, whichever comes first.

 

Weatherization assistance in New York State is administered by the New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

 

North Carolina's Energy programs run on a State Fiscal Year July-June each year. Our crisis program is year round but our heating program is avaialble during December- March.

North Dakota's regular heating season program runs from October 1 through May 31 each year. Applications for North Dakota's emergency (year-round crisis) program are accepted from October 1 through September 30 of each fiscal year.

 

The North Dakota State LIHEAP reserves the option to implement a cooling program contingent upon available funding, or in the event of unusual cooling needs due to weather aberrations, or an emergency disaster.

 

See Section C (Scope of the Program) and Section X (Cooling Assistance Program) of the ND State Plan Attachments document for details.

10/01 - 05/31

11/01 - 02/23

05/01 - 09/13

Weatherization is managed by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and subcontracted to Community Action Agencies throughout the state.

 

OKDHS offers heating assistance, cooling assistance, and ECAP during open enrollment period on the dates noted. Applications are accepted until allocated funding is encumbered. End dates are estimates.

 

*OKDHS accepts applications for ECAP assistance year round from households with a household member that has a medical condition and would be life threatening without the use of the utility. Regular ECAP is also accepted on or after March 15th to meet the ECAP requirement component.

11/01 - 04/05

11/01 - 04/05

South Carolina will operate its LIHEAP providing year-round crisis assistance according to the calendar year (January 1 - December 31.)

 

If funding allows, an additional non-emergency benefit may be provided during the heating/cooling seasons. Therefore, LIHEAP assistance may also occur October 1 – December 31, 2024. South Carolina's Weatherization operates April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025. South Carolina utilizes the SC Enterprise Information System (SCEIS) to ensure the proper tracking of federal grant awards by the appropriate year.

year-round

year-round

year-round

Applications for the households with members of a target group (elderly, disabled, children under 6 years of age) will be processed beginning October 1st. All programs will open to the general public on November 1st.

Applications for heating assistance are processed year-round by the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF), Economic Services Division (ESD). Applications for winter crisis assistance are processed by Vermont's five Community Action Agencies under grant agreements with ESD, beginning the last Monday in November up to and including the last business day in April, or until crisis funds are exhausted, whichever occurs first.

 

*Vermont also operates a year-round, limited-funded, crisis fuel tank replacement program for fuel tanks that have been "red-tagged," or are at imminent risk of failure. The crisis tank replacement program is operated under an interagency agreement with the Department of Environmental Conservation and a second agreement is in place with the DCF Office of Economic Opportunity. In addition, DCF Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) also operates under our Crisis program a year round furnance repair and replacement program.

 

Weatherization assistance operates year round and is conducted by the the DCF Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), Weatherization Program.

10/10 - 11/13

6/15 - 8/15

11/01 - 03/15

Washington will operate 11 months out of the year, October through August of the following year

year-round

If funding permits, crisis assistance, which includes the Emergency Repair and Replacement progam, will run the length of the program. The Agency will primarily use funds for heating assistance and crisis assistance; if there are funds remaining a cooling services program will be offered.

 

Provide cooling services in parallel with heating throughout the period of performance for the fiscal program year to improve efficient of services to the client while the contractor or agency is there to do a repair or replacement. If the cooling system is not working then it can be resolved at that time without a gap in services. The heat index throughout the state during peak months warrants this due to impact on peoples wellbeing. The level of funding for the program would also cover any demand and should not prohibit it.

10/01 - 05/15

Applications for regular seasonal heating assistance are accepted through 02/29/2024; however, heating bill payments for approved applications are paid November 1 through May 31 for those submitting applications by the 2/29/2024 deadline until the recipient exhausts their benefit amount or the season end date is reached, which ever comes first.

 

Regular Crisis assistance is available through 04/15/2024, unless extended due to continued severe weather and/or increased fuel prices; applications for Weatherization assistance are accepted year round.

 

Wyoming is a cold weather state with very few months of hot weather. Because of limited funding and long winters, Wyoming does not provide Cooling assistance. However, Wyoming does offer some cooling system repairs/installs via the weatherization Assistance Program.

 

Season begin and end dates are:

 

Wyoming uses a centralized application intake and processing procedure so having an application deadline for heating assistance applications ensures that we have enough time to follow up and process incomplete applications before the season end date. The heating assistance benefit is retroactive to the heating season start date and benefits will be paid out til the benefit is exhausted or the season end date is passed, which ever comes first. Our outreach efforts ensure that applicants and the public are aware of the heating assistance application submission deadline.