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SURVEY OF STATE LIHEAP PROGRAM CHANGES FOLLOWING
RELEASE OF $5.1 B IN LIHEAP FUNDING
Compiled by the LIHEAP Clearinghouse and NEADA, December 2008
Alabama
- Increased regular and crisis benefits by an average of $200 across the board
- Increased income eligibility from 150% FPG to 175%.
Alaska
- Increased benefits by increasing point value from $85 per point to $220
Arizona
- Increased regular and crisis assistance benefits
- Increased income eligibility from 150% FPG to 200% FPG
Arkansas
- Increased crisis benefit to $700
- Increased income eligibility from 125% FPG to 150% FPG
California
- Increase income eligibility from 60% SMI to 75% SMI
- Project to serve a total of 428,619 households
Colorado
- Minimum benefit increased from $200 to $350 and maximum from $700 to $900
- Expanding outreach Investigation propane pre-buy program
Connecticut
- Regular benefits increased by $250 for households that pay for their primary heat source; renters’ benefits increased by $185
- Crisis benefit increased to $565 (amounts to +$165 for households up to 150% of FPG; 200% of FPG if a member is 60+ or disabled, and +$265 for all other households up to 60% SMI
- Qualifying Safety Net Assistance households can receive two deliveries of up to $625, three deliveries if vulnerable household (elderly, disabled or member under six years [up to150% of FPG])
- Heating system repair/replacement program increased from $500,000 to $1 million
Delaware
- Increased maximum crisis benefit to $800 compared to $500 last year
- Added two weeks to the heating and crisis application periods ( 3/31/09 to 4/17/09)
- Re-instate electric bill payments in summer cooling program which DE had done since 1999, but curtailed in summer of 2008
- Expanded outreach to "non-traditional" recipients likely to be impacted by major layoffs and plant closings; including more money for advertising campaign
- Expanded Assurance 16, including current pilot program in conjunction with WAP that provides more comprehensive home weatherization
District of Columbia
- Increased regular benefit by 20%; average is $571
- Increased crisis benefit by 20% from $620 to $750
Florida
- Increased regular benefits $200 to $300 per year
- Increased crisis assistance benefits from $400 to $600 for winter season and similar increase for summer season
- Increased targeted outreach to priority groups such as the elderly, disabled and families with young children.
- Some agencies extended intake hours to 6:00 p.m. and on Saturdays
Georgia
- Raised average one-time benefit from $235 to $345
- Expect to serve more eligible households (est. 63,000 more)
- Considering summer cooling program.
Hawaii
- No changes; expect to serve more households
Idaho
- Increased average benefit from $277 to $386
- Increased income eligibility maximum from 150% FPG to 160%
- Expanded outreach
Illinois
- Increased propane benefit Increased funds for crisis assistance by 50%
- Plan to extend the enrollment period for summer cooling
- Local Administering Agencies are expanding outreach capacity to enroll more eligible households by increasing number of intake sites and community-based partners in their service areas.
Indiana
- Increased regular benefit by $110 on average
- Raised maximum crisis benefit by $50
Iowa
- Increased average benefit by 40% from $390 to $550
Kansas
- Increased benefits an average of $200-$300 (this is done each year so not entirely due to additional funding)
- Additional outreach
Kentucky
- Increased regular heating benefit by 40%
- increased maximum crisis benefit for electricity and natural gas from $250 to $400
Louisiana
- Increased minimum benefit from $50 to $100; increased maximum benefit from $310 to $500
- Increased maximum crisis benefit from $325 to $475
- Households with one or more members age 60 or older, disabled, or age 5 and under now will receive an additional benefit of $100
- Applicants are eligible to receive a benefit every six months Will spend $400,000 on client education grants to agencies.
- Will conduct training for intake personnel and agency directors to include: how to interact with difficult clients and handle tense situations, professionalism in the workplace; successful client education, etc.
- Expanded advertising campaign
Maine
- Increased average benefit from $757 to $940
- Increased income eligibility from 170%FPG to 200%
- Expect to serve 22,000 more households (about 72,000 vs 50,000 in 2008)
Maryland
- Increased all benefits across the board (regular heating assistance and crisis assistance)
Massachusetts
- Maximum benefit increased from $735 to $1,305 for households at 100% of FPG
- Raised income eligibility from 200% FPG to 60% SMI; i.e., from $42,400 to $53,608 for a family of four)
- Weatherization set-aside increased by $1.5 million ($8.5 million to $10 million) for heating system replacement program (HEARTWAP)
Michigan
- Increased average benefit (called Home Heating Credit) from $145 to $228
- Increased crisis benefits as follows; natural gas and wood from $350 to $550; deliverable fuels (fuel oil, propane, coal) from $650 to $850; other fuels (kerosene, corn pellets, cherry pits, etc) from $350 to $550
- Increased weatherization set-aside from $0- to $8M (pending approval from the state budget)
Minnesota
- Increased maximum regular benefit from $1200 to $1325
- Increased crisis benefit from $300 to $500
- Increased Energy Related Repairs funds by $5.3 million
- Increased weatherization set aside by $7 m
- Increased allocation to Reach Out for Warmth fund from $400,000 to $1 m (this fund serves households up to 60% SMI
- Increased ROW benefit from $350 to $500
- Increased Assurance 16 funding by $2.3 million
- Planned several high level outreach activities and encouraging more local outreach
- Increase households served from 126,000 to 165,000+. At 165,000, will serve about 45% of the estimated number of eligible households.
Mississippi
- Increased income eligibility from 125% FPG to 150% FPG
- Increased weatherization set-aside from 0 to 10%
- Expanded outreach to elderly and disabled
Missouri
- Increased income eligibility from 125% FPG to 135%
Montana
- Raised average benefit from $526 to $919
- Increased income eligibility from 150% FPG to 175% FPG
- Extended end of heating season from 4/30 to 6/30
- Increased Assurance 16 funding from $549,436 to $800,000
- Increased eligibility for A-16 services to 75% of SMI
- Increased local administration funding to CAAs by 30% to compensate for higher caseloads, training and processing costs
Nebraska
- Increased maximum benefits as follows: natural gas or electricity payments from $396 to $1,040; fuel oil from $660 to $1,733
- Increased maximum cooling benefit from $298 to $626
- Increased income eligibility from 116% FPG to 125%
- Program will operate year-round
Nevada (11/3: no final decision; considering higher benefits)
- 5% set aside for weatherization
New Hampshire
- Expect to increase regular and crisis benefits
- Increased income eligibility from 185% FPG to 60% SMI
- Increased weatherization set-aside from $500,000 to $1.3 million
- Allow CAAs additional hours and staff to meet the high demand for assistance
New Jersey
- Average benefit last year was $325
- Quadrupled benefit for oil heat households
- Increase natural gas benefit 19%
- Increase electric benefit 10%
- Increase renter benefit 5%
- Double cooling benefit (from $100 to $200)
- Increased crisis maximum benefit to $3,000
- Increased income eligibility level from 175% FPG to 225%
- Extended program duration from March 30th to April 31st
- Increased weatherization set-aside from 6% to 10%
- Expanded statewide media outreach
New Mexico
- Increased average benefit from $135 to $317
- Increased crisis benefits same amount as regular benefit
- Increased assistance for propane-heated households through additional points on matrix
New York
- Increased regular direct heating benefit by $100, effective December 20, 2008 ; increases are as follows: oil/kerosene/propane benefit from $800 to $900; utility and wood/coal benefit from $585 to $685
- Allowing second crisis benefit
- Increased income eligibility for crisis assistance from 60 SMI to 75% SMI effective 01/01/09
- Expanded program duration until May 2009
North Carolina
- No changes except will allot most of additional funding to crisis program
North Dakota (No decision as of 10/29)
Ohio
- Increased regular benefit on average $120
Oklahoma
- Increased heating benefit by about 30%
- Increased income eligibility from 110% FPG to 130% FPG
- Plan to run winter heating assistance for 4-6 weeks instead of the usual 2-3 weeks
- Will increase summer cooling funding from $4.9m to $12.1m
- Through Assurance 16 initiating energy reduction plan to educate households about energy conservation and long-term savings
Oregon
- Increased deliverable fuel benefit maximum from $350 to $500
- Increased number of innovative pilots that provide supplemental payments to households participating in long term case management
- Increased the LIHEAP weatherization cap per unit from $3,500 to $6,000
- Increased the maximum benefit of furnace repair/replacement program from $1800 to $2000
- Expanded crisis program to year round (as funding allows)
- Additional outreach activities include: more satellite offices in rural areas, on-the-spot intake at large employer and farmworker sites, a mobile “answer van,” evening and/or weekend intake hours to accommodate working families, providing more education in health and safety issues such as unsafe heating alternatives and other life-threatening choices.
Pennsylvania
- Increased minimum regular benefit from $100 to $300
- Increased maximum crisis benefit from $300 to $800
- Increased income eligibility from 150% FPG to 60% SMI
- Expanded outreach
Rhode Island
- Increased the average regular benefit from $340 to $480
- Increased crisis assistance component funds
South Carolina (No decision as of 12/5)
South Dakota
- Benefits increased by 10 percent for electric, 50 percent for natural gas, and 75 percent for fuel oil or propane
Tennessee
- Expect to serve many households now on waiting lists
- Increasing outreach efforts to households with young children
Texas
- No program changes, expect to triple number of households served from 50,000 in 2008 to about 150,000
Utah
- Increased maximum benefit from $625 to $875
- Households with elderly, disabled or children under 6 receive $75 extra (formerly $50) increased crisis benefit from $500/year to $500/year per utility (e.g. gas and electricity).
- Increased income eligibility from 125% to 150% FPG
- Increased weatherization set-side from 10% to 15%
- Performed additional outreach
Vermont
- Raised average benefit from $1,362 to $1,783, about 31%, which will cover about 60% of heating costs
- Increased crisis program funding to $4.1 million, up from $2.5m last year
- Increased elderly and/or disabled income disregard to $250 per person (from $150)
- Increased resource/assets limit for elderly (60+) applicants to $10,000 from $5,000
- Opened application period 1 week early (July 7)
- Instituted a mandatory discount from dealers of oil, propane, kerosene and diesel: dealers must provide a 3% discount off the retail price at the time of delivery of all heating oil, propane, kerosene and diesel purchased with LIHEAP funds, or provide the dealer’s current cash discount, whichever is greater.
- Expanded outreach through www.helpforvt.org
Virginia
- Expect to nearly double average benefit, exact amount TBD in December
- Expect to increase crisis benefit, exact mount TBD later in program
- Expect to offer expanded cooling program
- Conducted significant media campaign for all three components (Fuel, Crisis and Cooling Assistance)
Washington
- Increased regular benefit maximum from $750 to $1,000
- Increased maximum for furnace repair and replacement to $6,000
- Extending program year to the end of August / formerly end of June
West Virginia
- Increased regular and crisis benefit maximums from $500 to $800
- Will award supplemental payment of $200 in January to those who already received regular payment
Wisconsin
- Increased average benefit from $267 to $569
- Doubled crisis funding from $6.4 m to $14.3m
- Increased weatherization set-aside from $9.4m to $21.7m
Wyoming
- Income eligibility increased from 60% SMI to 75% SMI
- Increasing outreach to priority households and some agencies extending application hours to 6 pm and Saturdays
Page Last Updated: January 27, 2010
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