Applicants who are responsible to pay for their main source of heat, but have it paid by someone outside of the household because the household has zero/minimal income, are considered to have a heating responsibility and are therefore eligible for LIHEAP benefits.
LIHEAP State Plan § 601.31(2)(i)(a)
NOTE: A household is not considered to have a heating responsibility if it is agreed that an agency is always responsible for the heating bill. Examples include someone in subsidized housing who has the bill paid by a housing agency even though the bill is in the applicant’s name, or a student who has someone outside the household always paying the heat bill regardless of the student's income.
Reissued March 28, 2017, replacing November 16, 2016