A student who is a permanent resident of another state and lives in Pennsylvania temporarily to go to school is not eligible for LIHEAP.
A temporary living arrangement is intended to last only for a few days or weeks. A permanent living arrangement may last months or years. College students may apply and must not be denied LIHEAP eligibility only on the basis of the temporary living arrangement section of the LIHEAP State Plan. College students residing in dormitories, fraternity or sorority houses, and boarding homes remain ineligible based on sections of the LIHEAP State Plan.
55 Pa. Code § 601.31(2)(ii); LIHEAP State Plan § 601.31(2)(iii)
Example: Two unrelated students share an apartment in the county where they go to school. One is a permanent Pennsylvania resident and the other is not. If the nonresident is living in Pennsylvania temporarily for educational purposes, he or she is not eligible for LIHEAP. The permanent Pennsylvania resident could be eligible for LIHEAP in the county where he or she goes to school.
The applicant must prove that all household members are permanent residents of the commonwealth and are not permanent residents of another state. Proof of residency could include a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license, a current voter registration card issued in Pennsylvania, or the rent, lease or purchase of Pennsylvania property that the applicant uses as a primary residence.
College students who already got LIHEAP benefits during the current heating season as part of another household, such as that of a parent or guardian, are not eligible for LIHEAP benefits in the county where they attend school. College students who receive LIHEAP cash or crisis benefits in the county where they attend school are not eligible for LIHEAP cash or crisis benefits as part of the parent or guardian household.
NOTE: For additional information and examples, see Section 614.1.
Students whose heating costs are paid directly to the landlord or energy provider by another person, such as a parent or guardian, are not eligible for LIHEAP.
Example: A college student rents an apartment year-round in the county where she goes to school. Heat is not included in the rent, and the student reports no income. Although the lease and heating bill are in the student’s name, the student reports that her parents pay her monthly rent and heating expenses directly to the landlord and the energy provider. This student is not eligible for LIHEAP. She is not responsible for her heating bill, as payment is made directly to the energy provider by another person.
Reissued October 13, 2017, replacing February 8, 2013