DHS, through the CAOs or Crisis contractors, is responsible for determining eligibility and verifying the type of crisis the applicant is experiencing. If vendors ask for verification of a LIHEAP Cash benefit or an authorization of a LIHEAP Crisis benefit, refer them to the LIHEAP Vendor Unit, 1-877-537-9517, or e-mail RA-LIHEAPVendors@state.pa.us.
Applicants may request Crisis benefits in person at the local CAO, online through their MyCOMPASS accounts, and/or by fax or by phone if the office is closed to the public. A request for Crisis benefits must come from the applicant. A vendor cannot request Crisis benefits for an applicant unless it is through the Utility File Transfer (UFT) process. The CAO must not process a Crisis request on behalf of an applicant if they become aware of a crisis through a vendor without first speaking to the applicant and obtaining their consent to apply for a Crisis benefit.
When a person requests Crisis benefits, the CAO must access LIHEAP e-CIS to find out if a Cash or Crisis benefit was paid.
A separate application is not needed if an applicant completed a (HSEA-1) and was approved for the current LIHEAP season as long as the address has not changed or there are no new household members. If the LIHEAP Cash application was approved, the CAO must note the date of approval and benefit amount. A newborn of a known household member does not necessitate a new application.
The CAO must, depending on the type of crisis, either process the application in-house or refer the application to the local DCED weatherization office for processing.
To qualify for help, a household must meet all basic LIHEAP eligibility criteria listed in Chapter 605, LIHEAP Eligibility Criteria. It also must be without heat or be in immediate danger of being without heat because of a weather-related or fuel-supply emergency.
A household is ineligible for a Crisis payment if the payment, alone or in combination with other resources, is not enough to resolve the emergency. LIHEAP credits on account with the vendor must be used first for the resolution of the crisis.
If no crisis exists or if the household has resolved the crisis prior to a crisis pledge being made, the application must be rejected using rejection codes in Chapter 677, Appendix A.
NOTE: A water shutoff is not considered a fuel-supply emergency, and the household is not eligible for Crisis.
A Crisis benefit generally is paid directly to the vendor. If DHS determines that payment cannot be made to the vendor, then the payment is made to the applicant as reimbursement after verification of the purchase has been provided.
NOTE: In order to ensure that the crisis is resolved, the client must first pay the vendor and provide verification before a Crisis direct payment can be approved.
The CAO must refer households who are ineligible for Crisis benefits to community organizations or other programs that may be able to help.
NOTE: Households may apply for and, if eligible, receive regular Crisis benefits regardless of whether they apply for or receive LIHEAP Cash.
An eligible household can get Crisis benefits for weather-related or fuel supply emergencies.
An applicant must provide proof of at least one of the following situations:
The household is out of heating fuel or expects to run out of heating fuel within 15 calendar days. A verbal statement from the applicant must be accepted as verification of an emergency.
The household has a termination notice from its utility company showing that service has been shut off or will be shut off within 60 days.
The household is ineligible for a Crisis payment if the utility is regulated by a governing body such as the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the utility has not been granted approval to terminate services during the winter moratorium period (Dec.1 through March 31).
The household may be eligible for a Crisis payment if the termination notice is from an unregulated utility and indicates the date that service will terminate.
The household is ineligible for a Crisis payment if a non-regulated utility has restricted their use of the utility instead of terminating service.
The household has no heat because the heat source is not working. For example, the furnace is broken or the pipes are frozen. This is a weather-related emergency; see Chapter 698, Weatherization.
An applicant can get more than one Crisis benefit during the heating season. The Crisis benefits must be within the minimum and maximum amounts allowed under the current LIHEAP State Plan.
The amount of a Crisis benefit is the amount needed to resolve the home-heating emergency, subject to the minimum and maximum LIHEAP Crisis benefits allowed.
The household is ineligible for a Crisis benefit which, alone or combined with other resources available to the household, will not resolve the crisis.
If a household is in a Crisis situation with both their primary and secondary heating sources, the CAO should attempt to resolve both situations. If the available Cash and Crisis benefits are not enough to resolve both emergencies, the CAO will contact the client to choose which heating source they would like the benefits applied to. The household will then be responsible for remedying the crisis with the other heating source.
Any credit balance with the vendor must be used first for the resolution of the crisis.
The household can have the Crisis grant issued to a secondary heating source only in instances where the secondary fuel is needed to run the primary source of heat (e.g., electricity to run an oil furnace) or when the primary fuel source is inoperable and their Supplemental heating source has become their primary heating source (e.g., kerosene space heaters heat home because gas furnace is inoperable).
When the primary fuel type is a deliverable fuel type such as oil, kerosene, propane, wood or coal, the amount needed to resolve the crisis is based on whether the fuel is delivered by the vendor or transported by the applicant.
If delivered, the amount needed to resolve the crisis is the amount needed to fill the tank as much as possible with the funds available, subject to the minimum and the maximum LIHEAP Crisis benefits allowed under the current LIHEAP State Plan. Crisis benefits may be used for off-hour delivery charges.
If not delivered by the vendor, the amount needed to resolve the crisis is the amount that can be transported by the household in one trip. A receipt verifying payment was made is not required prior to authorization of payment.
NOTE: If fuel is purchased from a non-participating vendor or Crisis benefit would be issued as a direct payment for other reasons, verification of payment is required prior to authorization of a direct payment.
Vendors that accept Crisis payments based on utility termination notices or based on reconnection of utility service must agree to maintain ongoing utility service to such households for no less than 30 calendar days from the date of the resolution of the crisis. The amount of a Crisis grant cannot exceed the amount listed on a utility termination notice, subject to the minimum and maximum LIHEAP Crisis benefits allowed. Crisis benefits may be used for reconnect fees.
With regard to Crisis payments approved to regulated utilities during the period referred to in §601.62(2)(ii)(A), the earliest allowable termination date is considered to be 30 days following the resolution of the crisis, or May 1, whichever is later.
All participating energy vendors shall enroll a Crisis recipient in a CAP or establish a budget plan if the monthly CAP or budget plan amount is the most advantageous rate for the household.
The CAO must use the following time frames for determining eligibility and providing Crisis benefits to eligible households:
The CAO should provide assistance to a household that is without heat:
Within 18 hours of receiving a completed application for households in a life-threatening situation.
NOTE: A life-threatening situation is defined as a documented medical emergency. This documentation must come from a medical professional and should be related to a specific medical condition of a household member; documentation should be retained in imaging or case comments using collateral contact narration guidelines.
Within 48 hours of receiving a completed application for all other eligible households.
The CAO should provide assistance to a household that is in danger of being without heat:
Within 10 workdays of receiving a completed application if a household’s fuel supply will run out within 15 days or before the household runs out , whichever is sooner.
Within 10 workdays of receiving a completed application if a household has received a shut-off notice or prior to the date of termination, whichever is sooner.
NOTE: If a household uses a vendor who is not available to make deliveries on weekends or after hours, the CAO should ask the household if they would like to use a different vendor to resolve the situation. The CAO is considered to have met their obligation, if the household does not choose to use a different vendor or another vendor is not available.
Updated October 30, 2024, replacing August 20, 2024