Households may apply for and, if eligible, receive regular Crisis benefits regardless of whether they apply for or receive LIHEAP Cash.
To qualify for Crisis assistance, 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.
The CAO or crisis contractor 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.
The CAO must refer households who are ineligible for Crisis benefits to community organizations or other programs that may be able to help.
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.
Updated August 20, 2024, replacing January 11, 2019