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.
NOTE: A water shutoff is not considered a fuel-supply emergency, and the household is not eligible for Crisis.
609.21 Termination Program
The Termination Program will operate from February 1 through March 31 each LIHEAP season. During the Termination Program, a termination notice from a PUC regulated utility dated February 1 or later will be considered valid as proof of a home-heating emergency. The earliest allowable termination date for vendors who accept a Crisis during as part of the Termination Program will be 30 days following the resolution of the crisis, or May 1, whichever is later.
Updated August 15, 2025, replacing August 20, 2024