Applications Now Open for 2020-21 LIHEAP Season

Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller on Oct. 30 joined Public Utility Commission (PUC) Chair Gladys Brown Dutrieuille and United Way of Pennsylvania President and Pennsylvania 211 Executive Director Kristen Rotz to announce the start of the annual Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) application process for the 2020-21 season.

LIHEAP provides assistance for home heating bills so low-income Pennsylvanians can stay warm and safe during the winter months. Assistance is available for renters and homeowners. LIHEAP applications opened Nov. 2 and will end April 9, 2021.

“LIHEAP is an important tool for helping Pennsylvania families stay warm and safe during the winter,” said PUC Chair Gladys Brown Dutrieuille. “This year, more than ever before, we encourage families to explore all the options available – including LIHEAP and PUC-required utility customer assistance programs. Working in combination, these essential programs help hundreds of thousands of households across the Commonwealth.”

During the 2019-2020 LIHEAP season, 312,140 households statewide received $88,692,268 million in LIHEAP cash benefits. These households received an average season benefit of $284.

The minimum cash benefit that can be received is $200 and the maximum is $1000, and the crisis maximum – the benefit for people who meet the poverty limits and are in jeopardy of having their heating utility service terminated – is being raised to $800, up from last year’s $600.

The income limit for the program is 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Limit. For a household of three, this would be $32,580 gross income per year and for a household of four would be $39,300 per year. Pennsylvanians do not need to know their own eligibility in order to apply for these programs. Those who applied and were denied previously but have experienced a change in circumstances can reapply.

Pennsylvanians can apply for LIHEAP and other public assistance programs online at http://www.compass.state.pa.us. Those who prefer to submit paper applications can print from the website or request an application by phone at (800) 692-7462 and mail it to their local County Assistance Office (CAO) or place it in a CAO’s secure drop box, if available. Dropping applications off at a CAO using the drop box can help avoid an application delay due to postal service delays. While CAOs remain closed to the public, work processing applications, determining eligibility, and issuing benefits continues.

For tips on keeping warm throughout the winter while saving money on utility costs, visit http://www.energysavers.gov.

For more information on LIHEAP, visit http://www.dhs.pa.gov.