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State Extends Deadline For Low-Income Energy Program (Liheap)
HARRISBURG, PA., Jan. 25 -- Public Welfare Secretary Feather O. Houstoun today announced that the state has extended the deadline for the cash grant portion of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) until Wednesday, Jan. 31. Applications for the cash program, originally slated to end on Friday, Jan. 26, due to limited federal funding, will be accepted at county welfare offices until the close of business on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
"We originally set the Jan. 26th deadline to encourage people to apply early because of the reduced federal allocation for this winter's program," Houstoun said. "With the severe weather the state has experienced and the closing of state offices, we wanted to give residents additional time to get their applications in and our staff the time to process those applications."
Funding for the program to assist low-income households with home heating costs was held up by the federal budget impasse. By mid-December, the state had received a total allocation of $53 million, down 40 percent from last year's $88 million. For this year's program, about $33.6 million has been set aside for cash grants and the remainder for the crisis program. While the cash assistance program will end on Jan. 31, the LIHEAP crisis program will remain in operation until March 15. Cash benefits are based on household income, family size, heating source and region of the state and, in most cases, are paid directly to utility companies. Crisis grants are available to households that are without heat and cover the cost of resolving the crisis. A family of four must have an annual income at or below $16,665 to qualify.
CONTACT: David A. Lapan, 717-787-4592, of the Commonwealth News
Bureau 21:31 EST