Household Benefit

Household Benefit. A. Subgrantees should pay the amount of the bill. Past due amounts, transfer fees, late fees and reconnect fees may be paid. Non-energy related charges should not be paid using LIHEAP funds. If the utility vendor will transfer the old bill to a new account, this is allowable. B. For municipalities that have a combined bill (water, gas, electric, etc.) the past due amount must be itemized and only the gas and electric portion can be paid. C. Propane clients must obtain a 12-month account printout from the company. Also, an invoice for 100 gallons (on company letterhead or printout) with the price of gas per gallon, times the number of gallons plus any applicable fees must be obtained. Example: 100 gallons times $3.00 per gallon = $300.00 plus other fees (list them) $15.00 = $315.00. If the client cannot obtain this information, the agency must contact the propane company to obtain it. • If a vendor has a minimum of over 100 gallons to receive services/assistance, an exception is allowed for the subgrantee to pay the vendor’s minimum requirement. Proof from vendor must be uploaded to Virtual ROMA and a hard copy added to the client’s file. • For households with smaller propane tanks (less than 100-gallon tanks), the agency should approve the household for 100 gallons. • If a client has an outstanding propane bill, the amount of the bill should be paid. If the client needs additional propane gas the agency can allocate the 100 gallons of gas, as stated above up to the benefit matrix amount. Example: If a client has an outstanding balance of $500, and a matrix benefit amount of $700, the client can only receive $200 towards the 100-gallon quote. (Agency must contact the propane company to negotiate the balance.) • All propane payments must be based on immediate need. There should be no payments for several months in advance. • For Propane customers, the caseworker must contact the vendor to obtain a quote minus the credit amount. Electric and natural gas bills should not be paid if there is a credit balance. The agency is required to obtain proof of delivery including delivery amount from the vendor each time the client receives LIHEAP assistance with propane. The documentation (e.g. delivery ticket or invoice) must be uploaded to the clients Virtual ROMA score card before any additional propane assistance can be allocated. D. Propane Budget Plan bills, the agency should only pay the current planned payment amount. Do not request a quote nor pay for 100 gallons of propane. E. Pre-pay accounts – Caseworker should access the company’s portal or website. A copy of the client’s account page should pull up. It will state an average bill amount which is an average monthly amount. The average bill amount should be allocated, plus any past due amount. The total amount allocated must not exceed the benefit matrix amount for the client. If an energy company does not have a portal/website to access this information, the client must obtain a printout from the energy company to state this information. The printout must be scanned into VR2 and tagged to Invoice/Bill for energy type. F. Subgrantees may use vendor portals, when possible, to verify the amount of the bill(s). G. In addition to the household benefit amount, additional benefits can be provided to the client. The additional benefits include Blankets, coats, heating/cooling system repair or replacement, furnaces, space heaters, hot water tanks, air conditioners, and fans. Additional energy related materials/services (such as home meter bases, utility poles/gas line hook-ups/repairs, and energy kits/incentives) may be provided depending on need and State Office approval. H. Other miscellaneous charges on the bill that are not energy-related cannot be paid, such as appliance purchases, tampering fees, returned check fees, and charge/write offs. I. If a household uses part of the residence for self-employment or work-at-home, a prorated bill for residential use must be provided. Only the amount of the residential portion can be paid from LIHEAP funds.