Heating bill help delayed amid federal shutdown

This year’s starting date for LIHEAP will be Dec.3, a month later than usual.

By JULIA BURDELSKI
TribLive

A program that helps low-income Pennsylvania residents pay heating bills will be delayed because of the federal government shutdown.

The commonwealth’s Department of Human Services on Wednesday announced the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) will begin Dec. 3, a month later than usual.

The start date was pushed back because the state has not yet received its federal allocation for the program, which is funded by the federal government but administered by the state’s Department of Human Services.

The program pays qualified Pennsylvanians’ utility companies and home heating fuel providers directly. On average, Pennsylvania receives more than $215 million each year for the program.

Pennsylvania cannot backfill such costs, the Department of Human Services website said. The commonwealth currently is in the midst of its own budget impasse.

“The LIHEAP Program helps more than $300,000 Pennsylvania families heat their homes during the colder months — and is especially critical for older adults and low-income families,” Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh said in a statement. “Inaction from the Republican-controlled Congress now threatens access to this assistance.”

Arkoosh urged federal officials to find a solution “that protects people most at risk.”

DHS will begin accepting new LIHEAP applications once the federal shutdown ends and the state receives funding for the program. Officials will continue to process applications it already received, but payments are on hold until federal dollars are available.

Many electric and gas companies offer utility assistance programs for low-income customers outside of LIHEAP.

Pennsylvania also has an annual winter utility shutoff moratorium in place from Dec. 1 through March 31, which bans utilities from being shut off for customers of regulated utility companies who make no more than 250% of the federal poverty level. The moratorium stops shutoffs during the coldest months, but it doesn’t cancel outstanding bills.

This comes as officials have also announced a pause on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, because of the federal shutdown.