With winter's chill on the horizon, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is stepping up to offer support to the state's most vulnerable residents. Starting now, LIEAP is accepting applications aimed primarily at assisting older adults 60 and over and individuals with disabilities who are receiving services through the NCDHHS Division of Aging, as reported on the Town of Rolesville website.
The program funnels federal funds directly to the heating vendors of qualifying low-income households, providing a one-time payment to help ease the financial burden of staying warm during the cold season. There's a kind of automatic distribution in play; come this December, payments will begin being sent out automatically to heating vendors on behalf of households meeting a trifecta of criteria: being of 60 years or older, currently benefiting from Food and Nutrition Services, and having received a LIEAP payment in the previous 2023-2024 period. Eligible groups have been notified through November and need not re-apply, as stated on the aforementioned website.
For those residents who did not get notice about an automated payment, there are several ways to apply. They can visit ePASS to apply online, or they can reach out to their county department of social services to apply by phone, in person, or through a paper application, which is also available for download on the website.
Eligibility for the LIEAP program hinges on a few specific requirements: households must include at least one U.S. citizen or non-citizen that meets eligibility criteria, have an income that doesn't exceed 130% of the federal poverty limit, and be responsible for their own heating costs. Non-automatically qualified households can mark their calendars for January 2, 2025, as the starting date for applications, which will run until March 31, 2025, or until the pool of funds has dried up, whichever happens first.
Last year, the initiative proved essential, serving over 134,000 households by injecting roughly $48 million into heating bill payments from December 2023 to March. For more in-depth information regarding the program and detailed eligibility stipulations, those interested are encouraged to visit the NCDHHS website.
