HEAP Assistance Offered

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is now available for those who need help with their winter heating bills, according to New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr.

In a release issued last week, Mr. Thiele stated that HEAP, a federally funded program that issues heating benefits to supplement a household’s energy cost, has a number of different benefits available, including regular benefits, emergency benefits and heating equipment repair and replacement.

The regular benefit component assists lower-income New Yorkers with the cost of heating their homes or apartments. Regular HEAP benefits are based on income, the primary heating source and the presence of a household member who is under age 6, age 60 or older or permanently disabled.

An eligible household may receive one regular HEAP benefit per program year. Regular benefits for households that pay directly for heat based on actual usage are paid to the vendor of the household’s primary source of heat.

Those eligible for a regular benefit include: United States citizens or qualified aliens; those whose gross monthly income is at or below the current income guidelines for your household size; those who receive food stamps, temporary assistance or Code A Supplemental Security Income.

In addition to regular benefits, HEAP also provides emergency benefits to New Yorkers who are facing a heat or heat-related energy emergency and do not have the resources available to fix the crisis.

Emergency HEAP benefits are based on income, available resources, the number of household members and the primary fuel type. Those who may be eligible for the emergency benefits include: households where electricity is necessary for heating systems or thermostats to work and is shut off or scheduled to be shut off; households where natural gas heat is off or scheduled to be shut off; those who are in danger of running out of fuel; and those whose essential home-heating equipment is inoperable.

HEAP benefits also include the heating equipment repair or replacement component, which helps low-income homeowners repair or replace furnaces, boilers and other direct-heating elements required to keep the home’s primary heating source in working order. Benefit amounts are based on the actual cost incurred for repair or replacement of the appliance, up to $6,000.

For additional information about HEAP, call the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance at (800) 342-3009, or visit otda.ny.gov/programs/heap. To determine HEAP eligibility, visit myBenefits.ny.gov.