The Energy Assistance Program is a federally funded block grant that is administered by the State Division of Family and Children to assist low income families with the high cost of home energy.  Community Action Agencies are designated by the DFC as the local administering agencies for the Energy Assistance Program.

Eligibility

Financial eligibility for EAP is subject to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) poverty guidelines.  These households must also have an energy burden.  Energy burden is the responsibility for paying the cost of home energy, including home heating.

EAP begins accepting applications for elderly and disabled, or those in crisis situations first: out of/nearly out of fuel, utility disconnected or have a disconnect notice.

Applications for the remainder of the households will be accepted following the crisis two week period.  The Energy Assistance Program ends when funding is depleted.  A Cooling Assistance Program will operate from the beginning of June to the end of September. 

Applying for Assistance

Call your local ICAP office to set up an appointment.  At interview time, you will be asked to provide income verification for everyone in the household.  You may also be asked to provide a rent receipt or lease agreement, a copy of utility bills and social security numbers.

This year the amount of energy assistance that is received by each household is determined by a benefit matrix.  This matrix takes into consideration such things as poverty level, whether a household is on a fixed income, if there are elderly or disabled household members or if there are children under 5 years of age in the household.  Other factors include type of dwelling, employment status and type of heating fuel used.  Using all of these variables, each applicant's benefit amount could vary widely. 

Additional Information

While EAP can help low-income families with a portion of their heating costs, funding is not available to pay entire heating costs for families. Each household is responsible for their own energy costs and should continue to pay as much as possible throughout the heating season.