Home heating payment assistance still available
Jan. 19—PLATTSBURGH — The Clinton County Office for the Aging has processed approximately 517 regular Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) applications.
That tally includes regular applications such as the early outreach, residents who have never applied before, and emergency requests submitted since Jan. 3, according to Sean Burke, Services for the Aging specialist.
"What is unusual is that HEAP opened up about a month and a half early this year," he said.
"That's one of the main differences, too, is that it closed at the end of September of 2020, and then opened up October 1. So that was something different than years past."
HEAP 101
Individuals facing a home-heating emergency may be eligible for assistance through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), which helps low-income people pay the cost of heating their homes, according to a New York State Office for the Aging press release.
The emergency benefit opened on Jan. 3, 2022 and is available for low-income older adults and other New Yorkers whose home heating is either shut off or scheduled to be shut off, as well as for individuals who are running out of home heating fuel or other deliverable heat sources.
Lower-income New Yorkers may also be eligible for regular (non-emergency) HEAP benefits to help pay for heating your home.
Eligibility and benefits are based on income, household size, the primary heating source, and the presence of a household member who is under age 6, age 60 or older, or permanently disabled.
HEAP is open until mid-March or until funding runs out.
"But because of the pandemic, that's also kind of changed over the last couple of years as well where they have actually extended it and offered like a second or even a third emergency benefit," Burke said.
"But again, that's not anything individuals should bank on. Because of the pandemic, there's been those kind of exceptions that have been, but generally what they say is mid-March or until funds run out. That's HEAP in general as well."
APPLICATIONS STILL ACCEPTED
Residents who didn't know about HEAP can apply and submit an application in February.
"Because it is income based, where an individual has wages, let's say they worked overtime for a particular period and they are over income and they get denied for maybe $50 or something like that, that's not a normal thing," Burke said.
"They can always submit another application when their income would represent more of an accurate amount of income. It's not a one-time 'apply, get denied, that's it.' You can submit as many HEAP applications as you want."
Residents can create an account online and apply for HEAP at: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/
"Some people feel more comfortable than others doing it online," Burke said.
"Others just want convenience of doing a paper application because we are here to help out and guide them with that as far as telling them what documents they should submit versus what documentation they should omit. So, either online or in-person."
A new offering is a Regular Arrears Supplement that can also be accessed on the HEAP website.
"That's something that's brand new, but they would have to qualify for HEAP," Burke said.
"What the Regular Arrears Supplement does is it pays on any arrears of a utility bill that a resident may have.
"We have JCEO Senior Outreach to get those individuals who may be homebound or things of that nature or if they don't have family members or friends in the community that can help them, we always make sure we get connected. So, there's never really a barrier in which we couldn't help someone during an emergency situation."
Email Robin Caudell:
Twitter:@RobinCaudell
