hFamilies in New York are getting some help paying their surging heating bills this winter, as applications opened Tuesday for Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP).
HEAP can provide up to $976 for seniors and low- or middle-income families, and families of four can qualify as long as their annual income is less than $65,829.
Incentive checks: How do payments differ between countries?
“We remain committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable New Yorkers have access to assistance and programs that will help address the rising costs of heating their homes this winter,” New York Gov. Kathy HochholAnnouncing the program.
“The HEAP program is a vital lifeline to countless families in New York, and I encourage all eligible to apply for these benefits that will provide much-needed financial relief.”
How to claim HEAP benefits?
HEAP is a federal program that is divided into two parts – regular and emergency.
Applications for emergency benefits open January 3, 2023but Regular benefits were available from the beginning of November.
HEAP eligibility and benefits are dependent on income, family size, primary heating source, and presence of a family member under six years of age, 60 or older, or permanently disabled.
Households can receive one regular subsidy each year, but it may go directly to the heating vendor depending on the method of payment.
As for eligibility, families may be eligible for the scheme if a family member is a qualified U.S. citizen or alien or has obtained a SNAP BenefitsTemporary Assistance or Code A Supplemental Security Entry (SSI Living Alone).
How much can you claim for HEAP benefits?
Potential benefits range from $21 for households living in government-subsidized housing with bills included in the rent, all the way to over $900 for households whose primary heating source is oil, kerosene, or propane and who make direct payments to the seller for heating costs.
On top of these numbers, an additional $41 will be made available to families with incomes below or 130 percent of the federal poverty rate for each family size (below that rate, or within 30 percent of it above that line).
The base benefit also increases by $35 if the household includes a vulnerable member (under six, 60 or older, or permanently disabled).
.
[ad_2]
