Home Heating Assistance To Be Delayed, Say State Officials

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

State officials say the delay in getting monies out to help the elderly and low-income families pay their heating bills this winter has nothing to do with a shortfall in funding.

Rather, it’s an accounting issue.

On Friday, the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services announced the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LIHEAP, will start a month later than usual.

That means elderly residents ages 65 and older who normally apply for help in November will now have to wait until December.

All other eligible low-income families will have to wait to apply for funding after January 1st, 2016.

DFACS spokesperson Susan Boatwright said the delay has to do with the timing of the funding coming from the federal government.

“My understanding is we are opening it this year when we receive the federal funds,” Boatwright said. “In prior years we were able to offer it a little bit ahead of the federal funds, but we just were not able to do that this year. This year we are going to try and time it exactly with the federal funds.”

Last year, Georgia spent more than $55-million to help over 163,000 clients with their heating bills.

But Boatwright noted unlike in years past, there was no money left over to start this year’s program early.

“Because we served so many people last year, whatever wiggle room we had left in the funds in previous years, we don’t have this year,” she said. “So we really have to wait until we have those federal funds. It has nothing to do with expecting a shortfall or anything like that. It’s all about with timing with the receipt of the federal funds to us.”

Boatwright said it’s important people who will be applying for help understand they need to wait an extra 30 days this year.

To qualify for heating help a family’s annual income must be less or equal to 60% of the median income for a Georgia family. So, for a household of one, the income threshold is $21,029 a year and the income threshold for a household of five is $46,912.

The average benefit amount to those who qualified was around $325.

– See more at: http://www.921wlhr.com/heating-funding-delay-is-accounting-issue-says-state/#sthash.uFrzrtxM.dpuf