State and Local LIHEAP Administering Agencies

Tables

Grant Recipients and Intake
The two tables below list the state agency that receives funds to administer LIHEAP or WAP and indicates where the same state department administers LIHEAP, WAP and CSBG. The tables also provide the primary and alternate sites where clients go to apply for LIHEAP or WAP.

Eligibility Determination and Payment Processing
The following tables indicate who determines eligibility and who processes payments to electric, gas and bulk fuel vendors.

Assurance 6 of the LIHEAP statute pertains to states' utilization of local administering agencies (LAAs) to administer and deliver LIHEAP. It does not require grantees to use local agencies, but stipulates that if they do utilize such agencies they must give "special consideration" to agencies operating energy assistance or weatherization under the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) of 1964; generally this refers to community action agencies (CAAs), which were created under the EOA. The Assurance also requires that before giving such special consideration, states must determine that the agencies meet the state's program and fiscal requirements.

The tables above show the following administrative overlap among components of LIHEAP (heating and cooling, crisis and weatherization assistance) and among related human services programs: the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), formerly Aid to Families with Dependent Children.

  • In all states, the same department administers LIHEAP heating, cooling and crisis assistance. (Hawaii only operates cooling and crisis. Twenty-six states provide cooling assistance).
  • In 30 states, LIHEAP heating, cooling and crisis assistance are administered by the state department that administers the state's welfare program (TANF). In Michigan, LIHEAP administration is split between two state agencies, but the lead department is the state welfare department.
  • In 21 states, agencies other than the state welfare department administer LIHEAP heating, cooling and crisis assistance; these include Departments of Commerce, Development, Housing and Community Development and the State Energy Office.
  • In 29 states plus DC, the same department that administers LIHEAP also administers LIHEAP weatherization assistance and the Department of Energy's WAP. In the remaining 20 states, the LIHEAP agency transfers its weatherization allocation to another agency and sets policies and procedures for the second agency through agreements, etc. (Click here for more information and examples of agreements.)
  • In 22 states, the same department administers LIHEAP, WAP and CSBG. (These states are highlighted in bold).
  • In 12 states, the department that administers LIHEAP also administers TANF and CSBG; in 22 states the department that administers DOE WAP also administers CSBG.

Local Administration: State level administration by the welfare department does not necessarily mean that LIHEAP is administered locally by county welfare offices. In the majority of states, the welfare department contracts primarily with community action agencies (CAAs) and/or other community-based nonprofits to administer the program. In other cases, the state welfare department contracts primarily with county offices as well as with CAAs and other nonprofits.

While at least 30 states report that CAAs are their primary local administrator for LIHEAP heating, cooling and crisis, 13 states report that counties are the primary local administrator. Among other states, administration is centralized at the state level, or is provided through a mix of nonprofits.

For weatherization, the majority of states report CAAs as the primary intake site.

The distinction on the tables between primary and alternate/secondary intake sites is because of Assurance 15, which states that those states administering LIHEAP at the local level through county welfare offices must have "alternate sites" that provide the same administrative or delivery functions (e.g., outreach, intake, application assistance, eligibility determination, etc). These alternate sites must be entities "such as community action agencies, area agencies on aging and not-for-profit neighborhood-based organizations" and the assurance applies to the states' heating, crisis and cooling (if applicable) components, but not to weatherization.

Furthermore, this assurance is applicable only to states, and to territories whose annual regular LIHEAP allotments exceed $200,000. Neither territories with annual allotments of $200,000 or less nor Indian tribes/tribal organizations are subject to Assurance 15.