August 20, 2015—Outreach is an important aspect of administering LIHEAP, both at the state and local level. Effective outreach means the most in-need households, or those the state has prioritized such as elderly or disabled, are made aware of the program as well as of other energy-related programs for which they may be eligible. Effective outreach can also streamline the application process.

August 14, 2015—Seven programs administered by the Georgia Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the LIHEAP grantee, will soon be using Pondera Solution's "Fraud Detection as a Service" (FDaaS) to combat fraudulent program applications. LIHEAP is one of the programs that will use the new system.

August 7, 2015—Early this week the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced its decision to release additional supplemental funds to all those who received LIHEAP payments this year. The additional $50 supplement, to be released by the end of this month, will be applied to each recipient's home heating account in an effort to help mitigate the increase in home heating costs after the harsh winter.

July 31, 2015—Dominion Virginia Power will be expanding its EnergyShare program beginning in September of this year. The program, created to help low-income families who struggle to afford their energy bills, provides financial assistance, weatherization services, and educational outreach to qualifying customers.

July 24, 2015—The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) announced recently that it will be adopting a new funding factor for the Low Income Energy Assistance Fund (LIEAF). Based on the number of meters provided by participating utilities, MPSC will raise the funding factor from the current $0.97 per meter per month to $0.98 per meter per month. The new rate will start in September and run until the end of August 2016.

LIHEAP COVID RESPONSE

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, LIHEAP agencies across the country have made necessary changes to their typical operations to accommodate the circumstances caused by the pandemic. Many states have made changes to their application requirements, allowing for LIHEAP recipients to submit online applications due to local intake agencies being closed during the pandemic. Some agencies have also adjusted their programs by increasing the crisis benefit amount of crisis programs, qualification requirements of a crisis determination as well as changing documentation requirements for application. To learn more, visit the LIHEAP COVID Response page.

FEATURED NEWS

August 30, 2023 — The Office of Community Services announced on Wednesday the updates made to the LIHEAP Data Dashboard. The dashboard is an interactive tool intended to visually track, analyze, and display the impacts of the LIHEAP program across all participating states, tribes, and U.S. territories. Recent updates include data related to the first and second quarters of Federal Fiscal Year (FYY) 2023 (October 1, 2023 - March 31, 2023).

In addition to these updates, a new LIHEAP Use for Funds graphic is now available on the Quarterly Reports page. Users are given the option to select specific grant recipient states, tribes, or territories to see how each grant recipient uses their funds. Data for these tools are gathered from approved LIHEAP model plans and the LIHEAP Quarterly Performance and Management reports.

August 9, 2023 - $15 Million Released in Fourth and Final Round of FY 2023 Funding
March 16, 2023 - $560 Million Released in Third Supplemental Funding Release for LIHEAP
February 22, 2023 - $1 Billion Released in Supplemental Funding for LIHEAP 2023
January 24, 2023 - LIHEAP Heating Season Toolkit Now Available
November 3, 2022 - $4.5 Billion Released to Lower Heating Costs for American Families This Winter
August 26, 2022 - Office of Community Services Releases Guidance for Use of LIHEAP Funds Appropriated in ARP Act

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