Check to see if you qualify for financial assistance for your utility bill this summer
During a typical summer, more than 58,800 Oklahoma families qualify for government-funded assistance on their cooling bills.
This year, there's more money available than normal, which means more Oklahomans could stand to benefit. The Oklahoman compiled key information to help you determine whether you might qualify, and if you do, how you can secure the assistance.
Nearly $24 million in cooling system assistance payments is available for Oklahoma through LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
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LIHEAP offers qualifying Oklahomans the energy payment assistance during both summer and winter months when utility bills are highest. LIHEAP also provides those with qualifying medical issues financial assistance year-round when their utility services are about to be or have been disconnected.
Could I benefit from LIHEAP assistance?
The target populations DHS seeks to help with its LIHEAP program are Oklahoma's elderly and disabled who are on fixed incomes and households that have children 5 years of age or younger.
But anyone who meets income restrictions can apply.
This summer, a qualifying family of four could get as much as $425 to aid it in paying those costs.
If you don't meet those income restrictions, however, your utility service provider could still help through various programs it offers.
Once a customer is approved to receive the help, the agency makes a one-time payment on his or her behalf directly to the utility providing the service, where it is applied to what the customer would be billed over the summer cooling season, said Matthew Conley, who administers the program for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
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How to apply for LIHEAP benefits
Families may apply for LIHEAP cooling assistance online at www.okdhslive.org (beginning June 28 — the application for the winter assistance program typically begins early each calendar year).
For those who can't apply online, Conley encourages them to apply by calling DHS at 405-522-5050.
An application period typically lasts only a few weeks until available funds are exhausted. But state officials said this summer cooling application period could be extended by a couple of weeks because additional dollars are available.
What will you need to apply for LIHEAP
When you apply for LIHEAP, you will need to be ready to provide information on everyone who resides under the same roof at the same service address.
Other items you may need include:
A utility account number and your utility provider’s information.
A copy of your birth certificate, driver's license, a paycheck, a voter registration card, school records or your U.S. passport.
Pay stubs for the last 30 days that show your name or Social Security number, dates of pay, and income before deductions, or a statement from your employer, or (for those who are self-employed) a copy of your most recent year's tax return.
If you have other income, you might need to show the agency a copy of a current benefit check or award letter, copies of child support or alimony checks or a court order showing a benefit amount.
If you are permanently disabled or you are older than 60, you might be eligible for additional assistance if you provide itemized receipts that show your medical expenses.
If you are an immigrant, you will be asked for a document that shows your lawful immigration status.
Applicants are notified whether or not they were accepted by letter.
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Other energy assistance programs are available to those who qualify
Beyond DHS' summer cooling and winter heating assistance offered through LIHEAP, it also offers residents federal funding for an Energy Crisis Assistance Program where an applicant can seek help within 72 hours of being notified by a utility that his or her service is about to be ended or otherwise curtailed because of bill non-payment issues.
Life-threatening energy assistance is available throughout the year (based on available funding) for qualifying households that have had their energy turned off or have been threatened with a cut off when they have someone who lives there that has a medical condition requiring either main heating or cooling energy sources for life dependency.
One recipient recently wrote a thank-you letter to DHS for the financial assistance received through these programs.
"Without your help, my electricity would still be disconnected," the recipient wrote. "I work from home and am insulin dependent, with insulin that must be refrigerated. So, not only did you save my job, you saved my life."
Business Writer Jack Money covers Oklahoma’s energy and agricultural beats for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com. Contact him at jmoney@oklahoman.com. Please support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by subscribing to The Oklahoman.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahomans needing additional cooling assistance have help coming
