Nassau County Department of Social Services

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TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE

HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (HEAP)

The HEAP Program helps low-income households meet the high cost of home energy. Both those who pay separately for heating costs and households whose heat is included in their rent, may be eligible for a one time regular benefit during the program year. The HEAP year generally begins in November and closes when the program funding is exhausted, which can be as early as mid-March.

How to Apply for HEAP

Seniors (age 60 and over) and persons who are permanently disabled may apply by mail to:

                       Nassau County Department of Senior Citizens' Affairs
                        60 Charles Lindbergh Blvd
                        2nd Floor North Entrance
                        Uniondale, NY 11553
                        Phone 516-227-7386

All others, including seniors in an emergency situation, must apply in person, or designate someone to apply for them, at:

EAC Inc.
                        175 Fulton Avenue
                        4th Floor
                        Hempstead, New York 11550
                        Phone 516-565-4327

Households currently receiving Food Stamps or cash benefits should contact their worker at the Nassau County Department of Social Services.

If you are required to apply in person, an eligibility worker will ask that you submit verification of your household composition, including Social Security cards, birth certificates, as well as income verification for all household members, While there is no resource test for regular HEAP, all households must have gross monthly income at or below HEAP income guidelines.

Income Guideline s for 2005-2006

The total gross (before taxes) monthly income of your household cannot exceed the following amounts:

Household Size	Maximum gross income
1	$ 1,803
2	2,358
3	2,913
4	3,468
5	4,022
6	4,577
7	4,681
8	4,785
9	4,889
10	4,993
each additional person	+408

Benefits

Households who pay for heating fuel may receive a fuel benefit amount based on fuel type, income, household size, etc. Eligible renters, whose heat is included in their rent, may receive a small renters benefit.

Benefits under the Emergency HEAP component can help prevent utility shut off's, provide emergency fuel deliveries, repair or replace essential, applicant-owned heating equipment. Generally, a household must utilize all liquid resources to be eligible for emergency HEAP, with the exception of heating equipment replacement. Heating equipment replacement is limited to one time in a 10 year period.

Targeted Households

New York's benefit program is structured in such a way that higher benefits are provided to those households that: have larger percentages of their income spent on energy costs; contain a vulnerable individual; and have the lowest income.

Vulnerable individuals are defined as children under the age of 8, adults aged 60 or older, or disabled individuals.

You must also live in an eligible housing situation. This generally means that you must either pay directly for heating costs or must pay rent that includes heating costs. If you reside in subsidized housing, you must pay heating costs separately from your rent. Individual applicants must be U.S. citizens or qualified aliens.

BENEFIT STRUCTURE

New York's benefit program consists of two components, regular benefits and emergency benefits.

Regular Benefit Component

New York State provides benefits to households that pay directly for heat or make undesignated payments for heat in the form of rent.

The state calculates household benefits using a point system. Points are assigned based on income, percent of income spent on energy, and presence of a vulnerable individual in the household. The point value for the 2005-2006 program has been set at $50 per point. The minimum number is three; the maximum number a household can receive is eight.

Eligible households that do pay directly for heat receive a benefit amount ranging from $150 to $400.

Eligible households that do not pay directly for heat receive a standard statewide benefit of either $40 or $50.

Crisis Benefits

Eligible households receive emergency benefits based on the type of emergency. In the 2003-04 program, basic emergency benefits have been set as follows:

Electric necessary to operate the heating equipment: $100

Natural gas - heat only: $235

Natural gas heat and electric to operate heating equipment: $335

Electric heat: $485

Non-utility heating fuel (oil, kerosene, propane, wood): $400

(Additional benefits may be available in some emergency situations)

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