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| For more information contact: Dan Hatwell For immediate release Emergency Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) resumes March 30 West Virginia Emergency LIEAP for 2006 will resume on Thursday, March 30 at all local Department of Health and Human Resources county offices. West Virginia residents who received an initial Emergency LIEAP payment in 2006 may be eligible for an additional one time only emergency LIEAP payment in 2006 as a result of West Virginia receiving additional federal funding. Emergency LIEAP will remain open until LIEAP funds are exhausted. To apply for Emergency LIEAP benefits, West Virginia residents must apply directly through their local DHHR office.Households must meet all program guidelines to qualify for assistance. In addition, there must be an emergency which will cause disruption to the home's primary heating source if not met. DHHR staff requests that customers, whose primary source of heat is either gas or electric, bring their cut-off notice with them when applying for Emergency LIEAP. Households using other primary heating sources, or bulk fuel, may qualify for assistance if their heating fuel is at a low level during the time of application. Examples of bulk fuel are coal, wood, liquid petroleum and fuel oil. Eligibility for LIEAP benefits is based on income and household size. Income must be below 130% of the federal poverty guideline for the household size. A household of four, for example, must have income at or below $2,097 per month and be responsible for a home-heating cost. The program is limited to the amount of federal funding allocated to West Virginia under the LIHEAP Block Grant. – 30 – |