TOPEKA – With temperatures dropping and winter weather arriving in Kansas, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is once again offering its Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) to help families struggling to pay their heating bills during the winter months.
“LIEAP has helped our Kansas communities stay warm for many years,” DCF Secretary Laura Howard said in a press release. “It is an important and valued support program provided to families during cold Kansas winters.”
Last year, $47 million aided approximately 40,000 households in covering winter heating bills, averaging $1,180 per home.
To receive assistance, applicants must apply on the DCF website, www.dcf.ks.gov, by clicking “Apply for Services” or in person and be eligible according to the qualifications. Find a DCF service center closest to you at www.dcf.ks.gov/services/Pages/DCFOfficeLocatorMap.aspx.
The applications are available beginning today, Jan. 3, 2023, and must be received by 5 p.m., March 31. More information and FAQs on the LIEAP program is available at www.dcf.ks.gov/services/ees/Pages/EnergyAssistance.aspx .
To qualify, households must have an adult at the address that is responsible for the heating costs of the home. Applicants must be able to prove a recent history of payments on the energy bill (within the past three months), along with being at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
The one-time assistance payment is determined by household income, number of persons living at the address, type of dwelling, and type of heating fuel. Funding for LIEAP is provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Community Service through the Federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Income eligibility guidelines are as follows: for one person living at the address, the maximum gross monthly income is $1,699. For two people, maximum gross monthly income is $2,289; for three it is $2,879, and for four it is $3,469. If there are five people living at the address, maximum gross monthly income is $4,959; for six it is $4,649; for seven it is $5,239, and for eight it is $5,829. For additional numbers of people living at an address, add $590 per person.
