Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a)
Upon application at the CAA or other non-profit agency, or outreach site,
eligible households which have not received or will not receive automatic
benefits in accordance with
5:49-3.1, shall receive energy
assistance in accordance with this section. In order to be eligible for home
energy assistance, the household must be income eligible (see
5:49-2.3) .
(b) No home energy assistance shall be
authorized to households whose heating costs are paid by others outside the
household.
(c) No special
assistance shall be authorized to households residing in publicly operated
housing or receiving a rent subsidy, unless the household can demonstrate that
it has direct responsibility for payment of its heating costs.
(d) Applications shall not be authorized for
households residing in any licensed medical facility (hospital, skilled nursing
facility or intermediate care facility), publicly operated community residence
or center for the treatment of drug and/or alcohol abuse.
(e) Applications shall not be authorized for
households consisting entirely of students who are tax dependents of another
household.
(f) Households
responsible for heating costs:
1. Households
which are responsible for primary fuel costs associated with residential heat
shall receive a benefit based on the household's size, income, fuel type and
heating region, as referenced in
5:49-3.6.
i. Fuel types are electricity, natural gas,
oil, propane, kerosene, coal, wood and heat included in rent.
2. Households whose heat is
included in the rent, or who pay a separate fuel charge to their landlord,
shall receive benefits as heat included in the rent fuel type.
3. The household must provide evidence that
it is responsible for payment of fuel costs.
4. A household directly responsible to a
public utility for payment of heating costs will receive the energy benefit in
the form of a direct transfer to the utility. The benefit will be transferred
directly to the client's utility company with the client receiving
notification. A household directly responsible to other participating fuel
suppliers will receive the benefit in the form of a two party check. The check
will be payable to the head of household and the name of the fuel
supplier.
5. A household directly
responsible for payment of heating costs to any non-participating fuel supplier
will receive the energy benefit payable to the head of household and "Your
Heating Supplier."
6. For cases in
which an applicant indicates that he or she is using a kerosene heater as the
primary heat source in an area in which zoning ordinances have declared that
type of heater illegal, kerosene shall not be considered the household's main
source of heat on the HEA application. In such situations the CAA or other
non-profit agency must advise applicants of the legal implications of using
that form of heater and provide them with information regarding any available
programs which may assist them in the establishment of an alternate heating
source.
i. In any situation in which the
applicant is uncooperative in securing a new heating source, the CAA or other
non-profit agency must document in the case record that the applicant was
advised of the illegality of the use of kerosene heaters and was counseled
regarding existing alternatives. Home energy assistance payments shall not be
authorized to supplement illegal heating sources.
