LIHEAP program not at risk this year, but future funding remains uncertain

The administration of President Donald J. Trump has once again caused a stir among the United States citizens and governments alike. In what is said to be an attempt at “restructuring” the agency, the roughly two-dozen federal employees, approximately 20 to 25, that oversee the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) have been laid off.

This move has sparked vehement concerns about the state of the LIHEAP program, and many fear this firing escapade will affect life as they know it. Will they be able to afford their heating bills in more Northern states for the remainder of the winter season? Will they be able to afford the cooling bills for the upcoming summer heat? Fears continue to stir across the United States.

It appears that the two-dozen employees that were let go were only a small part of a much larger layoff of 10,000 employees in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Earlier this year, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared in an interview with NewsNation about Health and Human Services (HHS), “It’s a sprawling agency…we have over 100 comms departments. We have forty procurement departments. We have dozens of IT departments. Dozens of HR departments. None of them talk to each other. And what we’re trying to do now is to streamline the agency to eliminate the redundancies and to focus the mission so that everybody who is at HHS is going to wake up every morning and say ‘What am I going to do today to make America healthy again?’ and we’re going to make it easier for those [people]. We’re not cutting scientists. We’re not cutting front-line workers. We’re cutting administrators and we’re consolidating the agency to make it more efficient.”

As reported by The Hill, “Kennedy suggests 20 percent of HHS cuts may be reversed.”

While LIHEAP’s future is in question, President/CEO of KCEOC Paul Dole spoke confidently when asked how these cuts in D.C. will affect his organization and its LIHEAP programs, “Well right now it won’t affect us at all…The state’s already drawn down most all of this year’s funding. So… the money for this year is already in Frankfort. For right now, that’s not going to have an effect.”

So, while the uncertainty can feel pressing, Knox Countians and others can rest assured that Kentucky will be unaffected by these drastic changes for the remainder of this year, and if Secretary Kennedy does plan to reverse 20 percent of the jobs cuts that affect the LIHEAP program at the federal level, we may be looking at a continuation of the LIHEAP program. The program’s future, beyond this current fiscal year, remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, KCEOC will soon be accepting applications for LIHEAP assistance. Beginning on April 15 through May 30, those eligible households needing assistance may apply for funds to help offset the cost of their electricity bills. The benefits are paid directly to the electric vendor, not the customer. The program, while scheduled to run through May 30 may end prematurely if funds are depleted, as the program serves households on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Income eligiblity for LIHEAP assistance is up to and including 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and benefits can range from $41 to $250, depending on income and housing categories.

Applicants be required to supply the following to be considered for LIHEAP assistance:

• Proof of Social Security number or permanent residence card (Green Card) for each member of the household;

• Proof of all household’s (all members0 income from the preceding month;

• Most current electric service bill including account number and name on account, statement from the landlord if utility expenses are included in rent, statement from the utility company if you participate in a Pre-Pay Program.

To schedule an appointment to apply for LIHEAP assistance, call 606-595-8062.