What Do You Need To Know
The West Virginia Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) was established by the federal government to provide assistance to poor households in paying their utility bills. In West Virginia, the LIEAP program comes under the Department of Family Assistance (DFA). The DFA has contracts with community agents all over West Virginia that further reach out to eligible people to provide the LIEAP benefits through local offices.
The applicants can also apply for the crisis component of the LIEAP program. The crisis component provides assistance to citizens of West Virginia who are in urgent need of help regarding their utility bills payments.
What is the program objectives?
The goal of the West Virginia Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is to improve the living conditions of poor households in the state of West Virginia, especially during the cold weather. The households have to fulfill certain criteria to be able to receive the program benefits.
Through the LIEAP program, poor households can keep their houses cool and warm according to the season without having to worry about the utility expense. The main objective of the West Virginia LIEAP program is to provide safe living conditions to them. The program provides services including utility bill payments, energy crisis grants, assistance at the time of emergency energy need.
The selected households and individuals who meet the eligibility criteria are provided with a credit payment directly applied to their utility expenses per month.
Are You Eligible?
To be eligible for the West Virginia Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) it is mandatory for the applicant to be
- Permanent resident or a legal alien in the U.S
- Permanent citizenship of the state of West Virginia
- The applicant must need assistance in paying their utility bills
The requirements for crisis management component of the LIEAP program are,
- There is a fuel crisis in the household
- The fuel/power service of the household has been cut off
- You have received a power termination warning from your utility providers
The candidate’s eligibility is assessed on two important factors
- The candidate’s annual gross income of the household
- The total number of members in the household
The table below provides a detailed understanding of the household size and the maximum gross income which should be either equal or less than,
| Total Household Size | Gross Income Level (Per Year) |
| 1 | 16237 |
| 2 | 21983 |
| 3 | 27729 |
| 4 | 33475 |
| 5 | 39221 |
| 6 | 44967 |
| 7 | 50713 |
| 8 | 56459 |
If there are more than 8 members in the house than an extra amount of $5746 is added for each additional member. Therefore, check with local agencies for accurate information about the West Virginia LIEAP program.
In case you or any of your family members are receiving benefits from any other kind of program then you might automatically get selected for the West Virginia Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP).
Other important requirements for the LIEAP program include,
- Utility bill’s copies
- Proof of your income (recent pay stubs, payroll slip, salary slip)
- Social Security Number (SNN)
- Copy of driver’s license
- Copies of any termination notice if you have received one from your energy service provider.
Pre-screening tool
You can also visit the West Virginia Low Income Energy Assistance Program to check whether you are eligible for the program. The procedure is simple and you need to answer some questions like,
- Citizenship information of the candidate
- Gross income of the candidate’s household
- Household size of the candidate
- Whether or not you are receiving any other kind of assistance from the state
How To Apply
There are certain documents that an applicant is required to bring along with them at the time of applying for the West Virginia LIEAP program. The applicant must have a copy of their
- The utility expenses including electricity, gas, heating, and cooling, propane
- All the documents that show salaries of all the members of the household who are currently employed
There are different ways to apply for the West Virginia Low Income Energy Assistance Program.
- To apply online, the applicant can visit the inROADS. This will take you to an online portal where you will find the online application. The website lets you check your eligibility for the LIEAP program. You can also learn about the different partners of the West Virginia LIEAP on the website as well. Before filling out the online application form you will have to create a free online account on the website portal if you don’t have one already.
- To apply via phone call please use the toll-free number (304) 558-0628 to contact the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) and request an application form for the LIEAP. The application will be emailed to you which you can then return once you fill out the form to get the program benefits.
- To apply through fax, the applicant will be required to fax the application form along with all the attested copied of the required documents to (304) 558-4194 to the Department of Health and Human Resources.
- If the applicant is interested in submitting their application in person, they can visit the DHHR office in their locality. You can find the address of the office on their official website of the West Virginia LIEAP.
It is advisable to apply before the due date to be able to get the benefits. Also, note that any assistance in the form of cash that you might get from the program goes directly to your respected energy provider or utility company.
For Further Information
For further information, please visit the West Virginia LIEAP. These websites provided complete information about the program. The above-mentioned websites will help you learn more about the program and its requirements related to the application process and eligibility criteria. .This makes it easy for the applicant to apply for the West Virginia LIEAP program.