Louisiana LIHEAP is a federally funded assistance program that helps low income households with their home energy bills. By providing energy assistance to low income residents, the state aids in the protection of the health and wellness of residents, especially those that are more prone to serious illness if a home grows too hot or too cold. Benefits are provided to residents as a onetime payment onto a utility account on a first come first serve basis. While meeting eligibility requirements is not a guarantee of benefits, you are strongly encouraged to review the qualifications that must be met in order to receive benefits from this program.
If in need of emergency utility assistance in Louisiana, the program can also provide expedited applications and benefit payments in the event of a utility disconnect notice that has been received by a household due to nonpayment.
Learn About Types of LIHEAP Energy Assistance in Louisiana
In Louisiana, cooling and heating assistance is available throughout the year while funding remains available. This low income home energy assistance program provides low income households with financial assistance in order to offset some of the cost of utility bills, especially in the coldest and hottest months of the year. However, the program is not meant to cover the entire cost of a household’s utilities, but rather provide a beneficiary amount that can be used towards current, past due and future balances with a utility company.
Before you apply for LIHEAP, it is important to know that benefits are offered on both a general and crisis basis to qualifying households. General applications will take longer to process than crisis ones, however, eligibility requirements are very similar between these two forms of assistance. You may be eligible to receive emergency assistance if you have already received a disconnection notice from your utility company.
If eligible for the LIHEAP program, benefits will be applied directly to the utility. You will not receive a check or payment of benefits. Instead, benefits are applied directly to your account with the utility company.
Learn more about the different LIHEAP programs by downloading our free guide.
What are the Louisiana LIHEAP requirements?
Before you apply for the low income home energy assistance program in Louisiana, it is strongly recommended that you review the eligibility requirements associated with the program in order to determine whether or not your household may qualify to receive benefits within the state. To qualify for LIHEAP, the following must be true:
- You are a resident of Louisiana.
- All members of your household are either U.S. citizens or lawful alien residents.
- Your household has an active energy account.
- Your household has not received benefits from this program in the previous six months.
Additionally, LIHEAP income guidelines must be met in order to receive benefits from the program. These limits are reassessed each year and based upon the number of people living within a residence, or household size. In order for a household to qualify for assistance, the household must be at or below 60 percent of the state median income level.
Find out more about LIHEAP in our comprehensive guide.
How to Apply for LIHEAP in Louisiana
To apply for LIHEAP in Louisiana, you must contact the Community Action Agency that handles applications for your county. You cannot submit a LIHEAP application online in Louisiana and must Community Action Agencies will require you to schedule an appointment at the agency’s location in order to complete your application in person. Special accommodations will be made for individuals who are homebound.
When applying for LIHEAP, you may be required to provide a number of documents that will assist your local Community Action Agency in determining whether or not your household is eligible for benefits as well as the benefit amount that your household may be eligible to receive. Without these documents, your application could be delayed or denied. You may need to provide:
- Your most recent copy of your utility bill.
- The last four consecutive copies of check stubs for each employed member of your household.
- Proof of all unearned income, such as Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, pension funds or disability.
- A disconnect notice, you have received a disconnection notice from your utility and you are seeking emergency assistance.
- Proof of your current address.
- A photo ID from the head of household, such as with a driver’s license or identification card.
- Proof of all total members living within the household.
- Social Security cards from all members of the household.
How much could LIHEAP pay in Louisiana?
If approved for LIHEAP benefits in Louisiana, it is important to know that benefit amounts do vary from one household to the next. Benefits are determined by a number of factors, including household size, household income and dwelling type. If you are approved for benefits, however, you will be notified as to the amount of benefits that your household has been awarded.
As stated previously, utility assistance is not provided to the household. Payments are made directly to the household’s utility and deposited onto the household’s account with that utility. Benefits can then be used to future, past due and current balances.
How can I check the status of my LIHEAP application?
You can view a LIHEAP application status by contacting your local Louisiana Community Action Agency that handled your application. At this time, you cannot review your application status online. Additionally, you will receive a notice once your eligibility has been determined in order to inform you whether or not your household is eligible to receive benefits and, if eligible, the amount of benefits that have been awarded.