Medical Extension

If a medical extension is available with the utility company the client can choose if they want to accept the medical extension through the utility company. Advise the client to contact their utility company directly if they wish to pursue the medical extension.

Medical Equipment

Criteria One

The utility has to be in crisis status and it has to be the utility that operates the LT medical equipment.

An energy crisis includes when:

• Service is disconnected by the energy supplier;
• Has a verified, active cut-off order
• Receives a refusal notice to provide additional energy needs from the energy supplier and the household’s fuel tank indicator is at or below at 25 percent or less for households with a life-threatening medical situation;
• Provides information regarding a new connection fee;
• Has a cash only, cash advance, or pre-paid account and has less than a $25 minimum balance in the account, or
• Enters into a payment plan with the energy supplier to prevent a service cut-off.

Criteria Two

The client must be able to provide a statement from a licensed health care professional verifying the medical equipment is prescribed, no battery backup is available, and the situation is LT without the medical equipment. The statement must be dated within the last 60 calendar days or the most recent six months of medical records. If the client requests a form they can use to send to the health care professional provide form 08AD065E. The use of this form is not mandatory; the licensed health care professional can provide the required information on a statement.

Qualified medical equipment includes, but is not limited to

• A kidney dialysis machine,
• an iron lung,
• an oxygen concentrator or other oxygen machine, or
• a cardiac monitor

Qualified medical equipment does not include

• a hot water heater unless specified as medically necessary in the medical statement,
• refrigerator unless specified as medically necessary in the medical statement,
• stove,
• a battery-driven, hand-driven, or self-contained nebulizer,
• a battery-driven apnea monitor, or
• a battery-driven cardiac monitor.

The equipment may not have a battery backup. When there is a battery backup, the situation is not LT.

If the household meets the 2 criteria AFS Field/EA staff submit a life threatening referral and complete the required information.

EA staff will determine eligibility ensure the household meets the other Energy Assistance program factors. The interview will be completed over the phone and input the information in the LT database. A secondary review will ensure all necessary documentation has been recorded and make the final validation for the LT authorization.

Approvals must comply with the ECAP maximum benefit amount limit.

Extreme Temperature

• The medical condition category has been replaced with the extreme temperature category.

Life threatening energy crisis assistance may be available for households in extreme temperatures. There are 2 criteria the household must meet for an extreme temperature LT referral.

Criteria One

The utility has to be in crisis status and it has to be the utility that operates the heating or cooling (depending on the season). The cooling source cannot be paid in response to cold temperatures and heating source cannot be paid in response to hot temperatures.

An energy crisis includes when:

• Service is disconnected by the energy supplier;
• Has a verified, active cut-off order
• Receives a refusal notice to provide additional energy needs from the energy supplier and the household’s fuel tank indicator is at or below 25 percent or less for households with a life-threatening situation;
• Provides information regarding a new connection fee;
• Has a cash only, cash advance, or pre-paid account and has less than a $25 minimum balance in the account or
• Enters into a payment plan with the energy supplier to prevent a service cut-off.

Criteria Two

The day of the cutoff, in summer the temperature is predicted to be a heat index of at least 101 degrees or in winter, the temperature is predicted to be 32 degrees or lower. EA eligibility staff will check the temperature forecast on the National Weather Service website for the applicant’s city of residence and date of disconnect. The forecast information will be uploaded into OnBase for all certifications based on a extreme temperature. No medical statement is required for the extreme temperature program.

Energy Assistance staff will determine eligibility ensure the household meets the other liheap program factors. The interview will be completed over the phone and input the information in the LT database. A secondary review will ensure all necessary documentation has been recorded and make the final validation for the LT authorization.

Approvals must comply with the maximum benefit amount limit.