50-7-031 – eff 10-1-25 Deductions.doc

A household with an elderly or disabled member is eligible for the Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) when it receives a payment or a payment is made on its behalf for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) within the past 12 months.

Important Note:  The elderly/disabled status alone does not qualify a household for SUA without LIHEAP in the past 12 months.

Three elements must be present:

• Elderly or disabled household member
• LIHEAP payment received (or paid on household’s behalf)
• Payment occurred within the past 12 months

“Elderly” is defined as 60 years of age or older.

Disabled” is defined as receiving SSP, SSI, RSDI, or VA benefits due to a disability.

50-5-004 – eff 9-15-21 Definition of elderly or disabled household member.doc

Case notes must be completed to document receipt of LIHEAP in the past 12 months as the reason the SUA is given to the household.  This should include the name of the qualifying household member, the date of the LIHEAP payment, and the category of payment.

How to determine if a household has received a LIHEAP Payment:

LIHEAP payments are typically paid directly to the utility provider.  These payments can be found on the BNX screen in IMS. Enter BNX (space) Case Number and look under the Category (CAT) column.

The LIHEAP category codes are:

• NH = Winter Heating Payment
• NE = ECAP payment
• NL = Life Threatening Medical Crisis Payment
• NC = Summer Cooling Payment

Additionally, a few households may receive direct payment for Energy Assistance from OKDHS.  This can be found on the BN screen.  Enter BN (space) case number and look under the Category (CAT) column.

Direct Payment Energy Assistance Category Codes are:

• ENH = Winter Heating Direct Payment
• ENE = ECAP Direct Payment
• ENE = Life Threatening Medical Crisis Direct Payment
• ENC = Summer Cooling Direct Payment