Struggling to Afford Heating Bills? See If You Qualify For This NYS Discount

New York State is still waiting on million from the federal establishment to open applications for its potential assistance operation this winter In the meantime leaders are urging residents in need to check their eligibility for another state initiative that secures a monthly utility discount for low-income households Adi Talwar City Limits While the federal governing body has been back open for nearly two weeks New York State is still waiting on million from the Trump administration to open applications for its home vigor assistance scheme this winter known as HEAP In the meantime bureaucrats are urging residents in need to check their eligibility for another state initiative that secures monthly utility discounts for low-income households The New York Capacity Assistance Scheme EAP provides the discounts for households that earn below a certain income threshold what agents say can save participants up to per year function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' To be eligible applicants must prove their participation in one of several masses benefit programs including SNAP Supplemental Prevention Income Medicaid and federal citizens housing assistance a full list can be revealed here They re also eligible if they re enrolled in the Home Vigor Assistance Venture or HEAP which is based on income a family of four can earn up to a month or annually and qualify Beginning in families can be eligible for EAP even without participating in another benefits operation as long as they meet the income requirements which will also expand next year to those earning up to the Area Median Income for New York City according to Gov Kathy Hochul s office Last year around million households across the state benefited from monthly EAP discounts but an additional million are estimated to be eligible and haven t applied according to the governor We re not leaving people out in the cold and letting bills escalate Hochul reported during a press conference last week I want to urge all eligible households to sign up for the programs we have here in New York Meanwhile the governor says the state is still waiting on federal funds to open applications for HEAP which is distinct from EAP and provides direct payments toward participants utility bills The amount varies maxing out at based on income household size heating source and if the household contains a vulnerable member a child under adult or older or residents who are permanently disabled Nearly million New York City households received HEAP assistance last winter It was supposed to open applications for this season on Nov but enrollment was delayed thanks to the federal authorities shutdown and remains on hold despite the administration reopening earlier this month Hochul says the Trump administration has yet to release the million that funds New York s HEAP A spokesperson for the U S Department of Vitality and Human Services which oversees the funding did not return City Limits request for comment But the federal agency informed states that funding would be dispersed by the end of the month according to Hochul s office If that s the episode the state expects to open HEAP applications the first week of December Governor Hochul continues to demand the immediate release of these federal funds while also helping enroll more New Yorkers in state programs for monthly resource discounts and ensuring that vulnerable households don t lose access to heat Spokesperson Ken Lovett explained in a announcement The delay comes as New Yorkers utility bills are going up both National Grid and Con Edison in recent weeks approved multi-year rate hikes for customers in the five boroughs A summary last year from the circumstances approach think tank Switchbox exposed that one of every four New York residents is strength burdened meaning they spend at least percent of their income on utility bills In the Bronx percent of households are strength burdened among the highest of any New York county the statement ascertained To reach the editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org Want to republish this story Find City Limits reprint procedures here The post Struggling to Afford Heating Bills See If You Qualify For This NYS Discount appeared first on City Limits