SECTION 340:20-1-20. Summer cooling

(a)   Selected households already approved for other benefits administered by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) Adult and Family Services are normally pre-authorized during June of each year. Households pre-approved for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are those who received a State Supplemental Payment (SSP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits all 12 months of the previous year and met all the criteria in (1) through (4) of this subsection. The household:

(1)   received LIHEAP the previous year;

(2)   address remains the same;

(3)   income did not exceed eligibility guidelines for household size during the year; and

(4)   members remain the same from the previous year.

(b)   Households not meeting preauthorization criteria must complete an application per Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) 340:20-1-12.

(c)   The cooling assistance part of LIHEAP normally begins in July, and applications are taken until allocated funds are expended per Section 8624 of Title 42 of the United States Code.

(d)   Refer to Appendix C-7-A, Estimated Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program,for estimated benefit amounts. The benefit amount is based on the household's income level, household size, cooling source, and if the cooling bill is included in the rent amount or paid separately.

(1)   The same benefit amount is approved for unsubsidized renters and roomers with utilities included in their rent as for households whose energy source is wood, coal, heating oil, or kerosene. Payments for unsubsidized renters and roomers who pay a utility surcharge included in the rent are made directly to approved households.

(2)   Acceptable verification of the surcharge may be established by an itemized statement from the landlord, a legally-binding lease agreement showing the surcharge, or a rent receipt designating that the fuel cost is separate from the total shelter payment.

(e)   The primary home energy source for cooling is electricity.

(1)   LIHEAP payments are made for utility expenses, deposits, and reconnect charges applicable to the household's primary source of home energy. When the utility supplier receives payment from the client and DHS for reconnect charges or deposits, the utility supplier must reimburse the client for those charges.

(2)   When other utilities are included with the fuel bill, such as water, sewer, or trash, the authorized benefit cannot include the other utility charges. In this situation, the applicant must provide a utility bill that itemizes the charges for each utility or this information must be obtained from the energy supplier.

(f)   Payments may be made to purchase cooling equipment such as fans and window air conditioning units or to repair existing cooling equipment.

(g)   When direct payment cannot be made to the energy supplier, approved payment may be made directly to the household on a debit card or, when the household receives TANF or SSP cash assistance by direct deposit, payment may be made through direct deposit in the same bank account per OAC 340:65-3-6 debit card and direct deposit procedures.

[Source: Added at 27 Ok Reg 1195, eff 6-1-10; Amended at 29 Ok Reg 760, eff 7-1-12; Amended at 35 Ok Reg 1620, eff 9-17-18]