Illinois Administrative Code › Title 47 - HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT › Part 100 - LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM › Subpart B - ENERGY ASSISTANCE › Section 100.230 - Applicant Assistance

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a)
				Application and Enrollment
1) Applications for
				assistance shall be submitted to and processed on a full-time basis by LAAs
				during months specified by the Department. The dates will be set annually by
				the Department after consultation with the Policy Advisory Council and will be
				based on factors including, but not limited to, available funding, energy
				costs, weather and economic conditions. The Department will apply equal weight
				to each of the major items considered. Applicants that are elderly or disabled,
				and/or applicants that have been disconnected from their primary and/or
				secondary home energy provider, will have a priority application period
				designated specifically for them.
2) The LAAs shall either approve or
				disapprove a completed application within 30 days after its receipt and, in the
				event of approval, shall within the same 30 days notify the applicant and the
				applicant's home energy provider electronically or in writing of the
				applicant's eligibility. If the application is incomplete at the time of its
				receipt, the LAA shall notify the applicant in writing, at the time of its
				receipt of the application, of all the information required from the applicant
				to complete the application. The applicant shall submit the additional
				information necessary to complete the application within 15 days after the date
				of the notification letter. In the event an applicant fails to submit the
				application in a timely manner or fails to submit all information necessary to
				complete the application, the LAA may disapprove the application. If the LAA
				disapproves an application, it shall, within 30 days after receipt of the
				completed application, notify the applicant in writing of the disapproval and
				reasons for disapproval. The notification must also apprise the applicant of
				the dispute resolution procedures set forth in Section
				100.90.
3) When the home energy provider receives
				written or electronic notice of a customer of record's eligibility for
				assistance (as described in Section
				100.220
				), the home energy provider shall place the customer of record on the option
				within 30 days. During that period, the home energy provider shall not
				disconnect the applicant for nonpayment. If an applicant's service is
				disconnected during that period, service shall be restored without penalty as
				soon as is practicable, and in no event later than as provided in 83 Ill. Adm.
				Code
				280.130(f).
4) A home energy provider may refuse to
				accept the notice of eligibility referred to above if it pertains to a person
				in the household who is not the customer of record or if it contains an
				incorrect account number. If the home energy provider does not accept the
				notice of an applicant's eligibility, the home energy provider must notify the
				applicant, the Department, and the LAA in writing within 14 days after the
				provider's receipt of the notice that the applicant's enrollment was rejected,
				the reason for the rejection and what the applicant must do prior to the home
				energy provider accepting the enrollment. The notification must also apprise
				the applicant of the availability of the dispute resolution procedures set
				forth in Section 100.90. The home energy provider's notice must give the
				applicant 14 days from the postmark date of the notification to eliminate the
				reason for rejection. During the 14-day period following the postmark date, the
				home energy provider shall not disconnect a customer of record for
				non-payment.
5) Each home energy
				provider shall inform all residential customers of record of the availability
				of the program provided for in this Part.
6) All written notices of discontinuance
				issued to residential customers of record pursuant to 83 Ill. Adm. Code 280 or
				the company's normal credit collection practices shall include information
				regarding the availability of the program provided for in this Part.