Administrative Rules of Montana › Department 37 - PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES › Chapter 37.70 - LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP) › Subchapter 37.70.3 - Application and Eligibility Determination › Rule 37.70.305 - APPLICATION

Current through Register Vol. 13, July 5, 2024
(1) Except as provided in (4), a new
				application for LIHEAP benefits must be made for each new heating season and
				when a household moves to a different residence during the heating
				season.
(2) The application form
				may be submitted to the local contractor's office.
(3) An application for LIHEAP benefits must
				be filed during the heating season for which assistance is being sought, that
				is, between October 1 and April 30, except as provided in (4). If April 30
				falls on a weekend or holiday observed by Montana state government, the local
				contractor must accept applications on the next business day after the weekend
				or holiday. However, at the option of the department, a household's application
				for certain types of deliverable heating fuel which are sold at lower prices
				during the summer months or for emergency services may be filed prior to
				October 1 of the heating season for which a household is seeking assistance. In
				the case of households who use other types of fuel and who are not seeking
				emergency services, the department may in its discretion accept applications
				prior to October 1.
(4) Publicly
				subsidized housing households whose energy costs are included as a fixed
				portion of their rent, or households that reside in publicly subsidized housing
				and have an obligation to pay a base-load electric bill, are not eligible for a
				regular LIHEAP benefit computed using the benefit matrices and multipliers in
				the LIHEAP Benefit Award Matrix and Table of Multipliers for the current
				heating season. However, these households are eligible for weatherization
				assistance as provided in ARM Title 37, chapter 71 and a modified LIHEAP
				benefit. The modified LIHEAP benefit is equal to five percent of the amount of
				a regular LIHEAP benefit computed using the benefit matrices and multipliers in
				ARM 37.70.601 or a minimum payment of $25, whichever is greater, paid to the
				household annually. Households determined eligible for the modified LIHEAP
				benefit whose economic and housing situation does not change are eligible for a
				period of five years.
(5)
				Households residing in publicly subsidized housing that move into nonsubsidized
				housing during the five-year eligibility period may reapply for a prorated
				benefit for the current heating season based on the household's new
				circumstances as provided in ARM 37.70.602. The household may file a new
				application for each subsequent heating season as long as the household lives
				in nonsubsidized housing, as provided in (1).
(6) Households residing in publicly
				subsidized housing that move to another publicly subsidized housing unit during
				the five-year eligibility period may file a new application for a modified
				LIHEAP benefit for another five-year period, which will run from the date of
				the new application, if the household's energy costs are included as a portion
				of its rent or if it has an obligation to pay a base-load electric
				bill.
(7) No household or any of
				its members will be discriminated against on the basis of race, color,
				religion, sex, culture, age, creed, marital status, physical or mental
				disability, political beliefs, or national origin. This includes discrimination
				which affects participation in LIHEAP and benefit amount.
AUTH:
					 53-2-201, MCA; IMP:
					 53-2-201,
					 MCA