The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) provides for a one-time vendor payment to help eligible households pay their heating bills.
As the cold weather creeps across the county, no one deserves to have it seep into their homes due to lack of funds to pay an electric bill, local officials have said.
To that end, the Sampson County Department of Social Services is currently taking applications for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP).
“This is a program they (DSS) have been doing every year, which is a once-a-year program from December to March,” said Monica Price, income maintenance administrator at the Department of Social Services, Sampson County.
The month of December is for their priority group. These groups are defined as: Households containing an elderly person age 60 and above, households containing persons with disabilities that receives services through the Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS), Disabled persons are defined as receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Administration (SSA) or Veterans Administration (VA) disability. Applications can be done over the phone by calling the agency at 910-592-7131.
Price stressed some important factors that go along with this program, “We want people to understand it is income-based, not based just on the high energy bill,” she explained. “In December, we try to help our elderly first, and January anyone can apply until our funds our exhausted.”
The Low Income Energy Assistance Program provides for a one-time vendor payment to help eligible households pay their heating bills. Households must meet the following requirements: An income test, be responsible for its heating bills, and bill cannot be in a deceased person or a minor child’s name. All eligible applicants must include a U.S. citizen, however, an eligible alien funding is available, but limited. All eligible households may not be approved. At a minimum, applicants should have the name of the household’s heating vendor and the account number when applying.
Sometimes, there’s a bit of confusion on the applicant’s part, thinking they will receive the funds directly, which Price clarified. “Sometimes people think they will get a check themselves, but it does not work like that, we pay the vendors directly.”
Price said the application process is fairly quick, from application to approval, “We have been able to process them in 2 or 3 days,” she said, “Once we get the information back from someone we have 10 days, but we try to do it a lot quicker.”
DSS is accepting applications online by submitting through- https://epass.nc.gov/ . For those that prefer to come in person can do so by visiting the agency at 360 County Complex Rd, Suite 100, Clinton. Applications can be mailed to the agency, faxed, or use their drop boxes.
Starting Jan. 2, 2025, through March 31, 2025, any households can apply.
If you have any questions, please Sampson County DSS at 910-592- 7131