3008-4      METHODS OF PAYMENT

3008-4 A. VENDOR PAYMENT

Payment is primarily issued directly to the applicant's vendor(s), who credits the payment to the household's account.

If an applicant's fuel service is in the landlord's name the grant is issued as a direct payment to the client.

Vendor payments are made only to vendors listed in ECOSEnergy Community Online System, which means that they have signed a vendor agreement with the DPADivision of Public Assistance Heating Assistance Program and agree to the conditions contained in the agreement.

HAPHeating Assistance Program vendors must avert disconnection of service, reconnect discontinued service, or deliver fuel upon notification from HAPHeating Assistance Program that the household is entitled to receive heating assistance.

Applicants do not have the option to request a direct cash payment in order to "shop around for the best fuel or wood price." The applicant must name the vendor from whom they intend to purchase the fuel.

Applicants are not allowed to switch vendors after the grant has been issued unless they move out of the area or change primary fuel types.

3008-4 B. DIRECT PAYMENT 

Payment is issued directly to the applicant if the household:

• is paying home heating and electricity costs indirectly through a non-subsidized rental payment;

• is self-harvesting wood and the wood is used as the client's primary heat source;

• is purchasing wood or pellets from a vendor that has not signed a HAPHeating Assistance Program vendor agreement.

• is purchasing fuel from a vendor that has not signed a HAPHeating Assistance Program vendor agreement AND the processing caseworker initiated and received a response from vendors.liheap@alaska.gov confirming zero HAPHeating Assistance Program vendors currently service the client's area of residence. This requirement does not pertain to wood or pellet vendors.

• is paying heating costs directly to their landlord or primary heating fuel and/or electric accounts are setup in the landlord's name or the name of an individual who is not a member of the household;

• has electricity or natural gas as the primary heating fuel and has a grant in an amount which is insufficient to restore disconnected service;

• lives in their vehicle and the only heat source available to them is the vehicle itself which requires gasoline to produce heat.

Direct payments are not issued in response to an applicant's request to "shop around for the best price."

Justification for a direct payment must be documented in the case note.

Note:

ENSTAR will only accept LIHEAPLow Income Home Energy Assistance Program payments issued on behalf of an ENSTAR account holder or their legal spouse. If the PIPrimary Information person or the legal spouse of the PIPrimary Information person on the HAP1State of Alaska's LIHEAP application are not listed on the ENSTAR account their LIHEAPLow Income Home Energy Assistance Program benefit must be issued as a direct payment.

3008-4 c. vENDOR PAYMENT AND DIRECT PAYMENT

When a household pays their home heating costs indirectly through their non-subsidized rental payment AND pays a vendor directly for their home electricity cost, the HAPHeating Assistance Program grant should be distributed as follows: 50 percent direct payment to the household and 50 percent to the household's electric vendor.