LIHEAP payments: Direct payment worth up to $475 to help Arkansas residents with utility bills arrives today

Arkansas residents in several counties who were approved for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program can expect benefit payments to arrive on Monday.

LIHEAP, a federally funded program that helps with cooling costs during the summer, serves all 75 counties in Arkansas. Payments are scheduled to be sent out starting on Monday in 19 different counties, according to the Central Arkansas Development Council.

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Payments will be sent to residents in the following counties: Calhoun, Clark, Columbia, Dallas, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Lonoke, Miller, Montgomery, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike, Pulaski, Saline, Sevier, and Union.

Contracted through the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, the maximum relief amount for cooling is $475, and the minimum payment is $48. The program will remain in place until the funds run out. The program aims to assist Arkansans in reducing health risks and safety concerns from poor cooling methods during the hotter months.

LIHEAP provides two options for benefit payments: the regular benefit and the crisis benefit. The regular assistance is a fixed benefit based on household size and income. The benefit applies to energy sources such as electricity, gas, propane, pellets, and wood.

Those who are experiencing financial hardships can apply for the crisis benefit. The maximum crisis amount is $2,000 for the summer, according to LIHEAP Clearinghouse (which is in contract with the Department of Health and Human Services).

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“As a block grant program, States, Territories, and Tribes have the flexibility to use LIHEAP funding to respond to natural disasters and extreme weather to meet the needs of their communities,” the LIHEAP program’s webpage reads.

More information can be found on the Arkansas Energy and Environment website under the assistance programs section. LIHEAP applications will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis and will be open until Sept. 30.