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Jamila Green, supervisor for Work First and Emergency Services with the Vance County Department of Social Services (DSS), appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.
Green addressed the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ (NCDHHS) announcement that it will issue automated payments to thousands of eligible households, including local residents, to assist with winter heating expenses via the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP).
To be eligible for the LIEAP program, a household must:
- Have at least one U.S. citizen or non-citizen who meets the eligibility criteria
- Have income equal to or less than 130% of the federal poverty limit
- Have resources, such as saving and checking accounts and cash on hand, at or below $2,250
- Be responsible for their heating cost
The automated payments began December 1, 2020, and will be issued through March 31, 2021. Payments are designed to help eligible seniors and people with disabilities access winter heating in a safe manner during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a recent press release issued by the NCDHHS, eligible households may qualify to receive an automated payment for the 2020-2021 LIEAP season if a member of the household 1) is age 60 or older or a person with a disability receiving services through the Division of Aging and Adult Services, 2) currently receives Food and Nutrition Services and 3) received LIEAP during the 2019-2020 season. These households were notified of eligibility in November and do not need to apply for this benefit.
Any household with a person age 60 or older or with a disability receiving DAAS services who did not receive notice of an automated payment is encouraged to submit a paper application for LIEAP assistance.
In Vance County, LIEAP applications may be mailed or dropped off at the local DSS office – 350 Ruin Creek Road, Henderson, NC 27536 – or applicants may contact Vance County DSS by phone at (252) 492-5001.
Please visit Vance County DSS online at https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/social-services/ for additional information.
To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.