EHEAP: Seniors, Pay Your Power Bill Today

Our episode focuses on discussing essential resources for seniors struggling to pay their energy bills, highlighting the Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program for the Elderly (eHEAP). This program provides crucial financial support, ensuring seniors can keep their homes safe and comfortable despite rising living costs.

• Highlighting the challenges seniors face with increased energy costs 
• Explaining the eHEAP program and its funding benefits 
• Eligibility criteria for seniors to access assistance 
• Overview of necessary documentation for application 
• Step-by-step guide on how to apply for aid 
• Encouraging listeners to share information with seniors who need help 
• Highlighting the importance of community support in accessing resources

For Nationwide Assistance with EHEAP: www.eldercare.acl.gov or call 1-800-677-1116

Chapters

• 0:00 Government Assistance for Senior Energy Bills
• 9:33 Global Podcast Fundraiser for Charities

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Bill Monty's Guide for Gettin' Older. Hello, my friends, and welcome to Bill Monty's Guide for Gettin' Older. As the lady was just singing, I am your host, bill Monty. Right now, I'm sure you're aware things are getting a little bit expensive. Promises of reducing inflation, reducing the price of eggs, making everything more affordable, has proved a little more challenging for the current administration than perhaps they thought coming in. So how are we going to handle this? Everyone is struggling, but seniors who are on a fixed income might be having a little bit more of a problem. So I want to revisit today something from an earlier episode. I'm going to set it up here and then give you a re-edited so fresher, newer version of the information that was given back in August of 2023. One of the biggest problems here in South Florida and, I'm sure, elsewhere in the country because, listen, today, right here, it is a humid 80 degrees. We are nearing the end of February, but the rest of the country not in South Florida is having incredibly cold temperatures, no matter where you are, whether you're trying to get warm or you're trying to cool off. It costs a lot these days and while right now there might be limited resources for lowering the price of eggs or making gas more affordable or lowering the price of rent. There actually is help from the government, at least today, to help seniors pay their power bills. So, whether you use gas or you use electricity, there is a program that can help you. I'm going to give you some information on it. You're going to have to contact your local government or go to your state website I'll talk about that a little bit later on to find out where to go to apply for this assistance, but the assistance is there. So if you're 60 years of age or older, well, there is hope, and it comes in the form. Let me find my paperwork here. Well, there is hope and it comes in the form. Let me find my paperwork here. It comes in the form of a program called eHEAP. That's E-H-E-A-P as in Paul.

Speaker 1: 2:34

The Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program for the Elderly is a 100% federally funded program which helps eligible seniors pay energy bills in an emergency. Previously, the program only worked in two parts of the year spring, summer, fall and winter and I think it was $300 or $400 per season or seasons, because it's two seasons. Season or seasons, because it's two seasons could be used, but right now there's $5,000 for a year that can be used by seniors to pay for, or help pay for, their energy costs. So this is really important information. If you are a senior who is 60 years of age or older, or you know of a senior that falls within that category there and they cannot pay their energy bill, their electric bill, there is a program that will pay it for them. Now it's not just a matter of asking for help. These are government-funded programs so, of course, nothing is just as easy as going okay, could you help me please? So let's talk first about what's included in the program.

Speaker 1: 3:43

It pays energy bills if you have received a late fee or a disconnect notice. So if you got that fee you didn't pay last month, you owe us $200, or you haven't paid your bill, we're going to disconnect your power. You can contact the local agency wherever you are I would start at the state level on a website seeing, or you can do the county where you live, who handles eHeat applications in the county, and this is immediate assistance. This isn't like you apply and three or four weeks later you might hear something. This is your late fee. If your energy, your power, is about to be cut off, it will be turned back on within an hour. It works that fast. It pays for energy. You can purchase blankets I don't think we need blankets right now but portable fans, window air conditioners. If your air conditioning unit is not working, eHeap will pay for a new unit up to the $5,000 limit. So that's going to take all your money for the year, for the most part, and you're going to have to go through the whole process of getting people to come out and give you quotes and things like that. But you know there is help out there. It's not completely hopeless. Deposits to connect or restore energy can be paid. Late fees can be paid. It only pays for power costs.

Speaker 1: 5:06

So if you're enrolled in some programs that charge you a couple of bucks you know $10 or $20 a month for this program or that program it won't pay that. So if you're still over that, you still have to come up with that money. But it will come up with everything else. So how do you qualify? Applicants must be 60 years of age or older and reside in the home where the late bill is coming to be. The energy bill does not need to be in the senior's name, but the senior will need to provide proof of residence, such as a driver's license or other identification. Now, this one's very important. If your driver's license or your state identification is not updated, doesn't have your current address, you're going to run into problems on here. You need to have the address, match the bill, okay, so get that up and running.

Speaker 1: 5:54

If you are receiving TANF, t-a-n-f, which is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, ssi or SNAP or food stamps, then you are categorically eligible. So, even if you're above the income level by a bit, because it's also an income-based program if you are in any of those three programs, let me repeat them for you Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TAMP I think that used to be called welfare, actually Supplemental Social Security, ssi or SNAP, food stamps you must provide the proof of receiving those benefits, such as the benefit letter, award letter, in addition to documentation of total household income. But then you will be categorically eligible, which means you cannot be turned down. Now, also understand this. Everybody who lives in the house needs to provide proof of residence, proof of employment. If they're not employed, they have to provide a letter of attestation saying I don't receive any income but I live here.

Speaker 1: 6:55

If you are 50% or below of the state median income, then you need to explain how you are paying for things, as if you're not receiving SNAP or something like that, how are you paying for bills such as food or rent or things like that? That's where people are really experiencing financial hardships. Again, the home energy crisis must be disconnected, granting financial hardships. Again, the home energy crisis must be disconnected. Delinquent or past due and beyond that, you receive assistance. So what are you going to do?

Speaker 1: 7:26

Here's your homework. If you know someone who could use this assistance, if you could use this assistance, look into eHeap, go to your county website, go to your state website, see where this funding exists around you and then apply and I know sometimes it feels like there's no help. But friends, there is help out there and I'm so happy to pass that information on and I hope it helps you or it helps someone that you know, because I don't think a lot of people know about these type of funds. While you're on the website, you might look and see what else, what other programs are set up to help low-income seniors who might be needing assistance right now. So I hope you found that information helpful. Please do reach out to your local community, city government, county government or state government to find out how and where you can get this help if you do need it. If you're unsure of where to reach out to, you can go to a website eldercareaclgov that's eldercare, one word, aclgov or you can call them at 1-800-677-1116. 1-800-677-1116. And they will help point you in the right direction. Now I'm going to give you some interesting news is that I was just on that website and at the top it did say that the website was being reviewed to make sure that it is in compliance with President Trump's orders for review. So you might not want to wait on that one.

Speaker 1: 8:58

Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of Bill Monty's Guide for Getting Older. I implore you again, please take care of yourself. I ask that you please hit that follow or subscribe button. It doesn't cost anything, remember. It's just going to send you a reminder when there's a new episode that drops. I ask you to please hit like make a comment, if you possibly can. If you don't want to type it in, you can always just scroll down whatever app that you're listening on. You'll be able to get to my SpeakPipe link and that will let you leave a 90-second message. I so appreciate that.

Speaker 1: 9:33

I so appreciate the support that you give by following us here, and I remind you also that we have coming up Podcast On 2025. So, between March 15th and March 21st 2025, there will be Podcast On, where, literally right now I believe the last count was over 1,500 podcasters from around the world will be supporting their favorite charity, supporting those podcasts, and give you the opportunity to make a donation, if you can and if you want to, directly to the charity that your podcaster likes. Go to podcastthonorg. I'll put a link in the show notes, too for the charities that I will be supporting, and I hope that you, too, will support them. Until the next time, my friends, as always, especially these days, be safe and be kind. Welcome to Bill Monty's Guide for Getting Older.