INDIANAPOLIS — If you are worried about future heating bills, help is available.
The federal Energy Assistance Program is now accepting applications. They can be submitted in-person, online, by mail or by calling 211.
Required documentation includes proof of your social security number, a photo ID and employment information for those 18 and older in the home.
For a household of one, income cannot exceed about $29,000 annually. For a household of four, income is a little more than $57,000 annually.
If approved, the benefit is a one-time payment that can be split between gas and electric bills, if applicable. The size of your benefit or assistance is not determined by the size of your bill. That is why a spokesperson for Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority said concerned Hoosiers should apply now but keep paying their bills.
Indiana law prohibits utilities from disconnecting customers in the winter only in certain situations. Starting Dec. 1, IHCDA said people "are protected if they have applied for EAP in this program year – they don’t need to have been approved to receive protection."
IHCDA said the protection ends either on March 15 or if their application is denied, adding most Hoosiers are protected and the moratorium covers regulated utilities.
If your income is more than the EAP requirements, help is available from United Way's Winter Assistance Fund.