Oklahoma Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides seasonal grants to low-income families who can't afford to pay their heating bills during winter. Oklahoma LIHEAP is federally funded program that tries to provide protection to low-income families during the harsh weather. Many Oklahoma LIHEAP eligible families will also qualify for other assistance programs such as Weatherization and receive additional help with high-energy costs during the winter.

Oklahoma LIHEAP also provides Crisis Assistance, which helps families in life threatening condition or facing emergency. The program is often the last resort for such families. Emergency situations may include broken heating or cooling system, disconnection, and lack of fuel. If someone in a LIHEAP eligible household requires heating or cooling due to a medical situation, it will be treated as life threatening condition and grants will be provided through LIHEAP Crisis Assistance. Such grants are also available when a household doesn't have power to run a medical equipment.

Oklahoma LIHEAP benefits are paid directly to the energy company except in case of Crisis Assistance where grants may be paid directly to the household. In many cases of crisis assistance, households will need these funds to carry out repairs or purchase replacement for heating or cooling equipment. In case of weatherization assistance, the grants are again sent directly to the household. Oklahoma LIHEAP doesn't pay heating bills or other costs in full but the program only helps households with a portion of their energy costs.

Oklahoma LIHEAP benefits are not just limited to help with heating costs but eligible households will also receive grants during summer to keep their homes cool during extreme summer heat or humidity. Households with seniors, children, and people with medical condition will get priority for cooling assistance. Apart from assistance with electric bills, the government grants can also be use for buying cooling equipment such as air conditioner or fan.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to receive grants through Oklahoma LIHEAP, an applicant will have to meet the following eligibility requirements.

• At least one member in your household must be U.S citizen or a qualified alien

• Must be resident of state of Oklahoma

• Must have household income below 130% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL)

• The household resources (liquid) must be under $2,000 for a household comprising of only one person. For two persons, the resources much must not exceed $3,000. For each additional person in the household, you can add $50 to compute resource limit for larger families.

Income guidelines

Oklahoma LIHEAP requires households to have annual income below 130% of FPL in order to become LIHEAP eligible. Here is a chart showing 130% income level for 2012-13.

Household size 130% of FPL

1. $14,521

2. $19,669

3. $24,817

4. $29,965

5. $35,113

6. $40,261

7. $45,409

8. $50,557

If your household has more than eight people, you can add $5,148 for each additional person to find out 130% FPL for your size of family unit.

LIHEAP Application Instructions

In order to apply for Oklahoma LIHEAP, you will have to fill an application form and submit it with your local DHS office. You can get the application in two ways.

Apply at Local Oklahoma DHS office: You can complete an application at your local Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) when applications for LIHEAP are being accepted.

You can find a local DHS office using this link. You can also call your DHS to get help locate the local office. Call at 1-866-411-1877 to get instant help.

Apply by downloading the application: You can download an application here. Complete the application in all respects and send it to local DHS office when applications for LIHEAP are being accepted. You will find details about application periods below.

Application Periods

Heating Assistance: You can apply for heating assistance after December 1. The application date may vary each year depending on the availability of funds.

Energy Crisis: Applications for energy crisis are usually accepted from March 15 to April 1.

Cooling Assistance: To apply for cooling assistance, you can submit an application between July 15 and August 1.