Tennessee Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) assists low-income Tennessee families meet their home energy needs. The households with high-energy usage and low income will get preference for LIHEAP. The program offers its assistance through 19 local agencies operating in the state. The program covers all the 95 counties in the state.

Tennessee LIHEAP offers regular assistance to ensure that eligible households receive assistance with energy costs. The program also offers crisis assistance for families that need help in emergency. Households running out of fuel or facing threat of disconnection will receive additional grant through crisis intervention program.

Tennessee LIHEAP doesn't provide grants directly to eligible households. Instead, it sends grants to the utility provider. These will show as credit on household's utility bill. In some cases, LIHEAP will agency will send grant directly to the applicant, especially in case of crises intervention program.

Tennessee LIHEAP gives preference to most vulnerable. In the past, the program has distributed 43.3% funds to elderly, while 69.4% went to disabled. Households with children under 5 years of age received 14.3% funds. He program paid $400 to households on average in 2006. The average amount of assistance depends on the available funds. This year, the funding has been reduced to $3 billion from $5.1 billion. Therefore, households will have to apply as soon as possible to receive the necessary funds to meet their home energy needs.

Households looking to qualify for the assistance from Tennessee LIEHAP will have to meet various program requirements. The household income should be below 150% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL). Once a households meets requirements and is declared income eligible for LIHEAP, it will start receiving financial assistance. However, the assistance doesn't cover the entire cost of home energy but it only provides a portion of the total cost. Eligible households will have to contribute from their own income in order to pay their utility bills completely.

When applying for LIHEAP in Tennessee, you will need to provide necessary verifications for your income, residence, and other eligibility requirements. The LIHEAP agency dealing your case will need these verifications to determine your eligibility as well as decide the amount of benefits you may receive through the program.

Tennessee LIHEAP is a one-time assistance program. If you have received benefits once a year, you won't be able to apply for them during the same year. However, you can apply next year. If you are eligible, you will receive benefits again that year.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to receive help with home energy costs in Tennessee, you can receive grants from Tennessee LIHEAP if you meet the following eligibility criteria.

• You must be a U.S citizen or a legal alien

• You must be a resident of Tennessee

• You must be the person responsible for paying your home energy costs

• Your household income must be at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL)

Income eligibility

Household size Annual income limit

1. $13,537

2. $18,212

3. $22,887

4. $27,562

5. $32,237

6. $36,912

7. $41,587

8. $46,262

9. $50,002

For more people living in the household, add $4,675 for each additional person to find out annual income guidelines.

LIHEAP Application Instructions

In order to apply for Tennessee LIHEAP, you will need to visit your country office of LIHEAP designated agency. You can locate your local LIHEAP agency using this link (http://www.tn.gov/humanserv/adfam/liheap/liheap-agencies.pdf).

You can also download an application for Tennessee LIHEAP (http://www.tn.gov/humanserv/LIHEAP_State_Application.pdf). Once you have the application, complete it in all respects, attach all the necessary documents along, and send it to your local LIHEAP agency via mail.