LIHEAP deadline extended
Income-eligible PPL Electric Utilities customers now have until May 1 to apply for funding to help with energy bills, thanks to an extension of the deadline for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
The former deadline was April 3. Gov. Tom Wolf said the severity and duration of winter were factors in the extension decision.LIHEAP provides cash grants to help utility customers with heating bills and crisis grants to help them cope with emergency situations.Customers don't have to have an unpaid bill and don't need to be a public assistance recipient to apply.Cash grants are based on household income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. In addition to proof of income and household size, applicants must provide a recent bill or a statement from their fuel dealer verifying their customer status and the type of fuel used.There are several ways to apply for LIHEAP.Eligible customers can apply online at
www.compass.state.pa.us or download an application from PPL Electric Utilities' website,
www.pplelectric.com. On the PPL site, select My Account, Billing and Payments, and Need Help Paying Your Bill?For PPL Electric Utilities customers with an active OnTrack account, a cash grant through LIHEAP could result in an account credit. Those customers should not make an OnTrack payment until they have exhausted all of the credits that appear on their monthly OnTrack electric bill.Customers also can apply in person at county assistance offices, and they can call the statewide toll-free hotline at 866-857-7095 with questions.Household sizes and income guidelines for the current LIHEAP program year are:One person, $17,505 maximum income; two people, $23,595; three people, $29,685; four people, $35,775; five people, $41,865; six people, $47,955; seven people, $54,045; eight people, $60,135. (For each additional person, add $6,090.)For more information on all of PPL Electric Utilities' assistance programs, visit