Connecticut social service providers are grappling with federal changes to a program which provides heating and home energy assistance to residents.
Staff responsible for running the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) were terminated last spring as part of a massive purge at the Department of Health and Human Services under Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Connecticut officials are now working with other federal employees who are trying to fill in where the former staffers left off, according to Dan Giacomi, director of program oversight and grant administration at the Connecticut Department of Social Services.
“Get them up to speed on where we were at with the question, why we were asking, how we operate our program, Giacomi said. “Get them more familiar with the way things work here, and I'm sure it's something that they're having to do for all of the states.”
The removal of institutional knowledge and the halt on releasing the federal funding due to the government shutdown delayed the program, Giacomi said.
For Connecticut, the federal workers behind LIHEAP oversaw reports of Connecticut’s need and use of LIHEAP funds and approved payments for residents
Connecticut had no hold or pause placed on the program, as other states did, Giacomi said.
This year, Connecticut received about $89 million for LIHEAP, which serves anywhere from 80,000 to 100,000 families annually.
Funding for the program was also delayed due to the federal government shutdown.
The biggest worry is ensuring families have enough heating assistance to get through the season, Giacomi said.
“There's always a concern that they'll burn through the oil or the kerosene or what have you, quicker than the winter itself lasts. So you have to try and figure out ways to assist those individuals,” Giacomi said.
Of Connecticut’s $80 million annual LIHEAP allocation, 10% is administered retroactively, once the winter season ends. In Connecticut, DSS is in charge of administering Connecticut’s LIHEAP program, called the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP)
The federal funding was finally released on Dec. 2, weeks after the federal government shutdown ended.
Connecticut’s Congressional delegation released a statement on the LIHEAP funding being allocated.
“This funding was long overdue,” the statement read. “Connecticut families depend on this critical assistance to keep themselves warm during these cold winter months. President Trump and Republicans should have never used low-income families who rely on LIHEAP and SNAP for basic necessities as leverage during the shutdown they led. We will continue to fight to ensure that no household goes cold this winter, especially as people struggle with rising energy costs.”
