ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 4, 1996 TAG: 9601040028
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
Low-income Virginians who rely on federal energy assistance to help with heating bills may be a little colder this winter.
The state will receive $15.1 million in Energy Assistance Program funds this year - $10 million less than last year.
"If it gets much lower, then it's almost not worthwhile to do it," said Charlene Chapman, manager of benefits programs for the Virginia Department of Social Services "The lower the dollars we get, the lower the benefit amount per household."
The working poor, the elderly on fixed incomes and welfare recipients who benefit from the program will get an average of $60 less this year.
Though the number of approved applicants also dropped, from 117,835 to 106,232, it was not enough to compensate for the loss of funds.
The Energy Assistance Program was one of the points of contention that held up congressional action on a $250 billion bill to fund the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education in 1996.
Two weeks ago - defying a House of Representatives plan to kill the program - the Health and Human Services Department released $578 million for low-income energy assistance. The department already had released $232 million for the program for the 1995-96 fiscal year.
So now, a program that was authorized to receive $1.3 billion this fiscal year has $810 million.
The average amount of assistance in Virginia this year will be about $155, said Leighton Langford, director of the Bedford County Department of Social Services.
"That's one months' worth of electricity on average, a tank of oil or three loads of firewood," said Langford, whose department had about 1,200 people apply for energy assistance. "It's a one-shot deal. Our clientele are telling us that it's enough to cover for one month."
But if clients have exhausted that assistance, the weather remains frigid and they turn to Langford for help, he will find it, he said - even if it means dipping into local department funds.
There has been some delay in letting people know how much assistance they will receive. Elliott Bayer, eligibility supervisor for the Roanoke Department of Social Services, said he fielded more than 60 calls Tuesday from people complaining that they hadn't yet received notice. About 2,900 Roanokers applied for assistance.
Chapman blamed the delay on the holiday break and the lack of people in the office to process notices. She said 30,000 notices were mailed Dec. 29. The remainder went out Tuesday.
Gas, electric and oil companies have just begun to receive "vendor authorizations" from the state telling them how many people have been approved for assistance and how much assistance they'll receive.
People who sought assistance for coal, kerosene or wood have received their checks already.
LENGTH: Medium: 58 linesby CNB