LIHEAP: Program and Funding - Libby Perl Specialist in Housing Policy

Regular funds are allotted to states according to a formula prescribed by the LIHEAP statute.1 Emergency contingency funds may be released and allotted to one or more states at the discretion of the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). [...] These include the following: • the cost of energy for a given household (influenced by energy price fluctuations and variation in kinds of fuels used); • the amount of energy consumed (influenced by severity of the weather, energy efficiency of housing, and expected standards of comfort); and • the number of eligible households (influenced by population size and health of the economy). [...] After FY2009, when funding for LIHEAP increased significantly, the Congressional Research Service 9 LIHEAP: Program and Funding constant dollar value of cooling and summer crisis benefits rose to $142.45 In FY2011, the average constant dollar benefit was $126.46 Types of LIHEAP Funds The LIHEAP statute authorizes several separate distributions of LIHEAP funds.47 The bulk of funds are distributed a. [...] There are 162 tribes in 25 states that administer their own LIHEAP funds.49 Funds for the Territories The LIHEAP statute provides that at least one-tenth, but not more than one-half of 1% of the total regular fund appropriation must be set aside for energy assistance in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U. [...] However, funds that were designated as an emergency by both the President and in statute were not included in the spending limits.59 Congress first designated emergency contingency funds as “emergency” for budgetary purposes in FY1992 and FY1993 appropriations acts, and then incorporated the language into the LIHEAP statute upon the inclusion of the emergency contingency fund in the law.60 The BEA.