EHEAP: Seniors, Pay Your Power Bill Today

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Our episode focuses on discussing essential resources for seniors struggling to pay their energy bills, highlighting the Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program for the Elderly (eHEAP). This program provides crucial financial support, ensuring seniors can keep their homes safe and comfortable despite rising living costs.

• Highlighting the challenges seniors face with increased energy costs 
• Explaining the eHEAP program and its funding benefits 
• Eligibility criteria for seniors to access assistance 
• Overview of necessary documentation for application 
• Step-by-step guide on how to apply for aid 
• Encouraging listeners to share information with seniors who need help 
• Highlighting the importance of community support in accessing resources

For Nationwide Assistance with EHEAP: www.eldercare.acl.gov or call 1-800-677-1116

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Bill Monty's Guide for Gettin' Older.
Hello, my friends, and welcometo Bill Monty's Guide for
Gettin' Older.
As the lady was just singing, Iam your host, bill Monty.
Right now, I'm sure you'reaware things are getting a

(00:20):
little bit expensive.
Promises of reducing inflation,reducing the price of eggs,
making everything moreaffordable, has proved a little
more challenging for the currentadministration than perhaps
they thought coming in.
So how are we going to handlethis?
Everyone is struggling, butseniors who are on a fixed

(00:43):
income might be having a littlebit more of a problem.
So I want to revisit todaysomething from an earlier
episode.
I'm going to set it up here andthen give you a re-edited so
fresher, newer version of theinformation that was given back
in August of 2023.
One of the biggest problemshere in South Florida and, I'm

(01:07):
sure, elsewhere in the countrybecause, listen, today, right
here, it is a humid 80 degrees.
We are nearing the end ofFebruary, but the rest of the
country not in South Florida ishaving incredibly cold
temperatures, no matter whereyou are, whether you're trying
to get warm or you're trying tocool off.

(01:30):
It costs a lot these days andwhile right now there might be
limited resources for loweringthe price of eggs or making gas
more affordable or lowering theprice of rent.
There actually is help from thegovernment, at least today, to
help seniors pay their powerbills.

(01:52):
So, whether you use gas or youuse electricity, there is a
program that can help you.
I'm going to give you someinformation on it.
You're going to have to contactyour local government or go to
your state website I'll talkabout that a little bit later on
to find out where to go toapply for this assistance, but

(02:16):
the assistance is there.
So if you're 60 years of age orolder, well, there is hope, and
it comes in the form.
Let me find my paperwork here.
Well, there is hope and itcomes in the form.
Let me find my paperwork here.
It comes in the form of aprogram called eHEAP.
That's E-H-E-A-P as in Paul.
The Emergency Home EnergyAssistance Program for the

(02:37):
Elderly is a 100% federallyfunded program which helps
eligible seniors pay energybills in an emergency.
Previously, the program onlyworked in two parts of the year
spring, summer, fall and winterand I think it was $300 or $400

(02:58):
per season or seasons, becauseit's two seasons.
Season or seasons, because it'stwo seasons could be used, but
right now there's $5,000 for ayear that can be used by seniors
to pay for, or help pay for,their energy costs.
So this is really importantinformation.
If you are a senior who is 60years of age or older, or you

(03:21):
know of a senior that fallswithin that category there and
they cannot pay their energybill, their electric bill, there
is a program that will pay itfor them.
Now it's not just a matter ofasking for help.
These are government-fundedprograms so, of course, nothing
is just as easy as going okay,could you help me please?
So let's talk first aboutwhat's included in the program.

(03:43):
It pays energy bills if you havereceived a late fee or a
disconnect notice.
So if you got that fee youdidn't pay last month, you owe
us $200, or you haven't paidyour bill, we're going to
disconnect your power.
You can contact the localagency wherever you are I would
start at the state level on awebsite seeing, or you can do

(04:07):
the county where you live, whohandles eHeat applications in
the county, and this isimmediate assistance.
This isn't like you apply andthree or four weeks later you
might hear something.
This is your late fee.
If your energy, your power, isabout to be cut off, it will be
turned back on within an hour.
It works that fast.
It pays for energy.

(04:28):
You can purchase blankets Idon't think we need blankets
right now but portable fans,window air conditioners.
If your air conditioning unitis not working, eHeap will pay
for a new unit up to the $5,000limit.
So that's going to take allyour money for the year, for the
most part, and you're going tohave to go through the whole

(04:53):
process of getting people tocome out and give you quotes and
things like that.
But you know there is help outthere.
It's not completely hopeless.
Deposits to connect or restoreenergy can be paid.
Late fees can be paid.
It only pays for power costs.
So if you're enrolled in someprograms that charge you a
couple of bucks you know $10 or$20 a month for this program or

(05:13):
that program it won't pay that.
So if you're still over that,you still have to come up with
that money.
But it will come up witheverything else.
So how do you qualify?
Applicants must be 60 years ofage or older and reside in the
home where the late bill iscoming to be.
The energy bill does not needto be in the senior's name, but
the senior will need to provideproof of residence, such as a

(05:37):
driver's license or otheridentification.
Now, this one's very important.
If your driver's license oryour state identification is not
updated, doesn't have yourcurrent address, you're going to
run into problems on here.
You need to have the address,match the bill, okay, so get
that up and running.
If you are receiving TANF,t-a-n-f, which is Temporary

(05:58):
Assistance for Needy Families,ssi or SNAP or food stamps, then
you are categorically eligible.
So, even if you're above theincome level by a bit, because
it's also an income-basedprogram if you are in any of
those three programs, let merepeat them for you Temporary

(06:19):
Assistance for Needy Families orTAMP I think that used to be
called welfare, actuallySupplemental Social Security,
ssi or SNAP, food stamps youmust provide the proof of
receiving those benefits, suchas the benefit letter, award
letter, in addition todocumentation of total household
income.
But then you will becategorically eligible, which

(06:40):
means you cannot be turned down.
Now, also understand this.
Everybody who lives in thehouse needs to provide proof of
residence, proof of employment.
If they're not employed, theyhave to provide a letter of
attestation saying I don'treceive any income but I live
here.
If you are 50% or below of thestate median income, then you

(07:01):
need to explain how you arepaying for things, as if you're
not receiving SNAP or somethinglike that, how are you paying
for bills such as food or rentor things like that?
That's where people are reallyexperiencing financial hardships
.
Again, the home energy crisismust be disconnected, granting
financial hardships.
Again, the home energy crisismust be disconnected.
Delinquent or past due andbeyond that, you receive

(07:25):
assistance.
So what are you going to do?
Here's your homework.
If you know someone who coulduse this assistance, if you
could use this assistance, lookinto eHeap, go to your county
website, go to your statewebsite, see where this funding
exists around you and then applyand I know sometimes it feels
like there's no help.
But friends, there is help outthere and I'm so happy to pass

(07:45):
that information on and I hopeit helps you or it helps someone
that you know, because I don'tthink a lot of people know about
these type of funds.
While you're on the website,you might look and see what else
, what other programs are set upto help low-income seniors who
might be needing assistanceright now.
So I hope you found thatinformation helpful.
Please do reach out to yourlocal community, city government

(08:07):
, county government or stategovernment to find out how and
where you can get this help ifyou do need it.
If you're unsure of where toreach out to, you can go to a
website eldercareaclgov that'seldercare, one word, aclgov or
you can call them at1-800-677-1116.

(08:33):
1-800-677-1116.
And they will help point you inthe right direction.
Now I'm going to give you someinteresting news is that I was
just on that website and at thetop it did say that the website
was being reviewed to make surethat it is in compliance with
President Trump's orders forreview.

(08:54):
So you might not want to waiton that one.
Thank you so much for joining usfor this episode of Bill
Monty's Guide for Getting Older.
I implore you again, pleasetake care of yourself.
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(09:18):
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I so appreciate that.
I so appreciate the support thatyou give by following us here,
and I remind you also that wehave coming up Podcast On 2025.

(09:39):
So, between March 15th andMarch 21st 2025, there will be
Podcast On, where, literallyright now I believe the last
count was over 1,500 podcastersfrom around the world will be
supporting their favoritecharity, supporting those
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(10:00):
if you can and if you want to,directly to the charity that
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Until the next time, my friends, as always, especially these
days, be safe and be kind.

(10:22):
Welcome to Bill Monty's Guidefor Getting Older.