Oklahomans can now apply for assistance with water, sewer bills - KOSU

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services created LIHWAP successful 2021 to assistance radical who person mislaid – oregon are successful information of losing – entree to drinking h2o and wastewater utilities.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services opened its LIHWAP application successful precocious October, and galore tribal areas besides person applications oregon accusation disposable connected the h2o assistance program.

“People are truthful excited for this programme and consciousness conscionable a consciousness of alleviation from desperation,” said Casey White, a spokesperson for OKDHS.

Eligible households who use volition person a one-time credit, which volition spell straight to their h2o oregon sewer inferior supplier to screen bills. The magnitude depends connected household income and the LIHWAP provider. Some tribal areas tin administer assistance up to $5,070 per household, but successful astir cases, assistance caps retired successful the hundreds of dollars.

A household receiving assistance is eligible to reapply for much adjacent twelvemonth if the programme is offered again. Right now, funds are disposable done Sept. 2023 oregon until they tally out.

The programme uses national pandemic alleviation money, but states, territories and tribes are liable for determining eligibility and distributing assistance. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has divvied $1.1 cardinal successful h2o assistance funds betwixt 49 states, the District of Columbia, 97 tribal areas and 5 territories.

There is nary interest to use oregon person assistance from the program. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says radical should contact their fraud hotline if anyone offers them a nonstop assistance to screen h2o utilities oregon tries to complaint a interest to use for assistance.

Oklahoma LIHWAP application 

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services has almost $15 cardinal to distribute.

The authorities uses national poorness guidelines to find who qualifies for assistance. Households that marque little than 130% of the national poorness guidelines are eligible for benefits successful Oklahoma. Right now, the income limit is $2,495 per period for a three-person household.

Oklahomans eligible for LIHWAP benefits volition person a one-time recognition applied to their h2o utilities account.

Depending connected the household’s income and h2o needs, that recognition volition beryllium between $80 and $750. For Oklahomans successful a verifiable h2o crisis, ODHS whitethorn intervene with the inferior institution to forestall a shut-off oregon reconstruct water.

To use for authorities LIHWAP benefits, sojourn the Oklahoma Department of Human Service’s benefits website and click connected the reddish banner that says “Apply for h2o assistance.”

For the archetypal application, households conscionable request to supply this basal information, but OKDHS whitethorn inquire for documentation aboriginal successful the process. Eligibility is based connected income and is first-come, first-serve, but OKDHS said it would prioritize households with radical who are elderly, disabled oregon person children nether the property of 5.

Oklahomans tin use for SNAP market assistance and SoonerCare astatine the aforesaid time. The authorities besides offers a akin Low Income Household Energy Assistance Program that assists with heating bills. That programme isn’t accepting caller applications, but accusation from this exertion tin beryllium reused oregon updated to use the adjacent clip the authorities opens enrollment aboriginal this winter.

Information and applications for LIHWAP successful tribal areas 

Twenty-two tribes successful Oklahoma are besides providing LIHWAP benefits. Together, they person implicit $11 cardinal successful assistance to distribute.

Indigenous radical whitethorn conscionable eligibility requirements for some tribal and authorities benefits, but a household tin lone person LIHWAP assistance from 1 entity per national fiscal year.

Graycen Wheeler

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KOSU Radio

These tables amusement antithetic income eligibility caps utilized successful Oklahoma. These limits are based connected pre-tax, pre-deduction income. Each authorities oregon people volition beryllium capable to supply the astir close accusation connected income limits for larger households. These income limits are based connected national poorness guidelines oregon authorities median household income for national fiscal twelvemonth 2023, which began connected Oct. 1, 2022.

Each authorities oregon people determines its ain income-based eligibility. Here’s what the authorities and tribal areas successful Oklahoma use:
130% FPG: Kaw Nation and the State of Oklahoma.
150% FPG: Cherokee Nation, Comanche Nation, Eastern Shawnee Tribe, Muscogee Creek Nation, Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, Pawnee Nation and Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.
60% SMI: Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe of Indians, Fort Sill Apache Tribe, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Modoc, Osage Nation, Otoe-Missouria, Sac & Fox, Shawnee Tribe, Wichita & Affiliated and Wyandotte Consortium.

Each people has its ain autarkic process for determining eligibility. Nearly each the tribes successful Oklahoma usage either 150% of the national poorness line oregon 60% of the authorities median income arsenic their income eligibility limit. Kaw Nation is the lone objection — it uses the aforesaid 130% national poorness line bounds arsenic the authorities of Oklahoma.

You tin work much astir each tribe’s LIHWAP backing and eligibility process connected its LIHWAP Tribal Summary Profile.

Below is simply a database of tribes successful Oklahoma that person funds for LIHWAP benefits. Application links and tribal rank requirements are included if they were disposable astatine the clip of publication.

Tribes successful Oklahoma with LIHWAP benefits:

• Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma
• Cherokee Nation
• Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s LIHWAP application is unfastened for radical with tribal enrollment cards oregon Certificates of Degree of Indian Blood who unrecorded successful the CNO work area.
• Citizen Potawatomi Nation
• Comanche Nation
• Delaware Nation: Delaware Nation’s LIHWAP application is unfastened for radical with tribal enrollment cards who unrecorded successful Delaware Nation’s work area.
• Delaware Tribe of Indians: Delaware Tribe of Indians’ LIHWAP application is unfastened for radical with tribal enrollment cards who unrecorded successful the Delaware Tribe of Indians’ work area.
• Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma
• Fort Sill Apache Tribe
• Kaw Nation: Kaw Nation’s LIHWAP application is unfastened for members of federally recognized tribes who unrecorded successful the Kaw Nation’s work area.
• Miami Tribe of Oklahoma: Miami Nation’s LIHWAP application is unfastened for members of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma who unrecorded anyplace successful the U.S.
• Modoc: Modoc Nation’s LIHWAP application is open.
• Muscogee Creek Nation
• Osage Nation
• Otoe-Missouria
• Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma: Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma’s LIHWAP exertion is disposable online astatine this direct download link. The exertion is for Oklahoma households with astatine slightest 1 subordinate of a federally recognized tribe.
• Pawnee Nation
• Sac & Fox
• Shawnee Tribe
• Thlopthlocco Tribal Town
• Wichita & Affiliated: Wichita & Affiliated provides much accusation astir its LIHWAP exertion process connected its website.
• Wyandotte Consortium: Wyandotte Nation’s LIHWAP application is unfastened to radical who unrecorded successful Oklahoma and person impervious of tribal membership.