Starting next week, low-income Iowans can apply for federal help with their winter heating bills. Jerry McKim is director of Iowa’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). He says households with a disabled family member, or a member over the age of 60, can begin applying for the program on October 1.
Other families or individuals can apply after November 1. To qualify, a family must be at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. "As an example, for a household of one, the maximum annual income to be eligible would $15,315," McKim says. "For a household of four, the maximum income would be $30,975." Last year, LIHEAP paid benefits to 85,500 Iowans. The average benefit was $317.