A furnace that quits, an oil tank with less than 15 days of fuel left, a notice that the gas will be cut off: in Pennsylvania, each of those counts as a heating crisis, and state help for them opens Monday, Nov. 2. Eligible households generally receive crisis benefits within 10 business days, and faster when a situation is life-threatening.
The crisis grants run alongside the state’s regular LIHEAP cash grants, which pay $200 to $1,000 toward a household’s heating bill. Both open the same day and close in the spring.
What counts as a heating crisis
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ LIHEAP page lists four situations that qualify for a crisis grant:
- Broken heating equipment or leaking lines that need repair or replacement.
- Running out of fuel, or having less than a 15-day supply.
- A main or secondary heating source that has been shut off.
- Danger of having utility service terminated.
The department’s FY 2027 LIHEAP state plan puts the standard more formally: a household must be without heat, or in imminent danger of being without heat, because of a weather-related or energy-supply emergency. A past-due bill alone is not a crisis unless it would lead to a shutoff, and termination notices are accepted as proof of a crisis starting Feb. 1, 2027.
Help with a heating crisis is available 24 hours a day. In most counties, the first call goes to the County Assistance Office.
Do families need the cash grant first?
Not under the state plan. The plan says households “may apply for and, if eligible, receive regular Crisis benefits regardless of whether they apply for or receive a LIHEAP Cash benefit.”…