Iowa opened its Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program to every income-eligible household on Nov. 1, a month after households with a member 60 or older or with a disability could start applying. Iowa Health and Human Services takes applications first-come, first-served through April 30. The income cap is $31,920 a year for one person.
First-come, first-served means no lottery and no ranking by need once a household is inside the income line. The program is supplemental help, and the state says it is not designed to cover a household’s total energy costs. Households that wait until spring are applying against whatever money is left…