Arkansas has set its winter heating benefit at $70 to $665 per household for the program year that began Oct. 1, 2026, up from $60 to $570 a year earlier, and raised the Winter Crisis maximum to $700 from $600. The range sits in the state’s 2027 LIHEAP model plan, the published plan for the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program covering Oct. 1, 2026 through Sept. 30, 2027. The program is closed for now, and the heating component starts the first Monday after New Year’s Day.
The state’s own LIHEAP page carries a banner saying the program “is now closed” and sends households to their local Community Action Agency or to findhelp.org, searchable by ZIP code, for other options. Applications are taken on a first-come, first-served basis, typically from January through April 30 and again from July through Sept. 30. The one group that does not have to wait for January is older households…