Implement New Mexico LIHEAP regular heating assistance #10421

Summary

Implement New Mexico's LIHEAP regular heating benefit for FFY2026 and FFY2027. The Health Care Authority (HCA), Income Support Division, runs the program under 8.150 NMAC, effective July 1, 2024. Each eligible household receives one benefit per federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30): its points times a point value set each year, $35 in FFY2026 and $40 in FFY2027.

Scope

Regular heating assistance only, as part of the all-state LIHEAP effort: residence, citizenship and household size, countable gross income, the 150% income limit, heating responsibility (heat in rent, subsidized housing, gathered wood), and the point system (energy burden with the energy standard allowance, propane, income and vulnerable-member points). Crisis and life-threatening crisis intervention, households with only a cooling cost, supplemental benefits at the secretary's direction, tribal LIHEAP, weatherization and heating-equipment repair are out of scope.

Key rules

• Income limit: gross income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guideline (8.150.100.9 D; plan section 2.1). FFY2026 uses the 2025 guideline and FFY2027 the 2026 guideline. The guides print monthly limits rounded to the nearest dollar: $1,956 for one person in FFY2026 and $1,995 in FFY2027. There is no categorical eligibility and no asset test (8.150.100.9 C; 8.150.510.8).
• Household: individuals living together who incur a heating or cooling cost, with at least one U.S. citizen or TANF-qualified noncitizen (8.150.410.8, .13). Members without a Social Security number or proof of application are not in the benefit group (8.150.410.15). An ineligible noncitizen's gross income is divided by all members and counted for the eligible members only (8.150.520.10).
• Heating cost and responsibility: the household must incur an energy cost, directly or through non-subsidized rent; households that gather their own wood qualify (8.150.410.9).
• Countable income: gross income of the 30 days before the determination (8.150.520.12 C). Earned income counts for members over the age of 18 and unearned income for all members (8.150.520.12 B). Self-employment counts at its net (8.150.520.9 C). Unearned income includes Social Security before the Medicare premium, SSI, retirement payments, unemployment, child support, TANF, interest, dividends and contributions from family or friends; lump sums, loans, the EITC and SNAP are excluded (8.150.520.8 B, .13). Where the plan's section 1.9 checklist differs (Medicare, lump sums, cash gifts, age 18), the rule governs.
• Benefit computation (8.150.620.9 and .10): energy burden points from the monthly heating bill over monthly income, with the bill raised to the energy standard allowance ($291 in FFY2026, $298 in FFY2027) when lower: 0 below 6%, 1 from 6%, 2 from 11%, 3 from 16%; plus 2 points for propane. Income points: 3 at or below 110% of the guideline, 2 above it. The rule says 100%; HCA's guides and the FFY2026 ISD 017 card use 110%, which the implementation follows and lists in source_conflicts/candidates.yaml (us-nm:liheap-three-income-points). Vulnerable points: 2 each for a member aged 5 or younger, 60 or older, or disabled, once per group. Benefit = points x point value: 2 to 14 points, $70 to $490 in FFY2026 and $80 to $560 in FFY2027.
• Special housing: heat included in non-subsidized rent qualifies, even with no designated cost. Subsidized tenants qualify only with a separate or additional out-of-pocket heating cost (8.150.410.11). Households with heat in rent, and households heating with wood they do not buy, receive no energy burden points (8.150.620.9 A(3)).

Sources

• 8.150.100 NMAC, general provisions: https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title08/08.150.0100.html
• 8.150.110 NMAC, application process: https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title08/08.150.0110.html
• 8.150.410 NMAC, general recipient requirements: https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title08/08.150.0410.html
• 8.150.510 NMAC, resource standards: https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title08/08.150.0510.html
• 8.150.520 NMAC, income: https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title08/08.150.0520.html
• 8.150.620 NMAC, benefit determination: https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title08/08.150.0620.html
• FY2026 LIHEAP Detailed Model Plan, sections 1.4 to 1.9 and 2.1 to 2.6, pages 5-6 and 9-10: https://liheapch.acf.gov/docs/2026/state-plans/NM_Plan_2026.pdf#page=5
• FY2027 LIHEAP Detailed Model Plan, sections 1.9, 2.1 and 2.6, pages 5-6 and 8-9: https://www.hca.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/DETAILED-MODEL-PLAN-LIHEAP_10_01_2026-4.pdf#page=5
• FFY2026 Heating and Cooling Point and Income Guide: https://www.hca.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/Heating-and-Cooling-Point-and-Income-Guide-2026.pdf
• FFY2027 Point and Income Guidelines: https://www.hca.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/NM-LIHEAP-FFY-2027-Point-and-Income-Guidelines.pdf
• ISD 017 income eligibility guidelines, FFY2026, page 1: https://www.hca.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/ISD-017-FPG-Cards-FY-2026-10.01.25-to-09.30.2026-final-1.pdf#page=1
• ISD 017 income eligibility guidelines, FFY2027, page 1: https://www.hca.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/ISD-017-FPG-Form-FY-2027-10.01.26-to-09.30.2027-SNAP-and-Cash.pdf#page=1
• LIHEAP application LHP 602, page 3: https://www.hca.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/LHP-602-English-LIHEAP-Application-05.01.2026.pdf#page=3

Related

• LIHEAP #256 (LIHEAP epic) and Default heating_type to electricity and remove the UNSPECIFIED-gated state heating adapters #9754 (heating_type default).