Implement Maine HEAP regular heating assistance #10427

Summary

Implement Maine's Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Fuel Assistance, the regular heating benefit of the state's federal LIHEAP grant, for FFY2026 and FFY2027. The Maine State Housing Authority (MaineHousing) runs the program under 99-346 CMR ch. 24, the Home Energy Assistance Program Rule. The 2025 edition (SOS filing 2025-135) governs the 2025-26 season; the replacement rule effective June 29, 2026 (SOS filing 2026-134) governs 2026-27 with a new points matrix.

Scope

Regular heating assistance only, as part of the all-state LIHEAP effort: household composition, countable income and the medical-expense adjustment, the income limit and categorical eligibility, the heating-cost condition, both editions' points matrices and income multipliers, proration for ineligible members, the dollar value per point, and the nominal benefit for subsidized tenants with heat in rent. The Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP), the TANF Fuel Supplemental Benefit, Supplemental Benefits, HEAP Weatherization, the Central Heating Improvement Program, the Heat Pump Program, cooling and heating-equipment repair or replacement are out of scope.

Key rules

• Income limit: the greater of 150% of the poverty guideline and 60% of state median income (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(2)(B); rule 3(C); 2025 edition 4(A)). This reproduces MaineHousing's published tables ($36,836 for one person in 2025-26, $38,070 in 2026-27). Members on a Maine DHHS notice of decision for SNAP or TANF are income eligible (rule 3(C)(2); plan item 1.4).
• Household: individuals living together as one economic unit who buy energy in common or pay for it in rent. Household size counts only U.S. citizens, nationals and qualified aliens, while the income of other members still counts (rule 1(DD), 3(A)(1) and 3(C)(1)). Points are prorated by the share of counted members (rule 4(A)).
• Heating cost: all members must have a Direct Energy Cost (a heating bill the household pays) or an Indirect Determinable Energy Cost, such as heat included in rent, and the dwelling must have a functioning heating system (rule 1(M), 1(HH), 3(A)(4) and 3(B)(1)).
• Countable income: gross income of members over the age of 18, before taxes and deductions: wages, self-employment, Social Security and SSI including Medicare deductions, unemployment, workers' compensation and strike benefits, alimony, child support received, VA benefits, cash gifts, pensions and annuities, dividends, interest, estates and trusts, rental income and, from June 29, 2026, long-term disability. Excluded: assets drawn down from financial institutions, capital gains, tax refunds, General Assistance vouchers, SNAP and earnings of a full-time high school student who is not the primary applicant. TANF is not listed (plan item 1.9). A household over the limit may deduct documented medical expenses, but only the amount needed to become eligible (rule 3(C)(1)).
• Benefit computation (rule 4(A)): points for dwelling type, county, fuel, a member who is 60 or older, disabled or 6 or under (in the 2025 edition, 3 points instead for a child 7 to 17), and a subsidized household paying its own heat, plus 8 base points from June 29, 2026; times a poverty-level multiplier (130% down to 70% in the 2025 edition; 1.8 down to 0.7 in the 2026 rule); prorated for ineligible members; fractions rounded up; times the dollar value per point. MaineHousing announces the value after each federal award and has published none for FFY2025 to FFY2027. $22, inferred from the FFY2025 and FFY2026 plans' $1,012 maximum (35 points x 130% = 45.5, rounded up to 46, x $22), is used as an estimate.
• Special housing: subsidized tenants with heat included in rent receive only an amount that maximizes SNAP benefits (rule 4(B); 2025 edition 4(C)), $21 in the FFY2026 plan (item 1.7b). Subsidized households that pay their own heat lose 9 points under the 2025 edition and 3 under the 2026 rule.

Sources

• 99-346 CMR ch. 24, effective June 29, 2026, sections 1, 3 and 4 (pages 2-17 and 33): https://www.mainehousing.org/docs/default-source/msha-rules/ch24-home-energy-assistance-program-rule.pdf#page=2
• 99-346 CMR ch. 24, 2025 edition (SOS filing 2025-135), Secretary of State copy: https://www.maine.gov/sos/sites/maine.gov.sos/files/inline-files/346c024.docx
• FY2026 Benefit Matrix, 2025 edition section 4 (pages 1-2): https://liheapch.acf.gov/docs/2026/benefits-matricies/ME_BenefitMatrix_2026.pdf#page=1
• FFY2026 LIHEAP Detailed Model Plan, items 1.4, 1.7 to 1.9 and 2.1 to 2.6 (pages 5-10): https://liheapch.acf.gov/docs/2026/state-plans/ME_Plan_2026.pdf#page=5
• FFY2025 LIHEAP Detailed Model Plan, item 2.6 (page 8): https://liheapch.acf.gov/docs/2025/state-plans/ME_Plan_2025.pdf#page=8
• MaineHousing HEAP income eligibility guidelines, 2026-2027 season: https://www.mainehousing.org/charts/
• MaineHousing HEAP page with the 2025-2026 season income limits, archived November 1, 2025: https://web.archive.org/web/20251101091454id_/https://www.mainehousing.org/programs-services/energy/energydetails/liheap
• 42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(2)(B): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title42/html/USCODE-2023-title42-chap94-subchapII-sec8624.htm

Related

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