State Energy Assistance Fund Recipients Get Extra Help 

Eligible recipients of West Virginia’s 2024–2025 Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) will automatically receive a one-time supplemental payment.

The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS), Bureau for Family Assistance (BFA) announced Monday that recipients will receive payments ranging from $25 to $53 paid directly to a utility provider or used for bulk fuel purchases.

For further assistance or questions regarding the supplemental payment, individuals are encouraged to contact their local DoHS office or call the Office of Constituent Services’ Client Services Unit by calling 1-800-642-8589 or emailing osaclientservices@wv.gov. 

Nationally, the future of such state energy assistance programs was uncertain after President Donald Trump proposed eliminating the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program in his Fiscal Year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request. The federal program represents a partnership between the federal government, state agencies, the private sector, and community service organizations working with people in need.

But both chambers of Congress have moved to approve appropriations for the program ahead of an October 1 deadline. At the end of July the Senate  Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2026 Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which would increase funding for LIHEAP by $20 million from FY 2025 levels. And earlier this month the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies approved appropriations legislation that would increase funding for the LIHEAP by $10 million from FY 2025 levels.