Klickitat County Low Income Seniors Get Help with Energy Costs
Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) and the Klickitat County Senior Services are assisting seniors to apply for two programs, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Klickitat PUD Senior Discount. Application processes will primarily be handled over the phone this year, rather than in person.
“Typically in past years we have met in person with applicants at the Klickitat County Senior Centers in Goldendale and White Salmon, but with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we decided to change the process and reduce interactions to keep our seniors safe from exposure to the virus,” said Jan Pearo, Energy Assistance Director for WAGAP who handles the LIHEAP applications.
The LIHEAP program is provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce. It covers all types of heating including propane, electric, gas, oil, coal, and wood. To qualify for this program participants must earn less than 150% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
For those Klickitat County seniors who participated in LIHEAP last year, Pearo said she will call them in the first couple of weeks of November and do most things over the phone with some follow up by email or mail. She noted that it will require current income verification, but she said most information can be easily updated.
For those Klickitat County seniors who have not previously participated in LIHEAP, Pearo said they should call her at (509) 427-8229. She will be taking their applications over the phone and then she will mail them a self-addressed stamped envelope for them to return their signed application and supporting documents.
For all other non-senior low-income families who wish to apply for the LIHEAP program this year, the Energy Assistance phone line at WAGAP will open at 8 a.m. on November 16. Call 509-493-2662 ext 202 or 800-755-1192 ext 202 and leave a message including a phone number that you can be reached at. Pearo will return calls in the order in which they are received and begin making telephone appointments for non-seniors in December.
Separately, the Klickitat PUD Senior Discount was made very simple this year. “PUD automatically reenrolled them if they were in the program last year, ” said Doreen Eckas of Goldendale Klickitat County Senior Services. Eckas said that for seniors in Goldendale, confirmation calls have been made to those who participated last year to verify current income. She said that if a Goldendale area senior was in the program last year but didn’t yet receive that message, please contact her or Stacy Bryan at (509) 773-3757.
For those low-income customers who are in the White Salmon area and participated in the Klickitat PUD Senior Discount program last year, they should reach out to Jill Parrot at the White Salmon Senior Center at (509) 493-3068 to complete their income verification for 2020. No new application is needed as long as they were eligible last year and their income is in the same percentage bracket.
For new applications for the Klickitat PUD Senior Discount, you must be 62 or older. The PUD benefit ranges from between 5 to 35 percent discount on the utility bill for 6 months usage from December 2020 to May 2021. For details on the tiered income eligibility and discount rates visit the website at http://www.klickitatpud.com/news/2020/09/21/klickitat-pud-senior-discounts. Then reach out to either Goldendale or White Salmon Klickitat County Senior Services at the numbers above. An application interview will be conducted over the phone and a self-addressed, stamped envelope with the application will be sent for the applicant to sign and return with proof of income and a copy of their PUD bill.
