by Rep. Camille "Bud" George

In one month, Pennsylvania's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program will begin accepting applications for the heating season.

That's the good news. The bad news includes:

· Chronic under-funding by the federal government;

· Zero funding by Pennsylvania;

· A suspect campaign to besmirch LIHEAP under the guise of "welfare reform;" and

· Record prices for heating oil and propane.

LIHEAP income guidelines this season will be $15,315 for an individual, adding $5,220 for each additional household member.

The minimum cash grant -- to help families pay heating bills -- will remain at $100. The maximum crisis grant -- for heating emergencies like utility shutoffs, fuel shortages and equipment failures -- will remain at $300.

Applications will be accepted beginning November 5 at county assistance offices.

Applications also can be made online for cash grants only at www.compass.state.pa.us .

The statewide, toll-free LIHEAP hotline is 866 857-7095.

Energy prices, meanwhile, continue rising.

According to the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, heating oil will be the most expensive fuel this winter. The average, oil-heating family is projected to pay $1,834 this season -- up 28 percent or $402 from last year.

Propane costs are projected to average $1,732, up 30 percent or $384 from last season.

Earlier this year, an audit of the state Department of Public Welfare's administration of LIHEAP found "serious deficiencies" resulting in "potential applicant and employee fraud and abuse" in six counties studied.

The state auditor general correctly noted that, "Every dollar wasted is a dollar that could have been used to reduce a needy family's heating bill."

However, the "potential" for fraud quickly became fact among those whose political lives depend on demeaning the very government that signs their paychecks.

The chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee proclaimed, "The fraud allowed by DPW in its administration of the LIHEAP program is inexcusable."

Patience and fairness are not in the partisan playbook.

According to DPW's continuing review, it has been able to exclude 54 percent -- 1,304 of the 2,431 situations -- of the potential fraud and abuse cases. The 2,341 "situations" amounted to 1 percent of the cases handled by the six counties.

The DPW found that in 176 cases flagged because the LIHEAP recipient used the Social Security number of someone who had died, the applicant was the surviving spouse or child, and use of the Social Security number was appropriate.

Other early findings include:

· More than 93 percent of the cases cited where public housing residents received LIHEAP payments were found appropriate because the residents were required to pay for their heat;

· Many of the cases involved data-entry errors, such as transposed numbers;

· The 14 applications for crisis grants found without signatures all were rejected; and

· Applicants rejected for LIHEAP were not incorrectly referred to Weatherization programs.

Our tax dollars demand constant vigilance. However, irresponsibly demeaning a program that served more than 12,600 households in Clearfield and Centre counties last year is probably many times more damaging than whatever mistakes may have been made in the program.

The LIHEAP program needs angels not an ambush. Considering the energy prices and the political landscape, a cold winter is in store.

Rep. George is Chairman of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and can be contacted through his website.

10/5/2007