Rights and responsibilities of each LIHEAP applicant.

1. Every applicant has the right to be treated with dignity, respect, and courtesy.
2. Anyone has the right to request information; and expect a response. The Subgrantee must not ignore inquiries related to eligibility, eligible services, payment procedures, or rights and responsibilities.
3. An applicant has the right to request and receive an application from the Subgrantee in-person or by mail without the Subgrantee requiring that an interview be conducted at the same time.
4. An applicant has the right to submit an application at any of the Subgrantee offices serving the area of residence by any means accepted by the Subgrantee.
5. If the applicant is an individual with a disability, an applicant has the right to be provided with the means to submit an application for energy assistance without leaving his/her home
6. An applicant is responsible for making a good-faith effort to fully complete the application and for providing as enough information about their circumstances to enable the Subgrantee to make an accurate and timely decision as possible to establish eligibility effectively process the application.
7. The applicant has the right to know that by applying, the applicant authorizes the Subgrantee to release information related to the application for LIHEAP to the applicant’s Energy Supplier(s) to determine eligibility and to Arkansas Energy Office (AEO) for purposes of research, evaluation, and analysis of the program.
8. The applicant has the right to be informed that the utility service provider will have no control over the data disclosed pursuant to this consent and will not be responsible for monitoring or taking any steps to ensure that the LIHEAP office maintains the confidentiality of the data or uses of the data.
9. The has the right to know that only legal residents of the United States included in the application will be used in determining the household size and that the income of any illegal noncitizens living as part of the household must be included to establish the total household income.
10. The applicant has the right to be advised if and how benefits will be coordinated on their approved application.
11. The applicant has the right to receive LIHEAP benefit(s) regardless of race, color, sex, age, handicap, religion, national origin, or political belief.
12. The applicant has the right to know that the signature on this application authorizes the Subgrantee or AEO to make any investigation concerning any household member and/or use a copy of the application as a release of information for securing information needed to determine eligibility for services.
13. The applicant is responsible for providing accurate and complete information. If the applicant household receives assistance as a result of withholding information or knowingly providing false or fraudulent information, the applicant must repay the dollar amount of assistance received and may face penalty or criminal prosecution. The applicant may also be disallowed future benefits.
14. The applicant has a right to receive written notice of the decision made on the application within thirty (30) days for Regular Assistance and within 18 hours for an emergency Crisis and 48 hours for Crisis after application is complete.
15. The applicant has the right to know that payment must be issued on behalf of the applicant household within thirty-five (35) days from the date the application is approved for Regular and twenty (20) days for Crisis.
16. Applicant has the right to know of his/her right to appeal any decision regarding the application, including denial and any delay in decision or delivery of services.
17. The applicant has the right to a confidential experience including sign-in sheets, interview, and casefile records.