Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) in New York will open this fall for regular benefits to St. Lawrence County residents on Nov. 16.

The St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services will begin accepting regular applications for HEAP on that date, or earlier if an applicant has received an early application in September from the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance because of the presence of an elderly or vulnerable person in the household.

Anyone else who desires to apply should call 379-2303 on or after Nov. 16 to receive an application.

The emergency component of HEAP will open on Jan. 4, 2016. HEAP customers who receive regular fuel benefits in November will not be eligible to apply for an emergency fuel benefit until January 4. HEAP customers who need electricity to run their furnaces and receive a disconnect notice also will not be able to apply for the emergency benefit until Jan. 4. The Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement benefits will open on Nov. 9.

The state has tentatively scheduled a HEAP closing date of March 15, 2016 for regular benefits.

This coming heating season, eligible applicants may receive one regular benefit, one emergency fuel benefit, and one emergency electric benefit. The income guidelines for the 2015-2016 heating assistance program are as follows:

For a household with one person, maximum income is $2,244; two people, $2,935; three people, $3,625; four people, $4,316; five people, $5,006; six people, $5,697; seven people, $5,826; eight people, $5,956; nine people, $6,085; ten 10 people, $ 6,215 and 11 people, $ 6,671

Households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamps) and/or Temporary Assistance do not ordinarily need to complete a HEAP application.

Any questions about HEAP can be directed to the HEAP Unit at the number above. If you wish, you can communicate with the HEAP Unit by e-mail at heapoffice@co.st-lawrence.ny.us or heapoffice@stlawco.org.

In addition to HEAP applications being available at the St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services in Canton, applications are anticipated to be available at Catholic Charities in Ogdensburg, the St. Vincent De Paul Society in Massena, the Neighborhood Center in Gouverneur, and the mybenefits.ny.gov website.

The HEAP regular benefit for oil, kerosene, and propane this year is calculated to be between $575 and $625 this year. The regular HEAP benefit for St. Lawrence Gas, Massena Electric, and National Grid is calculated to be between $350 and $400.

This year’s regular HEAP benefit for wood, pellets, and coal is to be between $500 and $550. Applicants who cut their own wood and need a HEAP benefit must either choose a wood vendor or have the HEAP benefit applied to their utility bill.

The emergency HEAP benefit for oil, kerosene, and propane is calculated to be $575 ($500 for wood, $350 for natural gas, and $490 for electric heat). Emergency benefits will be based on income, household size, and available resources.