North Haven’s 2019-’20 Energy Assistance application season has opened, and the town’s Office of Community Services (OCS) is encouraging residents who are eligible—or who are wondering if they are eligible—to make an appointment as soon as possible.

“Sometimes people tend to put this off,” said Carla Picard of OCS. “But we want them to remember that there is a 45-business day window before there is a determination. And if you count out weekends and holidays, it can be a solid three months. People come in, sometimes year after year, and they think they will get approved next week.

“I can’t say it enough: apply as soon as possible, and they really have to make their own arrangements until they are approved,” she added. “It is not always a quick turnaround window.”

Having said that, Picard emphasized that the OCS in North Haven wants to help eligible applicants navigate the application process with as much ease as possible.

The Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, which is administered by the Community Action Agency of New Haven (CAANH) and the state Department of Social Services, and funded with the help of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services block grant, has specific requirements that must be met to the letter for the application to be successful.

Those who are interested in applying should call right away and make an appointment, as soon as possible, at the North Haven Office OCS at 203-239-2566 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Appointments can be made during those hours.

And, one new element this year is this: People who, for reasons including work and/or childcare issues, cannot meet during those hours, should contact CAANH directly and ask for an email application. The phone number for CAANH is 203-387-7700, ask for the energy assistance program.

As in past years, people who are homebound, and don’t live with someone else who is able bodied, can request a homebound caseworker through CAANH, 203-387-7700, ask for the energy assistance program.

Picard said North Haven generally works with about 250 applicants each year and that the success rate is about 90 percent, because the OCS really makes an effort to prepare people over the phone, before they come in to meet.

According to a press release from the OCS, the following documentation must be provided:

The following documentation must be brought at the time of the appointment:

• Assets: Every individual over the age of 18 living in the household who have bank accounts must provide a 30-day lookback of all banking activity from all accounts. Bring a printout from the bank that will reflect 30 days of activity from the date of appointment. Accounts include checking, savings, credit union accounts, stocks, bonds, CDs, and IRAs (if 59 ½ or older). Also be prepared to explain any undefined deposits.

• Income: Every individual over the age of 18 living in the household who has income must provide a 30-day lookback of any income documentation they have (going back 30 days from date of the appointment). Income includes but is not limited to: pay stubs, benefit verification letters for Social Security, verification of benefits for cash assistance through DSS, unemployment benefit history, child support documentation, dividend and interest statements, annuities, and pensions.

• Pension recipients: All applicants receiving pensions must provide their most recent pension statement or their IRS 1099 Form.

• Renters with heat included in rent: If heat is included in rent payments, bring a copy of the lease.

• Those with gas heat: Most recent SCG bill and UI bill

• Those with UI heat or heat with oil: most recent UI bill

• If a first time applicant, applicants must be prepared to provide names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth for all household members.

In a phone interview, Picard said common misunderstandings include the 30-day lookback. That period runs through the day of application. So if a bank statement, for example, only goes through the end of the prior month, and the application is being made in the middle of the next month, those days need to be documented.

Picard said undefined deposits also must be documented. If it’s a gift or a loan, “We need an explanation.”

“And, I would say, no matter how one heats their home, we always need a UI [United Illuminating] bill,” she says. “And it needs to be a snapshot of a 30-day window prior to coming in here. You can hit the Lotto tomorrow, but we need the 30 days before.”

On other thing Picard wanted to caution applicants about: overtime is counted.

“Sometimes we see households disqualified because of a one-time jump in income due to overtime, unfortunately. Wait until you don’t have overtime and then apply, if it’s isolated,” she said.

She said sometimes it feels to applicants like the people in the North Haven OCS are investigators. The OCS staff is required to be clear about what is needed, but they are trying to make the process of meeting the requirements as easy as possible. “We don’t want to find reasons to block them,” she said. “We are here to help.”