Kentucky LIHEAP and utility help: Subsidy, Crisis and weatherization (2026-27)

CHFS, Community Action Kentucky and 23 local agencies: who does what

CHFS does not see applicants. It contracts with Community Action Kentucky, Inc. (CAK), which has run the Crisis component since 1986 and the Subsidy component since 1990. CAK subcontracts with 23 local agencies to cover all 120 counties ⁠³. The FFY 2026 plan counted these as 22 community action agencies plus one local government agency ⁠². The local agency checks your eligibility and pays your gas, electric or bulk-fuel vendor directly ⁠³.

Kentucky has no statewide online LIHEAP application, and both state plans say in-person applications are “strongly encouraged,” with exceptions for people who are homebound, working or unable to travel ⁠²⁠³. An agency can interview a homebound applicant with a disability at home or by video ⁠². Intake varies: Big Sandy Area Community Action Program, for example, takes Fall Subsidy applications alphabetically by last name ⁠¹⁰.

Kentucky’s 150% line, and why the regulation still says 130%

921 KAR 4:116 sets the default LIHEAP income limit at 130% of the poverty guidelines. It also lets the cabinet raise that limit when funding allows ⁠⁴. The cabinet has done so. The FFY 2026 and FFY 2027 plans both set Subsidy, cooling and Crisis at 150% of the HHS poverty guidelines ⁠²⁠³. The CHFS LIHEAP page still describes the 130% default ⁠¹, but local agencies are applying 150% in 2026 ⁠⁵⁠⁷. Kentucky counts gross income from the calendar month before the month you apply ⁠⁴, so the limit that matters is the monthly one.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Published by Audubon Area Community Services for the Fall 2026 Subsidy; add $710 a month for each additional person ⁠⁵. CHFS does not post a chart of its own.

CHFS also caps liquid resources at $2,000, or $4,000 if a member has a catastrophic illness and the money goes to medical and living costs ⁠¹. Kentucky River Foothills lists a $3,000 limit for households with a member who is 60 or older or disabled ⁠⁹, so ask your agency which figure it uses. You must pay for heating yourself, either directly or as an unspecified part of your rent ⁠⁴.

The LIHEAP calendar: Fall Subsidy, Winter Crisis, then cooling if funded

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Sources: state plans ⁠²⁠³; 2026 local dates from Community Action Council ⁠⁶⁠⁷⁠⁸. Help in one round does not bar you from the next ⁠⁵⁠⁶. Audubon Area Community Services lists its own Fall 2026 enrollment as November 9 to December 18, 2026 ⁠⁵, so check your agency’s dates.

Subsidy pays the full benefit once to your heating vendor, or to your landlord if heat is included in the rent. You do not need a past-due bill or disconnect notice ⁠⁴⁠⁵. The benefit is a share of the average heating-season cost of your primary fuel, and the lowest-income households with the costliest fuel get the most ⁠⁴. Households in federally assisted housing, or that get a utility allowance, receive less ⁠⁴. People 60 and older, people with disabilities, and households with children who live on fixed incomes may pre-register for the Fall Subsidy ⁠³.

Cooling rounds happen only when Kentucky has money left after heating ⁠³. They pay a one-time electric benefit of $41 to $250 depending on household size and income ⁠⁸. In the summer, agencies can buy an air conditioner for a household with no adequate cooling. Someone in the home must be 65 or older, be under 6, or have a doctor’s statement that they need cooling for a medical condition ⁠³⁠⁴.

What counts as a crisis in Kentucky and what Crisis pays

To get Crisis help, you must meet the Subsidy rules and be in one of these situations ⁠⁴:

• You have a past-due or disconnect notice and natural gas or electricity is your main heat source.
• You have four or fewer days of propane, fuel oil, coal, wood or kerosene left.
• You have an eviction notice for unpaid rent, and your heat is included in the rent.

Prepaid electric customers qualify with 10 or fewer days of service left ⁠²⁠⁷. Crisis pays the minimum needed to end the emergency, and you can come back more than once each season up to the cap ⁠⁴. The cap is $400 for natural gas or electric, or delivery of up to 2 tons of coal, 2 cords of wood, or 200 gallons of propane, fuel oil or kerosene ⁠⁴. Crisis money never goes to you in cash: it pays the vendor or landlord, or buys a loaned space heater, blankets, emergency lodging or an air conditioner ⁠⁴. Households at or above 75% of the poverty level pay part of the amount needed to end the crisis as a co-payment ⁠¹.

The agency must resolve a crisis within 48 hours, or within 18 hours in a life-threatening situation ⁠⁴. Kentucky defines life-threatening as being without heat or cooling within 18 hours while the National Weather Service reports dangerous temperatures ⁠⁴.

Applying at your county’s Community Action office

1. Find the agency for your county

   Use Community Action Kentucky’s directory at capky.org/network, or call the CHFS line at (800) 456-3452 ⁠¹⁠⁶. You must apply in your county of residence ⁠¹⁰.

2. Book or show up at the right time

   Agencies take applications only during open rounds, and they serve people first come, first served until the money runs out ⁠⁵⁠⁷. If you are 60 or older or disabled and on a fixed income, ask about Fall Subsidy pre-registration ⁠³.

3. Bring last month’s income for everyone

   Bring pay stubs, Social Security or SSI letters, and pension or unemployment statements for every household member, covering the month before you apply ⁠⁴⁠⁷.

4. Bring identity and energy papers

   Social Security cards or green cards for every member, your latest heating and electric bills with account numbers, and a landlord statement if heat is in your rent. Prepaid electric customers need a utility statement ⁠⁴⁠⁵⁠⁷.

5. For Crisis, add the proof of emergency

   That means the disconnect or past-due notice, or your lease and eviction notice if heat is in the rent ⁠⁷.

6. Turn in missing papers within five working days

   If items are still missing five working days after you apply, the application is denied. The agency must decide a Subsidy application within five working days of having everything ⁠⁴.

7. Watch your vendor account

   The payment may show as a credit. Vendors bill you only for the difference and must treat you like any other customer ⁠⁴⁠⁵.

Weatherization through Kentucky Housing Corporation’s agencies

Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) runs the Weatherization Assistance Program with U.S. Department of Energy money and part of the LIHEAP grant. Community Action agencies and other nonprofits do the work at no cost to you ⁠¹¹. Under KHC’s Program Year 2026 plan, you qualify if any of these is true ⁠¹²:

• Household income is at or below 200% of poverty.
• A household member received TANF/K-TAP or SSI in the past 12 months.
• The household was approved for LIHEAP bill help in the past 12 months.

Once approved, you stay eligible for 12 months ⁠¹². Renters can apply. The landlord must agree not to raise the rent for 18 months after the final inspection ⁠¹².

The PY2026 DOE budget plans only 433 homes statewide, at an average of $8,794 each ⁠¹³, so expect a wait. Agencies rank applicants by points:

• 10 points for an elderly member and 10 for a disabled member.
• 5 points for a child under 6.
• 2 to 15 points depending on energy burden ⁠¹².

A home weatherized with federal money cannot be done again for 15 years ⁠¹². When you apply, Daniel Boone Community Action Agency asks for last month’s income for everyone, the deed or mobile-home title, and 12 months of electric and gas usage history ⁠¹⁵.

PSC shutoff rules: the 30-day certificate and winter hardship reconnection

The Kentucky Public Service Commission’s 807 KAR 5:006 gives LIHEAP-eligible customers two winter protections against regulated gas and electric utilities ⁠¹⁴:

• 30-day delay. If you get a termination notice between November 1 and March 31, CHFS or its designee can certify that you are eligible for energy assistance or have income at or below 130% of poverty. Give that certificate to the utility within the 10-day notice period, and it must hold off the shutoff for 30 days. You must make a good-faith payment and agree to a plan to catch up by October 15. The utility cannot demand a new deposit ⁠¹⁴.
• Winter hardship reconnection. If you are already shut off, between November 1 and March 31 the utility must reconnect you when you bring a certificate of need and pay one-third of the balance or $200, whichever is less. You also agree to be current by October 15 and accept a referral to weatherization ⁠¹⁴.

All year, a written statement from a physician, registered nurse or public health officer that a shutoff would aggravate a resident’s debilitating illness delays termination for 30 days ⁠¹⁴. No gas or electric shutoff can come without 10 days’ written notice or sooner than 27 days after the unpaid bill was mailed ⁠¹⁴. Kentucky has no statewide low-income discount rate, and neither state plan describes any utility shutoff moratorium terms ⁠²⁠³.

Appeals: from your local agency to CAK to the Cabinet

If you are denied or your application is not handled on time, ask the local agency in writing for a review within 30 days of the notice; staff can help you write it ⁠³⁠⁴. If you disagree with its decision, appeal to Community Action Kentucky, then to CHFS, where hearings follow 921 KAR 2:055. The final decision is due within 90 days of your request ⁠²⁠⁴. Weatherization complaints go through the local agency’s dispute process, which KHC oversees ⁠². To report LIHEAP fraud, call the Office of Inspector General hotline at (800) 372-2970 ⁠¹.

For other states’ energy programs, see the energy and utility assistance comparison.