Virginia energy assistance: Fuel, Crisis and Cooling Assistance, WAP and PIPP (2026-27)

Virginia’s three EAP windows and why missing one matters

Virginia does not run a year-round bill program. Each component opens and closes on fixed dates. For Fuel Assistance, a mailed application counts only if it is postmarked by the second Friday in November, and walk-in applications stop that same day ⁠³.

Windows from the VDSS information sheet ⁠². The 2026 cooling window ran through August 17 because August 15 fell on a Saturday ⁠⁴.

Fuel Assistance approval notices go out in late December ⁠². Crisis and Cooling Assistance are paid only while money lasts. A household found eligible after funds run out receives an “out of funds” denial and is told it will be contacted if more money becomes available ⁠³.

The 150% limit and how VDSS counts income

All three EAP components use the same test: gross household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, plus a heating or cooling cost you are responsible for paying ⁠¹. The table VDSS posts on its EAP page and in its manual was revised in May 2025. As of October 20, 2026, it was still the published table: $1,956 a month for one person, $4,018 for four, and $6,768 for eight ⁠². By comparison, VDSS’s PIPP page, which uses the 2026 guidelines, shows $4,125 a month for four ⁠¹⁰.

Three details matter:

• Medical deduction. The case system subtracts $50 from gross income for each household member who is 60 or older or who is disabled (Social Security or SSI disability, 100% VA disability, Railroad Retirement disability, or a Medicaid disability finding) ⁠³.
• Last month’s income. Regular income is verified for the calendar month before the month you apply. Irregular income is averaged over two or more prior months ⁠³.
• Excluded income. SNAP, school meals and WIC, tax refunds including the EITC, loans (a reverse mortgage counts as a loan), scholarships and grants, foster care payments, and earnings of children under 18 are not counted ⁠³.

Ineligible: public housing residents whose heat is in the rent, residents of licensed facilities, people renting one room in a larger home, and people who are homeless ⁠³. Housing Choice Voucher tenants who pay their own heating bill can qualify ⁠⁴.

How the Fuel Assistance points formula sets your payment

Fuel Assistance has no flat benefit amount. Under 22VAC40-680-30, VDSS gives each approved household points, adds up the points of every approved household in the state, and divides the money available by that total to set a dollar value per point ⁠⁵. Points come from household size (9 points for one or two people, 15 for six or more), income as a share of the limit (25 points under 20% of the limit, falling to 1 point at 95% to 100%), the costliest vulnerable member (20 for someone 60 or older, 15 for a disabled member, 12 for a child under 6), fuel type, energy burden, and climate zone ⁠³. The Central Mountain zone gets 20 climate points and Tidewater gets 8 ⁠³.

In FFY 2025, each point was worth about $4.53, and payments ran from $181 to $634. VDSS used that range as its estimate for FFY 2026 ⁠⁴. VDSS has not published actual FFY 2026 benefit figures. Some SNAP households are approved automatically, and prior-year households get a mailed application already filled in ⁠³.

What Crisis Assistance covers in a Virginia heating emergency

Crisis Assistance is for an energy emergency that no other resource can cover: no heat, a utility cutoff about to happen, or no working or safe heating equipment ⁠⁵. The FFY 2026 plan commits VDSS to resolving the crisis within 48 hours, or 18 hours when it is life-threatening. A crisis is life-threatening when the forecast low is 32°F or colder and someone in the home is under 6, 60 or older, or disabled ⁠⁴. The plan lists a $4,200 maximum winter crisis benefit ⁠⁴.

Source: VDSS Energy Assistance Manual, Chapter G ⁠³.

Emergency fuel and heat bill payments start in January and follow stricter rules. You must have used up your Fuel Assistance benefit. For fuel, your tank must be at 25 gallons or less of oil or kerosene, a propane gauge must read 20% or less, or wood or coal must be down to a 7-day supply. For a bill, electricity or gas must have been cut off in the past 30 days or be scheduled for shutoff within 15 days, or a prepaid meter balance must be $25 or less ⁠⁴. VDSS pays only the amount needed to restore or keep service, up to that year’s cap. If the shutoff amount is higher than the cap, you must show the difference has been paid or pledged by another agency before VDSS approves the case ⁠³. Renters cannot get heating equipment replaced through Crisis Assistance ⁠⁴.

Cooling Assistance requires a vulnerable household member

Cooling Assistance is available only if someone in the home is 60 or older, is disabled, or is under age 6 ⁠⁵, and the household must pay its own cooling costs ⁠¹. It uses the same 150% income limit and can be received more than once in a summer, up to the cap for each type of help ⁠³.

Source: VDSS Energy Assistance Manual, Chapter J ⁠³.

A bill payment requires a balance due; if yours is zero, bring a new bill before the window closes ⁠³.

Applying for EAP through CommonHelp or your local department

1. Check the calendar

   Fuel Assistance is open now, through November 13, 2026. For a no-heat emergency, Crisis Assistance opens November 1 ⁠².

2. Pick a way to apply

   Apply online at CommonHelp, by phone at 855-635-4370 (Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.), or with a paper application for the specific component, which you can download from the VDSS EAP page or pick up at your local department ⁠¹. Applications are made in the city or county where you live ⁠².

3. Gather your documents

   The application asks for the Social Security number of everyone in the home and details of your heating supplier ⁠¹⁵. Have proof of last month’s income for every member ready, because the local department verifies it ⁠³. By signing, you allow your energy supplier to share your account and usage data with VDSS ⁠¹⁵.

4. Report a crisis right away

   For Crisis Assistance, bring the cutoff notice, the vendor’s repair estimate, or a fuel gauge reading. A renter asking for an equipment repair must show a lease or landlord statement saying the renter is responsible for the equipment ⁠³.

5. Watch the mail

   VDSS mails a Notice of Action the next working day after a Crisis decision is entered. Fuel Assistance approvals arrive in late December ⁠². Payment goes to your vendor, not to you, in most cases ⁠³.

6. Ask for a conference, then appeal

   If you are denied, you can request a conference with the local department, which must be scheduled within 10 working days. You can also file a written appeal with VDSS within 30 days of the notice ⁠³. In the prior federal fiscal year, Virginia held 438 EAP fair hearings, and 4 reversed the original decision ⁠⁴.

Weatherization through DHCD’s 15 nonprofit providers

The Weatherization Assistance Program is run by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), not VDSS ⁠¹. It does not pay bills. Its crews test for carbon monoxide, seal air leaks, add insulation, repair ductwork, and repair or replace unsafe heating and cooling systems ⁠⁶. For 2026-27, Virginia uses the higher of 60% of state median income or 200% of poverty. That is $44,776 a year for one person, $86,109 for four and $118,830 for eight, effective July 1, 2026 ⁠⁷. Households receiving TANF or SSI qualify automatically ⁠⁸.

DHCD itself takes no applications. You apply with the provider listed for your county or city on DHCD’s providers list ⁠⁹. DHCD’s 2026 DOE plan budgets monitoring for 15 subgrantees ⁠¹⁴. Renters need written permission from the landlord, and the landlord cannot raise the rent just because of the work ⁠⁸. DHCD warns that demand is high, waiting lists are possible, and the gap between the energy audit and the installation can be weeks or months ⁠⁸.

PIPP and the state’s weather shutoff ban

The Percentage of Income Payment Program (PIPP) is a utility program created by Code § 56-585.6 ⁠¹¹, open to customers of Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power with household income at or below 150% of poverty ⁠¹⁰. Your monthly electric payment is set at 10% of gross monthly income if you heat with electricity, or 6% if you do not. Households with no income pay $10 a month ⁠¹⁰. Each full, on-time payment forgives one-twelfth of the old balance, so 12 on-time months clear it. Missing two payments in a row can lead to disconnection ⁠¹⁰. Income limits from June 1 to December 31, 2026 are $1,995 a month for one person and $4,125 for four ⁠¹⁰. A 2026 amendment to § 56-585.6, effective January 1, 2027, raises eligibility to 200% of poverty and lowers the caps to 3% of income for non-electric heat and 5% for electric heat ⁠¹¹. Apply through CommonHelp or your local department. A decision can take up to 30 days, and you must reverify every 12 months ⁠¹⁰.

Under Code § 56-245.1:3, regulated electric utilities may not disconnect a home for nonpayment when the National Weather Service forecasts a low of 32°F or colder, or a temperature of 92°F or hotter, within 24 hours after the scheduled cutoff. Gas utilities are barred from disconnecting in the cold case. No regulated utility may disconnect for nonpayment on a Friday, a weekend, a state holiday, or the day before a state holiday ⁠¹².

See the Virginia hub for other programs in the state, or compare limits on the energy and utility assistance page.