●

Responsible for heating and/or cooling expenses. This includes units who pay for additional expenses outside of their main heating and/or cooling source (for example, a SNAP unit that has heat included in their rent expense but incurs an additional expense for use of a space heater).

●

Shares heating and/or cooling expenses with a separate unit at their residence (no proration).

●

Includes a SNAP unit member who is elderly or disabled and the unit received Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or other similar energy assistance programs of more than $20 any time in the past 12 months anywhere in the United States. Units that meet this criteria are eligible to receive the Heat/Air Standard Utility deduction, regardless of whether they incur expenses for heating and/or cooling.

●

Share the expenses with an ineligible person (no proration).

●

Allow the electric standard utility deduction of $235 per month for units that are responsible for an electricity expense.

●

Allow the phone standard utility deduction of $62 per month for units that are responsible for a phone expense. The phone standard utility deduction is allowed for phone expenses when the unit is responsible to pay for service. This includes but is not limited to:
-Cell phones (monthly billing, pre-paid minutes or dollar value, etc.).
-Land lines
-Telecommunications Relay Services (captioned, internet, speech-to-speech, TTY, video, etc.).

-Voice Over Internet (VOIP, internet phone).

●

If the unit is responsible for both electric and phone expenses, both standard utility deductions are allowed.

●

Allow the applicable standard utility deduction as described above for a unit even when expenses are paid by:
-Initial refugee resettlement funds See 0030.01 (Local Resettlement Agencies)
-Matching Grant. See 0029.39 (The Matching Grand Program)
-Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or other energy assistance programs when the SNAP unit contains an elderly or disabled unit member, even when the utility expense is paid entirely by LIHEAP or other energy assistance programs.
-Vendored public assistance benefits, such as MFIP.
-An outside source and the amount paid does not cover the full monthly utility expense and the client is responsible to pay the
remaining

●

Do not allow a standard utility deduction for units when:
-An ineligible student is responsible to pay the utility expense
-Utility expenses are paid entirely by a person outside the SNAP unit
-The utility expenses are included as part of a shelter expense, such as rent
-Utility expenses are reimbursed or paid entirely by sources outside the unit such as Housing Support, Housing and Urban
Development (HUD), and Farmers Home Administration (FMHA) Rental Assistance Program. See 0017.15.81 (Utility Payments).