LIHEAP Deadline: May 31, 2017

The deadline to apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is May 31, 2017. Applications with a May 31 postmark will be accepted. Applicants who had previously been denied may wish to reapply if their circumstances have changed, particularly if their monthly income has been reduced.

For details see the Department of Community Affairs March 9 press release. Applications with incomplete documentation will be put into pending status for thirty days, according to a DCA spokesperson.

Online Safety Net Tools and Applications, Part II

The purpose of this article is to alert you to a number of safety net applications that can be downloaded or completed directly online. They cover a variety of topics, including programs for seniors, financial assistance, child care, energy, utilities and welfare.

There is a section of this site’s community resource page known as the ‘Public Benefits Corner’ that provides links to a number of these online or downloadable applications. There are links for the following:

  • NJ FamilyCare application
  • Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), Senior Gold, and Medicare Savings Programs – programs for seniors
  • Child Support Services
  • Subsidized Child Care
  • LIHEAP/USF/Weatherization – one application to apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Universal Service
    Fund (USF) and the Weatherization Assistance Program
  • Communications Lifeline program for Verizon landline customers
  • Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) – how to find your local WIC agency
  • State Unemployment Insurance
  • State Temporary Disability Insurance
  • Transportation Programs for former TANF clients

Links to these safety net programs and applications are available in the
Public Benefits Corner of this website. Knowing where to go online is the first step.

Discontent and Primary Election

An interesting article appeared in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer by Kevin Riordan their South Jersey columnist. The article is titled, “Discontent fuels progressive slate in Cherry Hill.” The introduction begins with the following: “This refreshing if not quite revolutionary political effort arises in part from concerns about the redevelopment of South Jersey’s signature suburb, but also is being propelled by worries about the direction of the Democratic Party and the nation itself.”

Kevin Riordan goes on to write, “The fact that the mainstream Cherry Hill Democrats have been supported for decades by a sophisticated, well-financed county party organization that cultivates generational loyalty has led, the progressives say, to a municipal government that is more insular and less transparent than it would like the public to believe.”

Many discontented citizens would probably agree with the above – irrespective of town or county you live in. Kevin Riordan said it in a polite manner. Others would be more plain by stating that major party county committees aka “political machines” are entrenched and always anxious to maintain their political power, absent any regard for the betterment or well-being of the people in the community. If you are angry with the current situation, then you should make sure you are registered to vote.

Tomorrow, May 16, is the last opportunity to register and vote in the June 6 Primary Election. You can obtain a Voter Registration Application which must be delivered or mailed/postmarked by tomorrow to your local county elections office.