Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced that those needing home heating assistance can now apply for a second emergency benefit through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). Additional federal funding has enabled the State to continue to award funds through extended cold weather temperatures this year.

Normally, eligible households can receive one regular HEAP benefit per season and could also be eligible for a single emergency HEAP benefit if they face an energy emergency situation. Households that have already received a regular benefit and an emergency benefit can now apply for a second emergency benefit if they find themselves in a crisis situation. Applications for regular and emergency HEAP benefits will be accepted through Friday, March 27.

HEAP is 100-percent federally funded and New York State has received a total of $377 million in federal HEAP funding for the 2014-15 season, including a late-winter release of $33.3 million. Emergency benefit amounts vary depending on the emergency, up to a maximum of $575.

Eligibility varies based on income and household size. For the 2014-15 HEAP season, a household of four can earn up to $50,629 a year, or $4,219 a month, and still qualify for assistance.

So far this winter, a total of nearly 1.4 million HEAP benefits have been issued, including more than 75,000 emergency HEAP benefits.

For more information about the Home Energy Assistance Program, please call the hotline at 1-800-342-3009, or visit http://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/. New Yorkers can find contact information for their county department of social services at http://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/HEAP-contacts.pdf.