Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Nebraska program

Help with the energy bill

Help paying heating and cooling bills for a household with low income (LIHEAP).

What it is

Help paying heating and cooling bills for a household with low income (LIHEAP).

Nebraska pays energy assistance directly to the utility. Regular heating and cooling help have seasonal windows. Crisis payments can help in any month of the year.

Eligibility rules
  • The line is 150% of poverty: about $3,331 a month for three people and $4,019 for four (2025–26).
What you get
  • A payment toward an approved energy bill, without a family fee.
  • Heating, cooling and year-round crisis help.
What the help covers
  • Regular heating help runs October–March and cooling help June–August. Crisis payments remain available throughout the year.
  • Form IM-55 documents a severe condition aggravated by extreme heat for the illness-related cooling route.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask DHHS about energy assistance through iServe, including crisis help if there is an overdue bill or shutoff notice.
  2. Have current income and the energy bill ready.
  3. If heat worsens your child’s illness, ask the clinician about form IM-55.

Nebraska DHHS · 855-632-7633 · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • An approved payment goes to the utility and appears as a credit on the account.
  • For a shutoff problem, your social worker can help DHHS and the utility check the disconnect date, any crisis review and when an approved payment would reach the account. A pending assistance request is not itself a confirmed shutoff hold. The medical-certificate protection is a separate route where the child and utility meet its rules.
Good to know

A severe condition made worse by heat can support cooling help. The clinician’s form does not replace the income test.

Other details
  • The income figures shown here are dated October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. For an October 2026 or later decision, DHHS needs to confirm the new table; these figures should not be treated as the next year’s limits.

Federal background: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could energy assistance help with our bill during treatment? Is regular or crisis help the right route, what limits apply, and could you help us with the application if appropriate?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand whether help with heating or cooling could keep the household budget manageable.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Apply with this month’s income and the energy bill.

Your social worker

A clinician completes form IM-55 if heat makes the condition worse.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
Nebraska DHHS.
Ask the agency
“Our income dropped because our child is in cancer treatment. We need energy assistance, and there is an overdue bill, so please treat it as a crisis.”

How to apply

First step: Apply at iserve.nebraska.gov or call 855-632-7633.

  1. Apply on iServe with this month’s income.
  2. If there is a shutoff notice, ask for crisis assistance by name.
  3. If your child’s condition is aggravated by heat, ask about form IM-55.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply at iserve.nebraska.gov or 855-632-7633.

What to gather

  • The energy bill
  • This month’s income

How long: Not published. Ask when you apply, especially if there is a shutoff notice.

What a yes looks like

A payment to the utility and a credit on the account.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If income was the reason, ask which months were counted.

Watch out

  • Crisis help runs all year, not just in winter.
  • Ask about form IM-55 if heat makes your child’s condition worse.

Dates that change this

2025-10-01: These figures run to September 30, 2026. The next table had not been published when the research ran and the usual publication month was not established.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Help paying the energy bill for a household at or under $48,225 a year for four people.

  • $48,225/year — Household of 4, annual income limit
  • $39,975/year — Household of 3, annual income limit
  • $31,725/year — Household of 2, annual income limit

Covers: Heating help from October to March · Cooling help from June to August · Crisis payments all year, made to the provider

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
at or under 150% of the poverty line
Residency
Nebraska
Processing standard
unknown

Decisions this site cannot make: DHHS income test against the published table

Expect friction on: Seasonal windows, though crisis payments run all year

The trap: A household member with a severe illness aggravated by extreme heat can get cooling help with a provider-completed form IM-55, on top of the ordinary test.

Where I read this

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