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

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Rhode Island program

Help with the heating bill (LIHEAP)

LIHEAP pays toward your heating account when household income fits Rhode Island's limit.

What it is

LIHEAP pays toward your heating account when household income fits Rhode Island's limit.

Keeping the house warm can be harder when earnings drop during treatment. Heating assistance uses a share of state median income. A family over another benefit limit can still qualify here.

Eligibility rules
  • The income ceiling is 60% of Rhode Island median income.
  • DHS’s FFY 2026 table lists $4,604 a month for two people, $5,687 for three and $6,771 for four, at 60% of state median income. That fiscal-year table is for October 1, 2025–September 30, 2026, not the application season. The 2026–27 table must be checked with DHS or the local agency before using these amounts for a new season.
What you get
  • A payment toward your heating account.
  • No charge to apply through the local agency.
What this covers
  • The benefit is credited toward heating costs, rather than paid as cash for other expenses.
  • The local agency calculates heating help from your household and heating information, using current rules and available funding. Meeting the income limit does not guarantee a particular amount. Your social worker can ask about the current award range, urgent no-heat or shutoff help, and heating-system repair programs.
If you decide to apply
  1. Contact a local energy-assistance agency through the DHS LIHEAP page to check the application season.
  2. If you decide to explore heating assistance with the social worker, the local agency can explain the current application and the heating-bill and income records it needs.

Rhode Island DHS energy assistance and local agencies · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • The local agency reviews the application for DHS.
  • The last heating application season closed April 15, 2026. DHS described October 1, 2026 as the expected reopening. Your social worker can check the confirmed 2026–27 dates with the Community Action Agency for your town, using the directory on the DHS LIHEAP page. DHS is 1-855-697-4347.
Good to know

Heating help and medical shutoff protection are separate. A closed application season does not end medical shutoff rights.

Other details
  • A serious-illness certificate can separately protect a qualifying utility account while payment help is being arranged.

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

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could heating assistance help with our bill, and is there a season or funding limit that affects us? If we qualify, could you help us reach the local agency?”

Why I’m asking: I want to keep heating costs manageable while our child is receiving treatment.

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 when the season opens, with a recent bill and proof of income.

Your social worker

The local agency takes the application.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The state human services department, through local agencies.
Ask your social worker
“Can we apply for heating help, and is the season open right now?”

How to apply

First step: Check whether the heating season is open, then apply with a recent bill.

  1. Check whether the season is open; it was expected to reopen on October 1, 2026.
  2. While it is closed, use the serious-illness certificate to stop a shutoff instead.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply through the state programme when the season is open.

What to gather

The diagnosis letter, the child’s insurance card, and the last two pay stubs cover most applications. The official page lists the rest.

Watch out

  • Heating applications close in the spring and reopen in the autumn.
  • The line is a share of state median income, so it is higher than most programmes.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 10, 2026.

What it is worth

A payment toward heating. The line is $6,771 a month for four people, $5,687 for three.

  • $6,771/month — Monthly income ceiling, household of 4 (60% of state median income)
  • $5,687/month — Monthly income ceiling, household of 3
  • $4,604/month — Monthly income ceiling, household of 2

Covers: A payment toward the heating account

What it costs the family: Free to apply.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
60% of the Rhode Island median income
Season
heating applications closed April 15, 2026 and are expected to reopen October 1, 2026

The trap: Applications for heating closed on April 15, 2026 and are expected to reopen on October 1, 2026. If it is closed when you read this, the shutoff protections still apply, so use those instead and apply when it opens.

Where I read this

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