Furnace and/or Chimney Cleaning 415-20-05-10-05

(Revised 11/02 ML #2829)

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To prevent a heating crisis and promote safety and energy conservation, premium benefits can be paid to clean the furnace of an eligible household. Up to $75 per household (exceptions must be approved by the State Administrator) may be used for furnace cleaning, maintenance, and service including the cost of replacement parts such as fuel nozzle, filter, etc., necessary for maintenance and service. An additional $75 per household may be allowed for chimney cleaning when necessary for safety. All households who were financially eligible for basic LIHEAP heating assistance in any prior month of the current fiscal year are also eligible for these services, except as noted in the following paragraph.

 

Furnace and/or chimney cleaning may be authorized for renters or homeowners who purchase fuel from a vendor, but not for a renter whose heat is included as an undesignated part of the rent. Furnace and/or chimney cleaning should not be authorized if the heating unit services more than one living unit and other households in the building are not LIHEAP recipients.

 

Some LIHEAP eligible households have yearly maintenance contracts with fuel vendors. Vendors are responsible for repairing any appliance in the household including cleaning the furnace. The vendor must notify the county office (unless the household had already requested a furnace cleaning from the vendor) they are going to do a furnace/chimney cleaning and request a furnace/chimney cleaning form from the county office. The vendor then must verify the cleaning by supplying the county office with the completed furnace/chimney cleaning form (at this time inform the county that the household has a vendor contract.) The county can reimburse the household when the bill and the completed furnace/chimney cleaning form are received. The charge for the furnace cleaning has to be in line with other furnace cleaning done to similar furnaces.

 

Prior authorization by the county social office is required. It is the responsibility of the client to choose a vendor who can perform the required services. The furnace/chimney cleaning authorization is generated in the LIHEAP system by the county social service office. (This is done by using Option ‘Z’ Notice of Action, then go to ‘F’ under "add" a record.) The authorization is sent from the state office to the vendor. The vendor in turn calls the client and sets up an appointment for the furnace/chimney cleaning.

 

The payment is to be entered on the computer by the county social service office as a premium payment, on the "Miscellaneous and Emergency Payments" screen, Reason Code "N," service code "14."