The Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides a one-time payment up to $750 from October 1 through September 30, to help eligible households pay for their current or past due water and/or wastewater (sewer) bills, and disconnection and reconnection fees. DSS will make payments directly to the participating utility company.
The Program Begins October 1, 2023 for elderly & disabled households and November 1, 2023, for all other households.
As the Missouri Water Assistance program applications detail, households that apply for assistance should continue to pay on their bill to avoid disconnection. All requests are processed in the order they were received, by account status.
LIHWAP stands for Low Incoming Housing Water Assistance Program.
NOTE: Households that have their utilities included in their rental payment are not eligible for ECIP assistance.
Standard processing time takes about 30-45 business days when we have all required information with the application. If there is additional information needed, it can cause delays in processing. Pledges are not submitted on water assistance accounts.
Charges that are applied to your utility bill that the LIHWAP program funds cannot cover.
LIHWAP can cover water fees, sewer fees, reconnect fees, deposits, late fees, and applicable taxes as outlined on the bill. This program cannot cover storm water charges.
Refer to page 5 of the LIHWAP application that lists all the documents required to process your application.
You must submit a completed application, including written Social Security numbers for ALL household members on Part 2 of the application, as well as copies of your utility bills. Refer to the last page of the LIHWAP application. You will find a list of documents needed for processing the application, even for those who are actively receiving food
stamps.
If your entire household is attesting to receiving no income at all, please complete the Low Income Interview Guide for the water assistance program located in the Documents section.
It is required that all utility bills are in the name of at least one household member who is listed on the application. If not, contact your utility provider to update the name on the account.
Each utility company has a different webpage, however there should always be a link or “View your bill” option on your account login page. Once that PDF is downloaded, you can print and mail or fax it into CMCA.
NOTE: Screenshots of text notices that are received will not be accepted. It MUST be a copy of the actual utility bill.
The LIHWAP program is a non-crisis program. We have to process applications in the order received, therefore we cannot guarantee timely processing to prevent disconnection.
Refer to our Other county resources guide for more timely assistance.
Please read the letter carefully to learn what is needed by the Energy Department to process your request. If you still have questions about what documentation is required, call the Emergency Utility Assistance Line at 573-200-6655 to request assistance with what is needed to continue processing your application.
The main form of communication from the CMCA Energy Assistance Department will be via letter as the State program
All appointments must be requested via the Emergency Utility Assistance Line at 573-200-6655 and scheduled in the order they are received.
Appointments scheduled are at the discretion of CMCA representatives upon the nature of the request.
NOTE: Appointments may be scheduled in conjunction with referrals to other programs offered by CMCA and will only apply to those household circumstances that are outside standard operating procedure; for example, the applicant has physical challenges in completing an application, requested assistance with another program, has a question on the information request they received from the CMCA Energy Assistance Department, etc.
If for any reason you need additional (utility or otherwise) assistance that the LIHWAP department cannot provide please refer to our Other county resources guide for more timely assistance.
You may be eligible if you meet all of the following requirements:
NOTE: If all household members currently get Temporary Assistance (cash)
or SNAP (Food Stamp) benefits, you are automatically eligible for LIHWAP.
You must still apply for the program to get the benefit.
If your water or wastewater company does not participate in the LIHWAP program, you will not be approved for LIHWAP your water or wastewater company does not participate in the LIHWAP program, you will not be approved for LIHWAP.
Have your landlord fill out this form completely if utilities are included in your rent OR your utility bills are listed in your landlords’ name. Attach this form when submitting the LIHWAP application.
Fill out this form and submit with your application if the ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD (all household members over 18 years old) does not claim any income for the month prior to submitting the LIHWAP application.
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