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Paying For Heating and Cooling (SUA) - SNAP (Food Stamps)

This question determines if the Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) will be used by WorkWORLD when it calculates your household's Excess Shelter Deduction, if any.

In the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamp Program), your household must incur expenses which are not fully reimbursed for its primary utility for heat or cooling separately and apart from its rent or mortgage in order to be eligible for a SUA which includes a heating/cooling component. If you reside in Maryland, then read the topic "SUA Eligibility Exception (Maryland) - Food Stamps " for exceptions to this rule.

Your household is also eligible for the SUA if it received a Low Income Energy Assistance (LIEAP) check at its current address within the last 12 months.

If your household is only billed separately for excess utility costs, then it is not incurring expenses for its primary utility for heating and cooling for SNAP (Food Stamp) purposes and is not eligible for the SUA. Consequently, you should enter "NO" when responding to this question.

Utility costs for the operation of a space heater, electric blanket, etc. or cost of an electric blower for an oil or gas furnace when used as a supplemental heating source do not qualify your household for the SUA. If you reside in Arizona, then read the topic "SUA Eligibility Exception (Arizona) - SNAP (Food Stamps) " for exceptions to this rule.

If wood is the primary heating source, the cost of wood qualifies your household for the SUA that has a heating component.

If your household is engaged in a self-employment business run out of its home and claims some of the heating and cooling costs as costs of doing business and its utilities for the self-employment business are not measured and billed separately, then your household is not eligible for the SUA.

If you reside in Indiana, then read the topic "SUA Eligibility Exception (Indiana) - SNAP (Food Stamps) " for exceptions to these general rules.

If your household is eligible as described above, then you should answer "YES" when responding to this question. Otherwise, you should answer "NO".

If your household's response is "YES" and you live in a state that does not mandate the use of a utility standard, then based on your responses, WorkWORLD determines if it is to your advantage to use your actual utility costs or the standard for which you are eligible when determining your Shelter Deduction. If your household's response is "YES" and you live in a state that does mandate the use of a standard, WorkWORLD will use the SUA when determining your household's Shelter Deduction.

If your household's response is "NO", then based on your responses, WorkWORLD will determine if the Basic Utility Allowance (if your household's state offers one), the Telephone Allowance (if your household's state offers one), or actual utility expenses (if you live in a state that does not mandate the use of a utility standard) should be used when determining the Shelter Deduction.

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