The change in FS Policy effective October 1, 2002 that eliminated proration of SUA’s (Standard Utility Allowances) for shared living situations has affected  HEAP auto-payments.   As a result, FS HT/AC SUA numeric indicators 2-9 (used to designate the number of FS households sharing expenses) are being eliminated and replaced with indicators that provide more information needed for the HEAP auto-payment program.  A change in FS ABEL coding scheduled to begin May 5th, 2003 for budget effective dates of June 1, 2003 or later, will no longer allow FS Expense Indicator codes 2-9.  Workers should instead enter an ‘X’ for the FS household that is the customer of record or can document direct responsibility for the heating/cooling expense, including the primary tenant in rentals that include heat.  Workers should enter a new code ‘Z’ for the secondary FS household that shares in the heating/cooling expense but is not the customer of record and cannot document direct responsibility for the heating/cooling expense.  When living expenses are shared, workers must be careful to enter “X” in only one case for the same dwelling unit.  HEAP benefits are authorized only once per HEAP household. A HEAP household is defined as any group of individuals who:  are living together, and sharing expenses, for whom residential energy is customarily purchased in common;  or who make undesignated payments for energy in the form of rent.

The chart below shows the HT/AC SUA indicator codes that should be used for shared living situations in typical residential types of housing.  (The chart addresses only types of shelter that are potentially HEAP eligible, and therefore does not include shelter types 06,07,10,11,12,13,15,17,19,21,22,33,36 or 37).  The focus of the chart is the effect on the HEAP auto-pay process and therefore not all possible HT/AC SUA indicator codes are addressed.  Particularly omitted are some situations that would NOT result in a HEAP auto-payment regardless of the HT/AC SUA indicator used

SUA indicators of “A”, “R”, and “H” also continue to be available.  For more detailed information on FS SUA codes and the associated basis for granting a FS SUA, or not, see the table titled “Upstate ABEL:  Food Stamps Standard Utility Allowance (SUA) Table”.  That table was last distributed as a handout in association with a September 6th, 2002 “FS Reauthorization Teleconference”.  It is available at the OCFS training site which can be accessed either via the intranet address  http://sdssnet5/ohrd/distancelearning/satellite/  or  the internet address  http://www.dfa.state.ny.us/ohrd/satdefault.htm  select “program archive”, scroll to the September 6, 2002 FS Reauthorization Issues topic, click on “handouts”, and scroll down to page 10 of the handout.  This table will soon be updated and reissued as part of a forthcoming Upstate ABEL Transmittal.

SHARED LIVING/HEATING SITUATION		SUA INDICATOR =  “?”  and has the following
								Effect on HEAP auto-pay		Effect on FS SUA

I.  Multiple FS households reside in an unsubsidized residential living situation where heat is paid for separately from rent (Fuel Type 1-9).

An adult member of  FS HH #1 is the			HT/AC SUA Indicator = “X” and
customer of record for the heating bill (has the bill 		HH #1 gets full HEAP auto-pay		HH #1 gets HT/AC SUA
in their name) or can document that they have direct 	heating benefit					due to heating/cooling
responsibility for payment of the heating bill									expense.

FS HH #2 does not have the bill in their name		HT/AC SUA Indicator = “Z” and
and cannot document responsibility. 				HH#2 does NOT get HEAP auto-pay		HH #2 gets HT/AC SUA
								directly.					due to shared expense

II.  Multiple FS households reside in unsubsidized living situation with heat included in the rent (Fuel Type 0) but pay for domestic utilities.

An adult member of FS HH #1 is				HT/AC SUA Indicator = ‘X’ and
the customer of record for the domestic			HH #1 gets HEAP auto-pay			HH #1 gets HT/AC SUA
utility bill or can document direct responsibility		‘heat included’ benefit			based on reasonable
for the bill.													anticipation of HEAP

FS HH #2 does not have the bill in their name		HT/AC SUA Indicator = ‘Z’ and
and cannot document responsibility.				HH #2 does NOT 				HH #2 gets HT/AC SUA
								get HEAP auto-pay directly			due to sharing indirectly
														as part of HEAP household
III.  Multiple FS households reside in unsubsidized living situation with both heat (Fuel Type 0) and utilities included in the rent.

FS HH #1contains the primary tenant				HT/AC SUA Indicator = ‘X’ and
of record.							HH #1 gets HEAP auto-pay			HH #1 gets HT/AC SUA
								‘heat included’ benefit			based on reasonable
														anticipation of HEAP

FS HH #2 is the secondary tenant.				HT/AC SUA Indicator = ‘Z’ and
								HH #2 does NOT				HH #2 gets HT/AC SUA
								get HEAP auto-pay directly			due to sharing indirectly
														as part of HEAP household

IV.  Multiple FS households reside in a subsidized housing where heat is paid for separately from rent (Fuel Type 1-9):

An adult member of  FS HH #1 is the			HT/AC SUA Indicator = ‘X’ and
customer of record for the heating bill (has the bill		HH#1 gets full HEAP heating benefit	HH #1 gets HT/AC SUA
in their name) or can document that they have direct								due to heating/cooling
responsibility for payment of the heating bill									expense.

FS HH #2 does not have the bill in their name		HT/AC SUA Indicator = “Z” and
and cannot document responsibility. 				HH#2 does NOT get HEAP auto-pay		HH #2 gets HT/AC SUA
								directly.					due to shared expense (also
														indirectly shares in HEAP as
														part of HEAP household)
V.  Multiple FS households reside in a subsidized living situation with heat included in the rent (Fuel Type 0) but pay for domestic utilities.  Households residing in subsidized housing with heat included in the rent are not eligible for regular HEAP, and will not get the HEAP auto-pay regardless of the HT/AC SUA indicator entered.  In this example, the household does not run any air conditioners and does not incur any “excess charges”.  If the household runs an air conditioner on the domestic utility account, they have a cooling expense and would be coded with an “X” as in example IV.  If the household incurs an excess charge they would be coded with an “A” as has been past practice for actual charges.  In neither of these situations would a HEAP auto–pay be given because the combination of Shelter Cope 38 and Fuel Type code of “0” would exclude the household from the HEAP auto-pay.

An adult member of FS HH #1 is the customer of		HT/AC SUA Indicator = “N” and UTIL SUA Indicator = “X” and
record for the domestic utility bill or can document		HH #1 does NOT get HEAP auto-pay	HH #1 does NOT get the
direct responsibility for the bill.										HT/AC SUA (but would have
								an ‘x’ in the UTIL indicator
								and get the non-heating SUA)

FS HH #2 does not have the bill in their name		HT/AC SUA Indicator = “N” and UTIL SUA Indicator = “X” and
and cannot document responsibility.				HH #2 does NOT get HEAP auto-pay	HH #2 does NOT get the
														HT/AC SUA (but would have
														an ‘X’ in the UTIL indicator
														and get the non-heating SUA
														due to sharing in the expense)