(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has directed the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) to extend the coverage period for households receiving deliverable fuel assistance under the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) during the 2022-2023 winter season to March 31, 2023. The original deadline to receive fuel deliveries this winter season was March 15, 2023.
Governor Lamont explained that thanks to the work of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation in securing unprecedented fiscal year 2023 federal funding for the program, the state has resources available to provide for a slight extension to the deadline, giving residents a few extra days to receive assistance for fuel deliveries. Households that heat their homes with deliverable fuels such as home heating oil, propane, or kerosene will now have until March 31, 2023, to submit requests to their fuel providers for deliveries and receive assistance under CEAP for those deliveries. Approved CEAP households should contact their fuel providers before the end of March to request delivery.
“While it has been a relatively mild winter so far, we still have several weeks to go before warmer weather takes hold,” Governor Lamont said. “We have the ability to provide households with a slight extension to the period required to get deliverable fuel into their tanks for this winter season. Those households that are receiving assistance under this program should contact their deliverable fuel provider before the March 31 deadline.”
CEAP helps Connecticut households afford the cost of energy year-round, with a particular focus on ensuring that households get support heating their homes each winter. Program benefits and deadlines are set each year to ensure that the funding allocated to the program is sufficient to meet demand and provide as much support to households as possible. The program is administered by DSS.
“The Department of Social Services understands firsthand that residents are facing high costs for energy,” DSS Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves said. “By extending the CEAP deliverable fuel deadline, we are giving households more time to get help paying for the energy they need to stay warm during the last weeks of winter and the first weeks of spring. The governor is committed to supporting our state’s most vulnerable families and we are proud to be a partner in providing that support.”
This winter season, thanks to additional federal funding, the state has offered all deliverable fuel households an extra $430 benefit, which means families heating with deliverable fuels like heating oil and propane can now access up to $2,320 per household to help pay their heating bills. Total benefits for deliverable fuel households now range from $1,110 to $2,320, up from $680 to $1,890 under the original allocation plan for this year, or by as much as 63% for certain households.
For more information on CEAP, including instructions on how to apply, visit ct.gov/heatinghelp or call 2-1-1.