Overview
- Pennsylvania DHS moved the LIHEAP season start from Nov. 3 to Dec. 3 because the state has not received its 2025–26 federal allocation during the shutdown.
- Preseason applications already submitted in Pennsylvania will be processed, but no payments can be issued until federal funds are released.
- LIHEAP typically directs more than $215 million a year to Pennsylvania and served about 300,000 households last winter, funding the state says it cannot replace.
- New York officials likewise postponed HEAP openings until Washington restores funding, after nearly 1 million New York City households relied on the program last winter.
- States are directing residents to stopgap resources and noting a Dec. 1–Mar. 31 shutoff moratorium, while warning that SNAP benefits could be interrupted in November if the shutdown persists.