Vermont's Emergency Board approved a $15.3 million transfer Oct. 23 to increase heating assistance for households using oil or kerosene and expand the state's emergency fuel program.
The board approved the motion in its public meeting. The Department for Children and Families proposal allocates about $12.7 million to seasonal benefits and $2.6 million to crisis assistance and its administration.
The seasonal increase is intended to reach 7,830 households that heat with oil or kerosene. The department estimates the additional money will cover roughly 62% of their heating need, compared with about 45% covered by last year's benefit. Those are program purchasing-power estimates, rather than a promise to pay every household's actual bill by the same percentage.
The separate crisis program helps eligible households facing a heating emergency. The package aims to double its capacity from 2,400 to 4,800 households. About $500,000 of the crisis allocation is for administration through community action agencies.
Department officials told the board they aim to include the higher seasonal benefits in the credits issued in mid-November. For oil and kerosene customers, the credit goes to the fuel dealer for the household's account. The crisis program is scheduled to begin serving households Nov. 30.
The proposal reflects the sharp fuel-price increases facing those households. In the meeting, the department said its year-over-year comparison used Sept. 13 prices: about 76% higher for heating oil and 61% higher for kerosene.
The state transfer supplements the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP. Officials said Vermont had received about $20.35 million, or 90% of its federal award, with the remaining installment typically arriving later in winter.
If federal assistance increases or some of the state allocation is not needed, money will return to the General Fund appropriation it was transferred from. The approved motion also requires a January 2027 report to legislative committees on plans to make the program's funding go further.