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​Information for
LIHEAP Vendors

LIHEAP Vendor HelpLine 
1-877-537-9517
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Vendor HelpLine is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to answer questions and resolve vendor-related issues. Vendors can also fax (717-231-5516) or email (RA-LIHEAPVendors@pa.gov) questions or concerns. Please refer customers with LIHEAP questions to the LIHEAP Customer Helpline at 866-857-7095.

Becoming a LIHEAP Vendor

The Prospective Vendor Letter provides information about the current LIHEAP season. Any business that provides home-heating fuel or supplies energy to residential households may request to become a vendor by completing/submitting a LIHEAP Vendor Agreement (new vendors must complete and submit an HSEA 34 NS form), along with proof of their company's Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), as indicated. When a vendor agreement submission is received, it is reviewed. When approved, a new LIHEAP vendor will receive a LIHEAP Vendor Welcome Letter that will include a 13-digit LIHEAP vendor number. Vendor agreements are typically renewed every two years.

Vendor Guidelines provide basic instructions about the policies and procedures each vendor needs to follow as a participant in the LIHEAP program. Vendors who are interested in becoming a LIHEAP vendor must agree to participate in both the cash and crisis components of the program.

  • Cash Component: Eligible LIHEAP households receive one cash grant. The amount of the cash grant varies and is based on fuel type, household size, and income. No action is needed to receive funds from the cash component.
  • Crisis Component: County assistance office (CAO) representatives contact participating vendors throughout the heating season to authorize a LIHEAP grant for utility reconnection/termination prevention and/or request fuel deliveries/pickup for eligible LIHEAP households. When the cash grant has been depleted or is insufficient to resolve the household's emergency, deliveries may be authorized with crisis grant funds. When crisis funds are authorized, vendors must initiate payment by data entry in PROMISe™ and validate the delivery by submitting a metered trip ticket or proof of utility termination. More information about crisis data entry in PROMISe™ is noted on this website.


Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)

EFT expedites the receipt of your LIHEAP payments by eliminating mail time and also preventing loss. LIHEAP vendors may choose to have LIHEAP payments deposited directly into a financial institution of their choice by completing an EFT application.

The EFT form is user-friendly and may be completed online then printed and returned with a copy of a voided check by fax to 717-231-5516, by email at 
RA-LIHEAPVendors@pa.gov or by mail to:

    LIHEAP Vendor Unit
    P.O. Box 2675
    Harrisburg, PA 17105


    LIHEAP Payment Voucher
    (Remittance Advice)

    The LIHEAP payment voucher, also known as the remittance advice (RA), is a weekly report that lists all of the customers who have been approved for a LIHEAP payment. On the LIHEAP Voucher, every customer is identified with an individual number. It is important to record this individual number within your internal customer tracking system and refer to it on the Refund Form when you need to return funds to the Commonwealth of PA.

    All LIHEAP vendors can access vouchers in PROMISe™, a week before the Treasury Pay Date. In addition to posting vouchers in PROMISe™, vendors may opt to receive vouchers sent through the US mail. Vendors who have a static IP address may choose instead to receive vouchers electronically via the secure Commonwealth website (SeGov-MOVEiT). For assistance with SeGov, please refer to the SeGov training powerpoint and the SeGov User Manual or contact the LIHEAP Vendor Helpline at 1-877-537-9517 or email 
    RA-LIHEAPVendors@pa.gov.


    Returning LIHEAP Funds

    LIHEAP funds should never be sent to customers or to the County Assistance Office. There are many circumstances in which a LIHEAP vendor may receive funds that will need to be returned to DHS. Some examples are:

    • The customer moves to a location the vendor does not serve.
    • Customer dies.
    • The customer requests a vendor change.
    • LIHEAP funds were sent to the wrong vendor.
    • You stop participating as a LIHEAP vendor and the customer still has credit from LIHEAP.
    • The extended time frame for delivery of fuel/utility ends — see REMINDER below

    Requests for LIHEAP funds to be returned to the Commonwealth are often initiated by a call or email from the LIHEAP Vendor Unit. Refunds can also be initiated by the vendor.

    Vendors who have received LIHEAP funds in error or who have received money for households who are no longer customers must always return the money to DHS accompanied by a LIHEAP Program Refund Form. DHS will assess and redistribute the funds, as appropriate. Complete and print this user-friendly LIHEAP Program Refund form with your customer's individual number (recorded on the LIHEAP Payment Voucher) and send it along with a check payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the address printed on the form:

    Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    DHS — LIHEAP Refunds
    P.O. Box 2675
    Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675

    REMINDER: As indicated in the 2023 LIHEAP Vendor Agreement, "LIHEAP funds are available for use during a two-year period, which includes the season it was received and the season immediately following. All LIHEAP funds which have not been expended on or before June 30 of the year immediately following the LIHEAP season (10/1-9/30) in which benefits were authorized must be returned (refunded) to DHS by July 31 of that year."

    Expedited Recoupment: If your company receives frequent LIHEAP payments throughout the heating season, enrolling in Expedited Recoupment will streamline your refund obligations to DHS through automation. Expedited Recoupment accelerates the repayment process, reduces paperwork and mailing costs, and minimizes the need to send a refund check to DHS through the mail. As an Expedited Recoupment participant, you will still receive a call from the Vendor Unit to discuss the need for each repayment, so you continue to have the opportunity to advise us if funds were already used for a delivery or as payment on their utility bill or let us know that you've already sent the money back to us. If you agree with the request for refund, you will receive only one Expedited Recoupment Letter, providing you with the customer's name(s), amount that needs to be refunded and the date/voucher number of the scheduled recoupment. Receiving one Expedited Recoupment Letter followed by automated recoupment replaces the three-dunning letter process and eliminates the need for you to repay LIHEAP funds by sending a paper check. Complete and return the Expedited Recoupment Agreement to the LIHEAP Vendor Unit if you are interested in enrolling in this program.

    Direct Questions about this process to the LIHEAP Vendor Helpline: 
    1-877-537-9517


    Processing LIHEAP Crisis Claims in PROMISe™ 

    Crisis Claims must be entered in the Provider Reimbursement and Operations Management System (PROMISe™), a secure data entry portal that initiates and validates Crisis submissions and sends them to Pennsylvania's Treasury Department for payment. The website address for PROMISe™ is LIHEAP.dpw.state.pa.us

    NOTE: The LIHEAP PROMISe™ system was updated for use with MicroSoft Edge. You may not be able to connect to PROMISe™ with an Apple product or by using Mozilla Firefox or with Google Chrome.

    To process a Crisis claim in PROMISe™, the first step is for someone to register as a primary PROMISe™ user and set up a password. Additional users may be added for the purpose of data entry or to view vouchers on PROMISe™. Each service location and user have a separate log on and password. For help with Password Resets call 1-800-248-2152.

    PROMISe™ is available to vendors 24 hours a day. A Crisis authorization number (Auth #) is initiated by the County Assistance Office to authorize a Crisis grant. The Auth # conveys to PROMISe™ through an overnight batch process. Per the LIHEAP Vendor Agreement, participating LIHEAP vendors must initiate Crisis claims' processing within 30 days.

    Crisis claims may be processed using the Worklist Desk Guide, a point-in-time report, listing all current crisis authorizations and claims that have been submitted but are not yet paid.

    Crisis 101 PowerPoint provides information about data entry including screenshots.

    Data entry in PROMISe™ initiates the payment process. Proof of the delivery (fuel) or shut off notification (utility) must be uploaded to PROMISe™ or submitted by fax or US Mail. When the data entry and the documentation match, the Crisis claim will be paid.  The Tips for Submitting Crisis Claims form provides vendors with important information on how to prevent payment rejections.

    Options to submit documentation:

    1. Vendors who have access to the Commonwealth's secure document transfer system: SeGOV (MOVEiT) are able to upload multiple Crisis claims and have the PDF files transfer directly to PROMISe™. Contact the LIHEAP Vendor Unit to discuss whether your company meets the criteria to send documentation using SeGOV.
    2. The most efficient way to submit documentation is by uploading supporting documents that have been scanned and stored in your computer or flash drive directly to PROMISe™. Uploading documentation saves time and ensures immediate receipt. If you have questions about uploading documentation, contact the LIHEAP Vendor Unit at 1-877-537-9517 for assistance.
    3. If you prefer to fax or mail documentation, you must print the specific Crisis Cover Sheet that becomes available during data entry in PROMISe™ and submit it as indicated on the cover sheet along with documentation such as delivery ticket/termination notice. Be sure to write the Attachment Control Number (ACN) or Crisis Authorization Number on the attachment. Do not include your company's fax cover sheet when faxing.

    Important: Do not send the same claim by multiple methods (such as fax AND mail). If documentation was uploaded to PROMISe™, do not resubmit it by fax or mail. Resubmissions cause processing delays.

    Questions about access to PROMISe™ should be directed to: 1-800-248-2152.

    Call the toll-free LIHEAP Vendor Helpline at 1-877-537-9517 if you have questions about a crisis claim.

    Additional information about LIHEAP can be found here.




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