Maryland’s energy assistance plan for the federal 2027 fiscal year sets heating benefits between $25 and $1,325 and winter crisis help of up to $600, with the crisis money available from Nov. 1. Households with an adult 60 or older are among the groups the state treats as a priority.
The figures come from the state Department of Human Services’ LIHEAP Detailed Model Plan for the period Oct. 1, 2026 through Sept. 30, 2027. The plan is the document Maryland files to describe how it will spend its share of the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Gov. Wes Moore announced on July 2 that Maryland raised energy assistance benefits by up to 32%, a structure designed to offset up to 55% of annual heating costs for vulnerable households. Acting DHS Secretary Stacy L. Rodgers said “a utility shutoff can be devastating for a family during the summer or winter months.”
The state held public hearings on the draft plan in July, according to the Office of Home Energy Programs advisory board schedule, and the advisory board’s next scheduled meeting is Oct. 8, with others set for Jan. 14 and April 8.
Two benefits with different calendars
The plan lists the heating assistance component as running from Oct. 1, 2026 to Sept. 30, 2027, with a minimum benefit of $25 and a maximum of $1,325. The size of an individual grant is set within that range and is not a flat amount.
Winter crisis assistance runs on a shorter calendar, from Nov. 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, with a maximum benefit of $600. The plan says winter crisis money not used by March 15 is prioritized for heating assistance and carryover, so the crisis pot is not meant to sit unspent at the end of the season.
The plan also states that cooling assistance is not offered in the 2027 fiscal year. Households that relied on summer help in earlier years should not expect it to return under this plan.
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Income limits depend on household size
Eligibility is set as a share of state median income, and the share varies by household size. A one-person household is limited to 39%, two people to 40%, three people to 43%, and four, five or six people to 42%. The plan then climbs to 46% for seven people and 49% for eight, and reaches 60% at the top of the scale.
The same percentages apply to heating, crisis and weatherization help, with a small difference for a 12-person household. Dollar amounts follow from the state median income figure the state applies, and the plan lists percentages rather than dollar cutoffs, so the local office confirms the number for a specific household.
Because the one-person limit is among the lowest on the table, a single older adult living on Social Security may land near the line. Counting every source of household income matters, since the cutoff is a hard one.
What priority for adults 60 and older means
The plan names older adults, 60 years or older, as one of its priority groups, along with disabled residents and young children. The clearest advantage is in arrearage help: households with a member in one of those groups can receive two gas arrearage retirement benefits in a five-year period, compared with one for other households.
The plan also gives households with older adults a streamlined redetermination form, a shorter path for those who have applied before than a full new application. For a medically vulnerable household, a Critical Medical Needs Program offers expedited help when a serious health or safety risk is involved.
The plan itself is not consistent on the cutoff for young children. It says the age 5 or younger threshold applies to the vulnerable-household waiver, while its crisis section refers to children under age five and its weatherization section uses under age two. For older adults the threshold is the same throughout: 60.
How a winter crisis is defined and how fast help should come
The winter crisis benefit is aimed at households in immediate trouble. The plan defines a winter energy crisis, among other conditions, as a household that faces an imminent utility shutoff within three days. Life-threatening situations include no fuel supply, a utility disconnection or a broken furnace or burner.
The plan sets response times. Crisis intervention is due within 48 hours of an eligible application, and within 18 hours when the situation is life-threatening. Those clocks start only once a household has applied, so the practical advice from the state is to apply before the fuel tank is empty.
Where applications go
Maryland routes applications through 20 local administering agencies, the DHS call center and satellite locations, and offers an online statewide application. A PDF application can be downloaded and mailed in. The Office of Home Energy Programs page lists a paper-application request line at 1-800-332-6347, a TTY line at 1-800-735-2258, and drop boxes.
The program is federally funded. The Administration for Children and Families describes LIHEAP as federally funded assistance to reduce the costs of home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization and minor energy-related home repairs, and says the money does not go directly to individuals. States and local agencies decide who receives a grant.
Applicants who want to follow a pending request can use the state’s online status checker. Keeping the application date and confirmation details handy helps when a crisis clock is running, since the 48-hour and 18-hour response windows are measured from the date of the request.
Applying for Maryland heating aid before the cold sets in?
The plan gives each household a range, not a number, and a late or incomplete application can leave a grant at the bottom of the $25 to $1,325 scale or push help past the first cold snap. Heating aid, arrearage help and home-repair programs each have their own forms and dates.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit puts heating, cooling and home-repair help for older homeowners in one guide, with the parts on utilities and on repairs and staying put laid out program by program. It shows how to claim each kind of help, so the paperwork is ready before the crisis clock starts.
Get the Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit for heating and home-repair help →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
