Maryland DHS says expanded eligibility boosted energy-aid enrollment, warns federal LIHEAP cuts would strain services
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Summary
Maryland Department of Human Services officials told the Environment and Transportation Committee that 2023 categorical eligibility changes increased energy‑assistance applications and enrollment, but they warned that proposed federal funding cuts to LIHEAP and delayed federal grants put winter heating help at risk.
Webster Yee, chief of staff at the Maryland Department of Human Services, told the Environment and Transportation Committee on Jan. 28 that recent changes to Home Energy Assistance have substantially increased the number of households receiving help but left the system sensitive to federal funding uncertainty. "It is a good chunk of change, and it would directly and very severely impact how we perform services for Marylanders, especially with heating, in the middle of winter," Yee said.
DHS administers the Office of Home Energy Programs (OHEP), which runs the Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) for heating fuels and the Electric Universal Service Program for electric bill assistance. Yee said MEAP is “almost entirely federally funded,” and that MEAP funding in state fiscal year 2025 totaled $82,000,000. During last year’s federal funding disruption, DHS used carried‑over FY25 funds and a $10,100,000 executive order to cover arrearage payments until federal funds arrived.
Bridal Moore, director of the Office of Home Energy Programs, described program changes enacted by the General Assembly in 2023 that created categorical eligibility for recipients of SNAP, TANF, means‑tested veteran assistance and other programs. Moore said the change removed the need for a separate OHEP application and “led to a 61% increase in applications from FY23 to FY24,” and that the office recorded 90,544 more Marylanders receiving energy assistance in the most recent comparison presented to the committee.
The office emphasized prioritizing the most vulnerable households. Moore said OHEP’s vulnerable population waiver allows households with very young children or adults 60 and older to receive an additional arrearage grant within a five‑year period, and highlighted a critical medical‑needs fast track for customers whose health depends on restored utilities.
DHS officials described steps to modernize delivery: automatic weatherization referrals built into the OHEP application, a six‑month community solar pilot to provide credits to eligible applicants, and a January 2026 data‑matching pilot designed to find eligible households missing utility information. "We plan to recruit more people who are eligible for benefits and who are not getting them due to missing, needed information," Moore said.
In committee questioning, members asked whether the state could cover services if federal aid were cut. Yee said the state would face limits: "we would need to have a lot of rapid conversations with this committee and the appropriations committee on how to make things work," and noted statutory limits on some state funding sources. On processing and wait lists, Moore said agencies have up to 45 days to process applications but that local administering agencies reported average processing times closer to 20 days; DHS said it attempts to fund every eligible application in some form.
The presentation did not include any committee motion or vote. DHS asked the committee for continued partnership as it implements pilots and outreach to serve eligible Marylanders.
What happens next: DHS offered to provide additional details on funding sources and to follow up on implementation questions raised by committee members.
