Implement Texas Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

Overview

Implementation tracking issue for Texas LIHEAP, a federally-funded program administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) that helps low-income households with energy costs.

Status Checklist

• Documentation collected
• Parameters created
• Variables implemented
• Tests written
• CI passing
• PR ready for review

Documentation Summary

Program Overview

Texas LIHEAP provides assistance to low-income households to help with home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization, and energy-related home repairs. The program is administered by TDHCA and delivered through local organizations.

Income Limits

• Must be at or below 150% of Federal Poverty Level
• Priority given to households with elderly (60+), disabled, or children under 6
• Income calculation based on household size and annual gross income

Benefit Calculation

• Maximum regular benefit varies by region and household size
• Crisis assistance available for energy emergencies
• Benefits paid directly to utility companies in most cases

Eligibility Rules

• Texas residency required
• Must be responsible for paying home energy costs
• U.S. citizen or qualified alien status
• Cannot receive duplicate LIHEAP benefits from another state

Special Cases

• Crisis assistance for shut-off notices or depleted fuel
• Additional priority for households with high energy burden (>10% of income)
• Weatherization assistance for eligible households

References

• TDHCA LIHEAP Program: https://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/community-affairs/liheap/
• Federal LIHEAP Guidelines: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/liheap
• Texas Administrative Code Title 10, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter A

Implementation Details

Parameter Files

• /policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/tx/tdhca/liheap/ (to be created)

Variable Files

• /policyengine_us/variables/gov/states/tx/tdhca/liheap/ (to be created)
• Main variable: tx_liheap and supporting eligibility/calculation variables

Test Files

• /policyengine_us/tests/policy/baseline/gov/states/tx/tdhca/liheap/ (to be created)

Branches

• Documentation: master
• Tests: test-tx-liheap-2025-01-28
• Implementation: impl-tx-liheap-2025-01-28
• Integration: integration-tx-liheap-2025-01-28

Related PRs

This issue serves as the central coordination point for all development work on Texas LIHEAP implementation.