Low income New Jersey seniors face the reality of having to pay for their rising utility costs.  With this in mind, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs has developed a program to educate seniors about the energy assiatnce programs available through the state and how to apply for them.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)helps directly pay for heating costs while the Universal Service Fund (USF) helps make utility bills affordable by providing monthly credit on electric or natural gas bills or both.  Receiving assitsance from either of these programs will not affect the Lifeline benefit some seniors already receive.  In fact, qualified individuals can receive all three!

There is one application for both USF and LIHEAP which can be downloaded at http://www.nj.gov/dca/dcr/hea/index.shtml. The instructions cover how to complete the application and where to send it.  There is an application deadline of March 31, 2007 Applicants can call DCA at 800-510-3102 with questions about the application process.