SI 00830.605 and regulation 20 CFR 416.1157 (c) provide for the exclusion of home energy assistance
(HEA) and support and maintenance assistance (SMA) which has been certified in writing
by the appropriate State agency to be based on need, and is:
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Provided in kind by a private nonprofit agency; or
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Provided in cash or in kind by a supplier of home heating oil or gas, a rate-of-return entity providing home
energy, or a municipal utility providing home energy.
This HEA/SMA received by an SSI claimant/recipient/deemor is excluded from countable
income only when the designated state agency certifies that the assistance was based
on need. State certification may be in the form of an individual certification of
a particular case, or a "blanket" certification of a program or organization. A blanket
certification serves as a precedent for assistance from the certified agency or program.
All of the States in the Atlanta Region have authorized SSA to certify whether agencies
that provide energy assistance or support and maintenance meet the requirements for
the HEA/SMA exclusion. An authorization letter from each of those States is on file in the Atlanta Regional
Office. Based on the State's authorization, SSA field offices in the designated States
in the Atlanta Region can certify whether an agency providing assistance meets the
requirements for exclusion.