Sec. 16a-41. Applications for and written summaries of energy conservation, energy assistance and renewable resources programs. Regulations. Needs of persons residing in rental housing and persons of
Sec. 16a-41. Applications for and written summaries of energy conservation,
energy assistance and renewable resources programs. Regulations. Needs of persons residing in rental housing and persons of poverty status. (a) Any public or
private agency or organization administering an energy assistance program which is
funded or administered, in whole or in part, by the state shall take simultaneous applications from applicants for all energy assistance programs and energy conservation loan,
grant, audit or service programs which that agency or organization administers and
for which an applicant may be eligible and shall provide the applicants with written
summaries of all such programs administered by other agencies and organizations and
for which an applicant may be eligible. Any public or private agency or organization
administering an energy conservation loan, grant, audit or service program or renewable
resources loan, grant or service program which is funded or administered, in whole or
in part, by the state shall provide applicants with written summaries of all other such
programs in the state for which an applicant may be eligible. The Department of Social
Services, in consultation with the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Public Utility Control, shall adopt regulations in accordance
with the provisions of chapter 54 to carry out the purposes of this subsection. Such
regulations shall, without limitation, set forth requirements for the form and content of
the summaries. The Department of Social Services shall be responsible for collecting and
disseminating information on all such programs in the state to agencies and organizations
administering the programs.
(b) Any state agency which administers or funds an energy assistance program, an
energy conservation loan, grant, audit, or service program or a renewable resources
loan, grant or service program shall adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 for
such program in order to protect the due process rights of the applicants. The regulations
shall include, but not be limited to, the following, where applicable: (1) Procedures
for applications and their disposition, including record-keeping; (2) procedures for the
immediate provision of appropriate assistance to eligible applicants who are without or
in imminent danger of being without heat, hot water or utilities; (3) standards of assistance, including eligibility and benefits; (4) procedures for assisting elderly, handicapped, bilingual and other persons who are unable to file such applications without
assistance; (5) procedures for assisting applicants in obtaining other forms of assistance;
(6) procedures for written notice to applicants of the disposition of their applications
and the basis for each full or partial denial of assistance; and (7) administrative appeal
procedures, including notice to applicants of the availability of such procedures.
(c) The regulations adopted under subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall not
require an applicant for assistance to be without fuel or utility service before an agency
may accept his application or as a condition of eligibility.
(d) The Department of Public Utility Control shall assure: (1) That any energy assistance program, energy conservation loan, grant, audit or service program or renewable
resources loan, grant or service program concerning residential dwellings, funded or
administered by a public service company or municipal utility, shall include provisions
to address the needs of persons residing in rental housing and persons of poverty status;
and (2) that the audit report on any audit conducted on a dwelling occupied by persons
of poverty status, under a conservation audit program funded or administered by a public
service company or municipal utility, include a section which excerpts from the audit
report the results of those audit procedures required under weatherization or conservation programs available to such persons.
(e) As used in this section, "applicant" means a natural person or a household seeking assistance under any program referred to in this section.
(Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 79-6, S. 1, 2; P.A. 80-482, S. 4, 40, 345, 348; P.A. 81-422, S. 1, 2; Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 81-9, S. 3,
4; P.A. 86-142; P.A. 88-21, S. 2, 3; P.A. 93-113, S. 1, 3; 93-262, S. 11, 87; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6.)
History: P.A. 80-482 made division of public utility control an independent department and deleted reference to abolished department of business regulation; P.A. 81-422 replaced Subsec. (a) and inserted new Subsecs. (b) to (e) and (h),
providing for coordination of energy assistance programs and application procedure for such programs, relettered former
Subsec. (b) as (f), giving office of policy and management primary responsibility for report where responsibility was
previously equally shared, and adding department of housing to list of consulting agencies, and relettered former Subsec.
(c) as (g), adding department of housing to agencies whose regulations are reviewed by office of policy and management;
Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 81-9 deleted requirement for submission of preliminary report by February fifteenth each year and
changed date for submission of remaining annual report (formerly "final" report) from November fifteenth to fifteenth
business day of July in Subsec. (f); P.A. 86-142 replaced provisions in Subsec. (a) re referrals with provisions re written
summaries, extended provisions of Subsecs. (a), (b) and (d) to renewable resource programs, repealed existing Subsec.
(e), re deadlines for adoption of regulations, relettered remaining Subsecs. accordingly, and added re progress report, to
Subsec. (e)(6); P.A. 88-21 amended Subsec. (e) changing the date of the report's submission from July first to November
first and deleting Subdivs. (4) and (5) which recommended actions by other agencies concerning ways to protect persons
of poverty status from loss of electricity, deleted Subsec. (f) requiring the office of policy and management to review
regulations of other agencies concerning energy and utility assistance and weatherization programs and relettered former
Subsec. (g) accordingly; P.A. 93-113 amended Subsec. (a) by making grammatical and punctuation changes, deleted
Subsec. (e) re annual report and relettered former Subsec. (f) as (e), effective June 3, 1993; P.A. 93-262 replaced office
of policy and management with department of social services and deleted references to advisory role of human services
and income maintenance departments in Subsecs. (a) and (e) and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic
and Community Development.