Low-income Pennsylvanians will not have to worry about losing utility service if they are behind on their bills in November, a month where they might have relied on the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, to avoid disconnection.

Last month, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, which administers the program in the state, announced that the opening of the LIHEAP season would be delayed until at least Dec. 3, pending the release of federal funds currently paused because of the federal government shutdown.

That left LIHEAP-eligible households with less of a safety net to avoid losing heat-related utility service before the annual winter moratorium on utility shutoffs begins Dec. 1. That protection runs through the end of March.

The Pennsylvania Public Uti

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