Republican Representative Chad Perkins said he wants answers from officials at Maine Housing about problems with the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
Perkins, who serves on the Government Oversight Committee, said constituents have told him that they called to apply for LIHEAP benefits in September, but didn't get appointments until March and June.
"I want that whole process looked at to see where those barriers are that keep constituents from getting a timely determination as well as a timely payout of the benefits once it's determined," Perkins said.
Maine Housing said Community Action Agencies are not funded properly to process 70,000 applications, a 40% increase in just seven years.
Director Dan Brennan said the $40 million annual federal grant to fund LIHEAP isn't keeping pace with the need.
"If the grant is not going to get any bigger from the federal government, we might have to make decisions about sizing the program so we're not setting expectations beyond what we can serve with the CAP agencies," Brennan said.
Brennan said $650,000 in LIHEAP benefits are going out every week to Maine households, and he will answer any questions members of the Government Oversight Committee may have.
