CHEYENNE – Due to the federal government shutdown, the Wyoming Department of Family Service’s Wyoming Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is pausing the approval of new applications for the 2025-2026 heating season effective Oct. 15.
The program has been paused because there are no remaining federal funds to authorize new benefit payments or to approve additional applicants until Congress passes a spending bill, the federal government reopens, and funding has been received by DFS.
DFS had limited funding at the beginning of the LIEAP season, which allowed the program to accept applications beginning September 2. The LIEAP program was able to approve 1,168 Wyoming households this season with the limited funding available. These 1,168 households have been approved for the 2025-2026 heating season and can expect to be supported through May.
Those who wish to apply for benefits should do so, and anyone who has already applied and has not received approval should continue to comply with the verification process.
LIEAP is a federally funded program that helps eligible Wyoming families, seniors and individuals pay a portion of their winter home heating costs. LIEAP assisted 8,236 households in Wyoming in the 2024-2025 LIEAP season. Assistance for the 2025-2026 season began October 1.
One DFS staff position is 100% funded by LIEAP. Some DFS staff positions are partially funded by LIEAP. The governor has announced that Wyoming will continue to fund state employee positions that were fully or partially federally funded, however, in the event of a prolonged shutdown, Wyoming will be forced to make decisions which may include suspending federally funded contracts and programs and/or furloughing federally funded state employees.
DFS will share any new information regarding the LIEAP program pause on the web page at https://dfs.wyo.gov/, Facebook, and Instagram.
