of the District Attorney
LIHEAP helps low-income families pay their heating bills through cash grants sent directly to the utility company, or a crisis grant for households in immediate danger of being without heat.
According to PPEHRC, an estimated 9,000 families in Pennsylvania are living without gas in their homes due to Buhrig's inability to process LIHEAP requests. These families currently do not have gas to cook their food and heat their water. The group is acting now in preparation for the upcoming winter when the families will also be living without heat.
Cheri Honkala, the National Coordinator of the PPEHRC, accompanied by members and supporters, signed documents at the District Attorney’s Office formally filing the charges against Buhrig.
In a statement released by PPEHRC, the group said that thousands of families waited for more than 90 days to have their LIHEAP applications processed, even though the Commonwealth's LIHEAP Plan clearly states "the LIHEAP administering agency will send the applicant a written notice of the decision on eligibility within 30 days of the date of application." (LIHEAP PROPOSED STATE PLAN Appendix B §601.22) PPEHRC said that the resulting injuries to families and children with no way to cook or heat their homes easily qualifies as the legal definition of assault, which is an action that “knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury to another.” (Title 18, Chapter 27 –PA Statutes). PPEHRC expects to hear from the office of the District Attorney in the coming days and intends on proceeding with criminal charges.