COVID Water Assistance Extended

Residents who have trouble paying their water bill can get help through the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program.

The benefit, through the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, will provide an additional $415 directly to the water provider of anyone who qualified for the program since it was enacted in 2020, according to Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano. The Suffolk County Water Authority says it has already collected more than $1 million on behalf of its customers and will apply a credit directly to their accounts.

SCWA Chairman Charlie Lefkowitz praised the program, saying, “LIHWAP has been a major benefit to our customers who were struggling following the COVID pandemic. Many found themselves falling behind on their water bill, and this program helped them to catch up. Thanks to LIHWAP, SCWA has collected millions to cover unpaid bills and this additional payment will help us even further in getting these balances resolved.”

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LIHWAP was created by Congress during the COVID pandemic to help those who were struggling to pay for drinking water services, DeStefano noted. The program paid up to $2,500 to qualifying applicants to pay for past-due water bills. SCWA says that in total, it collected more than $3.2 million across approximately 4,800 accounts that were approved for LIHWAP before this supplemental was announced. SCWA saw a substantial increase in the amount of debt held by customers in recent years; however, that amount has fallen significantly due in part to LIHWAP.

The additional benefit announced by OTDA will be applied directly to accounts, with no additional action needed to be taken by customers, DeStefano explained. “Those who received LIHWAP assistance will have their remaining debt reduced by the supplemental payment. Those who have fully paid their arrears or owe less than $415 will have a credit applied to their account against future bills,” he said.