Texas food stamp caseworkers started the month with a new set of numbers. A revision to the Texas Works Handbook, effective October 1, 2026, sets the SNAP standard utility allowance at $464, along with a refreshed list of the other deductions that go into a household’s benefit. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission publishes…

Kansas customers who fall behind on a heating bill can keep their service on through cold weather by agreeing to a payment plan that stretches the overdue balance over twelve months. The Kansas Corporation Commission, which regulates the state’s utilities, lays out the terms in its Cold Weather Rule. The plan is a condition of…

Indiana households that qualify for the state’s Energy Assistance Program cannot have their gas or electric service cut off between December 1 and March 15 once they have applied. The protection comes from Indiana Code 8-1-2-121, and it applies to regulated utilities. The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority is taking applications for the new…

Utah’s heating assistance program opens for the season on November 1, the same day cold-weather rules in Missouri and Kansas begin limiting utility shutoffs for the winter. All three dates are 11 days away. The protections are not automatic in every case. Each state ties its rule to a temperature forecast, and the payment terms…

Indiana’s Energy Assistance Program is open for the 2027 program year, and the money goes to the utility, not into a bank account. The state’s benefit is a one-time annual payment sent straight to the household’s utility vendor to cover heating and electric costs. The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority runs the program. Its…

New Hampshire’s winter shutoff protections start again on November 15, 2026 and run through March 31, 2027. During that stretch an electric utility is limited in when it can cut off a household, and the state’s Public Utilities Commission has to approve any shutoff of a customer who is 65 or older. The protections are…

Rhode Island households that struggle with winter heating bills can now apply for the state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP. The program also offers crisis grants for homes facing a heat shutoff. The Rhode Island Department of Human Services says the application period for federal fiscal year 2027 opened October 1,…

OG&E has asked the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for a rate increase that would raise the average residential bill by $23.88 a month if approved. The electric utility filed the request on September 30, 2026. Rates are not changing now, and new rates would not take effect until about six months after the process starts at…

Wisconsin households can now apply for the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program, known as WHEAP, which helps pay winter heating bills. A one-person household can have gross income of up to $39,864 a year and still qualify, and the state expects the average heating benefit to be $441. The Wisconsin Department of Administration announced on…

Massachusetts says it will cover the SMART solar charge on electric bills for three months this winter, January through March 2027. Gov. Maura Healey’s administration plans to move $80 million in state money to pay it, so the charge is not passed on to ratepayers. The governor’s October 5 announcement says the state will transfer…