Vermont Fuel Assistance for Grandparents and Kinship Caregivers

What the Program Covers

Vermont's Home Heating Fuel Assistance program helps low-income households pay for winter heating — oil, propane, natural gas, kerosene, wood, and electric heat. For grandparents and relatives raising a grandchild, adding a child to the household often changes both the income threshold and the benefit amount.

The program is administered through the DCF Economic Services Division, the same office that handles Reach Up Child Only and 3SquaresVT.

How Kinship Households Qualify

Eligibility depends on household size and income. A grandparent living alone has a different income limit than a grandparent plus one grandchild. The larger household generally qualifies at a higher income threshold and receives more assistance.

You apply through ESD — by phone at 1-800-479-6151, online through the ACCESS portal, or at a DCF District Office. If you're already receiving Reach Up Child Only or 3SquaresVT, you may be able to add fuel assistance to your existing case.

The Hidden 3SquaresVT Connection

Here's a detail many caregivers miss: receiving even a nominal fuel assistance benefit can increase your monthly 3SquaresVT allotment. Under 33 V.S.A. § 2605(h), a 3SquaresVT household with an elderly (60+) or SNAP-disabled member that receives a nominal Home Heating Fuel Assistance benefit of $21 per year can claim the full standard utility allowance on their 3SquaresVT calculation.

That $21 annual payment can translate into a meaningful monthly increase in food benefits. If you're 60 or older and already on 3SquaresVT, applying for fuel assistance — even if you barely qualify — is worth doing for this reason alone.

When to Apply

Fuel assistance has an annual application season that typically opens in the fall before winter heating begins. Don't wait until you're struggling to pay a heating bill — apply as early as the season opens.

Emergency fuel assistance may also be available outside the regular season if you face an immediate heating crisis (empty tank, shutoff notice). Contact ESD or Vermont 211 (dial 2-1-1) for emergency referrals.

Stacking Benefits

Fuel assistance doesn't reduce your Reach Up Child Only grant or 3SquaresVT benefit. It's a standalone program designed to work alongside other forms of assistance. For kinship caregivers juggling the sudden costs of a child on a fixed income, every supplemental benefit matters.

Our Financial Help for Grandparents and Relatives Raising a Child in Vermont guide covers fuel assistance alongside every other Vermont program, including the 3SquaresVT utility-allowance connection and a timeline showing when to apply for each benefit during the year.

See more Vermont guides →