Middle class applying for energy aid

NEW YORK, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Middle-class people from the suburbs of New York are seeking government help for high heating bills -- and getting turned down.

The Suffolk County office that administrates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program had few people applying for heating assistance in the past, but many are applying now.

Few are being accepted because of the federal income limits -- $41,616 for a family of four, or $28,296 for a family of two, reported the New York Times Sunday.

The cost of natural gas -- already high last year -- has risen 50 percent since last year, while home heating oil prices has risen 30 percent.

"We have more people applying for help, and more of them are in a higher income group than we've seen before," said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, a group of state directors in charge of administering a federal home energy assistance program. The program offers an annual grant of $100 to $500 for those that qualify.