Role of the documents - form the basis for establishing or denying the right to heating aid/energy supplement, modification or termination of these benefits; the rights are established through the issuance of the mayor's decision.

Document circulation

- Documents forming the basis for the granting of aid: The applications and affidavits accompanied by supporting documents regarding the family composition and the income earned by its members are registered by applicants at the DAS Oradea headquarters - Public Relations and Initial Evaluation Service and at the Multifunctional Social Centers in the city's neighborhoods; the data is processed in computer software; at the end of the grant period (November – October) an archive is created;

- Institutional use documents: Counselor - Head of Service - Executive Director - Mayor of Oradea - Thermal/gas/electricity supplier – AJPIS Bihor/other institutions.

Applicants for home heating aid/energy supplement submit individually or through owners’/tenants' associations the applications and affidavits accompanied by supporting documents on the family composition and income earned by its members at the headquarters of DAS Oradea – Public Relations and Initial Evaluation Service and at the Multifunctional Social Centers in the city’s neighborhoods.

Monthly, the counselors in charge process in the software the newly registered applications/the modifications/terminations of rights for the period between the 21st of the month until the 20th of the following month; they check the veracity of the declared data, determine rights, draw up reports and decisions, generate summary lists with beneficiaries and send them to energy suppliers and AJPIS Bihor; they prepare Statistical Reports and send them to AJPIS Bihor; they check the Payrolls containing the beneficiaries sent by suppliers, forward them for certification and send them to AJPIS Bihor for settlement; they prepare Payrolls for aid/energy supplement beneficiaries using solid and/or liquid fuels.

Carrying out the activity’s operations and actions

- documenting regarding the legislative provisions in the area of home heating aid/energy supplement – counselors with duties within the Social Service;

- materials/supplies necessary for the proper conduct of the activity are requested from the Economic-Financial and Administrative Service within DAS Oradea through a Necessity Report;

- the Application/Affidavit forms regarding changes/On-site verification sheet are printed in collaboration with Oradea City Hall, based on a Report/Internal Note to the Directorate for Monitoring Operating Costs and Event Organization;

- a written request is addressed to the Economic Directorate within the City Hall of Oradea and to the thermal energy supplier requesting the communication of the local billing price to the population for thermal energy;

- letters of intent are sent to institutions holding databases for the conclusion of protocols/additional documents for monthly verifications, throughout the period of granting benefits (November – October), regarding incomes (salaries, allowances, pensions)/movable and immovable property of benefit applicants;

- the List of assets that exclude eligibility for aid, the List of documents to be attached to applications, the Income thresholds for each of the 4 types of benefits will be posted electronically on the institution’s website and also made available in paper format; these documents will also be made available to Owners’ Associations and in electronic format by email communication with the assistance of the Owners’ Associations Guidance and Control Bureau within Oradea City Hall;

- the conditions for granting home heating aid/energy supplement, as well as other information related to these benefits, will also be made public in the local press by press releases;

- applicants will fill in the Application and affidavit accompanied by documents supporting family composition, earned incomes as well as proof of housing, and will submit them individually to the Public Relations and Initial Evaluation Service, to the Multifunctional Social Centers in city neighborhoods or submit them online;

- Applications and affidavits must be submitted by the 20th of each month to receive support starting with the current month (e.g. – by November 20), and after the 20th of the month to receive it starting next month.

- The counselor, with permanent or temporary duties, checks the consistency between the data completed in the application and supporting documents attached to it. For incomplete applications, the applicant will be notified in writing (and verbally – by phone) by an invitation about the inconsistencies found.

- The counselor writes their legible name, date and signature, registers the application in the special register/computer system (only complete applications will be registered), each application receiving a distinct number containing the following elements: applicant’s name and surname, supplier code, address, signature of the person who submitted the application;

- A registration number from the special (electronic) register will be issued for each submitted application/type of heating – a number that will also be used for archiving the applications;

- Complete and registered applications for granting home heating aid/energy supplement for: thermal energy, electric energy, solid or oil fuels as well as natural gas will be processed in the computer system, assigning them a distinct number from the institution's CID software, creating the database for establishing the granting/denying of benefits. If there are suspicions about the truthfulness of statements made by the applicant, on-site checks may be performed (On-site verification form); if the applicant/beneficiary is not found at home, a Finding Note is drawn up and an invitation is left in the mailbox to arrange a home visit and complete the Verification Form;

- Within 15 working days from the registration of the application for heating with electricity, an on-site check (On-site verification form) is performed, necessary and essential; after that, the data is processed in the software, and the granting/denying of benefits is established;

- Every month, the movable and immovable property of applicants/beneficiaries of home heating aid/energy supplement are checked by overlapping the database with the records of the Economic Directorate of Oradea City Hall, as well as with the records of the Civil Status Service regarding deceased persons; also monthly, based on cooperation protocols concluded, the provision of information regarding incomes of beneficiaries is requested from A.J.P.I.S., A.J.O.F.M., C.J.P., etc., and also by Internal Note the situation regarding personal assistants and allowances granted by DAS Oradea;

- Granting/denying, modifying/terminating the heating aid/energy supplement is done by mayor’s decision, which will be communicated to the beneficiaries, A.J.P.I.S. and suppliers within 5 days from date of issuance; the maximum aid is calculated for heating with thermal energy, considering the average consumptions set for the temperate zone and the local gigacalorie price;

- The beneficiaries of home heating aid are obliged to communicate any change in the family composition and its incomes, within 5 days from the change, by submitting the Affidavit regarding changes in the family composition and/or its incomes, accompanied by supporting documents;

- The modifications or, as applicable, the termination of the right to home heating aid is done starting from the following month in which the change occurred;

- In case of modifications, new decisions regarding the change of aid will be issued.;

- At the beginning of the cold season, the manner of payment for home heating aid with solid fuels is established by mayor's decision;

- Monthly, after establishing the right to heating aid, summary documents are drawn up for all types of aid/energy supplement containing: name, surname, supplier code, amount and percentage of aid, which are communicated to: suppliers and A.J.P.I.S.;

- Suppliers of thermal, electric and natural gas energy send, based on the summary, payrolls to homeowners’ associations; the associations are obliged to transmit to the energy suppliers the detailed consumptions;

- Based on the Reports, thermal, electric or gas suppliers calculate the actual aid and send the situation to DAS Oradea for certification by the mayor; the verified and certified lists become payment documents and are sent to A.J.P.I.S. Bihor for payment into the ESCROW accounts of suppliers; a copy is sent back (electronically and/or printed) to suppliers;

- Based on the monthly summary of beneficiaries of home heating aid/energy supplement with solid fuels sent to A.J.P.I.S. Bihor and in accordance with the Decision on how benefits are paid, DAS Oradea requests the amounts necessary for the payment of benefits through the Economic-Financial and Administrative Service; the situation of the aid for heating/energy supplement with solid fuels is reported monthly, by Internal Note also to the Economic-Financial and Administrative Service, which will make the payments based on the Payroll; if, at the end of the cold season, there are beneficiaries who have not collected their financial rights, Payrolls are drawn up, based on a written request of the beneficiary;

- The period in which the home heating aid with solid fuels will be paid will be communicated through media channels and sms;

- Monthly, Statistical Reports are drawn up listing the beneficiaries of home heating aid/energy supplement (numeric) separately for each type of aid (electric energy, thermal energy, natural gas, solid fuels) and sent to A.J.P.I.S. Bihor;

- If undue aid is found to have been granted, it ceases the following month and the mayor’s decision is issued for the recovery of the sums paid as heating aid/energy supplement; the mayor’s decisions establishing debts are sent to A.J.P.I.S. Bihor for the issuance of the Executive Director’s Decisions on the recovery of unduly granted amounts;

- The resolved applications accompanied by the supporting documents will be archived in order of their registration numbers from the special registers/software.

Beneficiaries

Heating aid and energy supplement are granted tofamilies and single persons with low incomes to cover all or, as appropriate, part of the home heating costs, for the cold season November – March and to ensure all or, as appropriate, part of the costs of household lighting, support for cooking facilities and providing hot water in the home, ensuring the continuity of power supply for life-dependent equipment for health reasons, and for the use of communication devices requiring energy for the period November - October.

Granting the right

Families and single persons with low incomes who use centralized thermal energy for home heating benefit from aid by percentage compensation of the actual value of the thermal energy bill. Vulnerable consumers, who use natural gas, solid or oil fuels, or electricity for heating, benefit monthly, depending on the net monthly income per family member, of an amount set by law. The energy supplement is granted in a fixed amount, depending on the sources of energy supply used. The funds necessary for the payment of home heating aid are ensured from the state budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity.

Details