The federal government shutdown is over, but for hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans, relief remains out of reach for energy assistance. 

State officials say the federally funded program could take up to 30 days for the money to get to Minnesota. 

For Lynn Miller, who is retired and living on a fixed income, this energy assistance is crucial. 

"It is always helpful to us," Miller said. "Just wish we could get it going so we don't have to deal with through the winter."

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, is a federal program that provides assistance to low-income households. Minnesota received $125 million from it last year, which helped 125,000 households with utility bills through the state's Energy Assistance Program, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce. 

Lissa Pawlisch is the assistant commissioner with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and says those funds would typically already be flowing. 

Now, households will not see funds for at least 30 days. 

"We are strongly advocating that the federal government get the money out as quickly as possible," Pawlisch said. "It's starting to get cold and we need to get that money flowing." 

The good news: Pawlich says there has been great collaboration between service providers like Xcel Energy and Minnesota Power, who say they are working with customers.

Last year, about 63,000 Xcel Energy customers received approximately $33.1 million in energy assistance in Minnesota. 

The number of Minnesota Power LIHEAP customers ranges between 8,000 and 10,000.

It's important to note that starting Oct. 1 through April, Minnesota's Cold Weather Rule (CWR) went into effect, protecting income-eligible customers from disconnections during the heating season.

As of this week, state officials say 89,000 households have applied for energy assistance.