Lifeline

About the Program

Resources & Tools

JOIN THE PROGRAM

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Lifeline National Verifier

Acceptable Documentation

Acceptable Documentation for the National Verifier

Eligibility Documentation

When eligibility cannot be verified through any of the National Verifier’s automated data sources, the subscriber can submit eligibility documentation to the Lifeline Support Center, which will initiate a manual review process to determine if the consumer is eligible.

If consumers participate in one of these following government programs, they qualify for Lifeline:

A federal public housing program
Medicaid
Veteran’s or Veterans Survivor’s Pension
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Tribal Programs
- Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) General Assistance
- Head Start
- Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

To prove participation in one of the above programs, consumers must submit a document that, at a minimum, includes:

The consumer’s name, or the name of consumer's benefit qualifying person (BQP);
The name of the Lifeline-qualifying program, such as SNAP;
The government or Tribal program administrator or the managed care organization (MCO) that issued the document; and
An issue date within the last 12 months or a future expiration date that aligns with the benefit period.

If a consumer's household income is at 135% or less of the federal poverty guidelines, they qualify for Lifeline.

Household Size	48 Contiguous States, DC, & Territories	Alaska	Hawaii
1 person	$16,861.50 or less	$21,060 or less	$19,413 or less
2 people	$22,828.50 or less	$28,525.50 or less	$26,271 or less
3 people	$28,795.50 or less	$35,991 or less	$33,129 or less
4 people	$34,762.50 or less	$43,456.50 or less	$39,987 or less
5 people	$40,729.50 or less	$50,922 or less	$46,845 or less
6 people	$46,696.50 or less	$58,387.50 or less	$53,703 or less
7 people	$52,663.50 or less	$65,853 or less	$60,561 or less
8 people	$58,630.50 or less	$73,318.50 or less	$67,419 or less
If more than 8, add this amount for each additional person	Add $5,967	Add $7,465.50	Add $6,858

Guidelines are adjusted annually. The above chart reflects guidelines for 2019. Guidelines are usually updated in January.

To prove their household income is 135% or less than the federal poverty guidelines, consumers must submit one or more of the following documents*:

The prior year's state, federal, or Tribal tax return
Current income statement from an employer or paycheck stub
A Social Security statement of benefits
A Veterans Administration statement of benefits
A retirement/pension statement of benefits
An Unemployment/Workers' Compensation statement of benefit
Federal or Tribal notice letter of participation in General Assistance
Divorce decree, child support award, or other official document containing income information

*If the consumer presents documentation of income that does not cover a full year, such as current pay stubs, the consumer must present the same type of documentation covering three consecutive months within the previous twelve months.

TPIV Documentation

When a TPIV validation cannot be verified through any of the National Verifier’s automated data sources, the subscriber can submit documentation to resolve the error. There are various types of TPIV errors that a consumer may receive. To help consumers resolve specific TPIV errors, see below.

Social Security Number (SSN4), Identity, or Date of Birth
- Consumers must submit an official, unexpired document that has their first name, last name, and SSN on it to resolve an error message about their SSN or identity. Consumers must submit an official, unexpired document that has their first name, last name, and date of birth on it to resolve an error message about their date of birth.
- Consumers must submit a copy of one or a combination of the following unexpired documents:
  - Driver's license
  - Birth certificate
  - W-2
  - Recent state, federal, or Tribal tax return
  - Social Security card
  - Certificate of Naturalization
  - Certificate of U.S. Citizenship
  - Permanent resident card
  - Permanent resident alien card
  - U.S. government, military, state, or Tribal issued ID
  - Passport
  - Military discharge documentation
  - Weapons permit
  - Government assistance program document
  - Statement of benefits from a qualifying program
  - Unemployment/worker's compensation statement of benefits
Proof of Life
- To prove a consumer is living, they must first submit a copy of one of the following unexpired documents, which must include their date of birth and their SSN or Tribal ID number:
  - Government, military, state, or Tribal-issued ID
  - Military discharge documentation
  - Weapons permit
  - Government assistance program document
  - Statement of benefits from a qualifying program document
  - Unemployment or Workers’ compensation statement of benefits
  - Eligibility confirmation from state eligibility database with administrator
- Consumers also have the option to submit two types of unexpired documentation. One document must include their date of birth and the other must have their SSN on it.
- The first document must be one of the following:
  - Driver’s license
  - Birth certificate
  - Certificate of Naturalization
  - Proof of citizenship
  - Permanent Resident or Permanent Resident Alien card
  - Passport
- The second document must be one of the following:
  - W-2 from within the last 2 years
  - Prior year’s state, federal, or Tribal tax return
  - Social security card
  - SSA-1099
- In addition to documentation with their first name, last name, date of birth, SSN (or Tribal ID), consumers must also submit documentation that proves recent life activity. Consumers must submit one of the following documents to prove recent life activity:
  - Current program eligibility or government assistance documentation
  - Current utility bill (phone and internet bills cannot be used as utility bills. Consuemrs can use water, electricity, and waste and removal bills).
  - Current income statement such as a paystub
  - Current mortgage or lease statement
  - Current retirement/pension statement of benefits
  - Current unemployment/Workers’ compensation statement of benefits
  - A notarized letter affirming the subscriber’s identity and alive status
Duplicate Subscriber
- In the majority of cases, carriers can resolve a duplicate subscriber error by obtaining consent to transfer the subscriber's Lifeline Program benefit and completing a benefit transfer in NLAD.
- If a consumer thinks this is fraud, they can call the Lifeline Support Center.
Under 18 Years Old
- Consumers must be at least 18 years old to qualify for Lifeline. Only emancipated minors can qualify for Lifeline under the age of 18.
- If a consumer is an emancipated minor, they must submit a copy of:
  - A court document or certificate that says they are an emancipated minor
- If a consumer is over 18 years old, they must submit a copy of:
  - Their birth certificate that shows they are at least 18 years old

Address Documentation

When an address validation cannot be verified through any of the National Verifier’s automated data sources, the subscriber can submit documentation to resolve the error. There two types errors that a consumer may receive relating to their address. To help consumers resolve specific address errors, see below.

AMS Error (address not found)
- Applications completed in the National Verifier portal (service provider or consumer) must use latitude and longitude coordinates of the residential address to resolve an AMS error. The National Verifier portal includes a mapping tool to help users capture the latitude and longitude coordinates of their address.
- To resolve an AMS error with a paper application, service provides can help consumers use any of the following options:
  - Logging into the National Verifier portal and completing the application process
  - A printed satellite image with a mapping tool icon (pin) identifying the consumer’s residence and the latitude and longitude coordinates displayed from a mapping tool (Service providers can help consumers locate their address on the Tribal Mapping Tool in NLAD, which is available to carriers with NLAD access.)
  - A hand drawn document that identifies the consumer’s home address by identifying the nearest cross roads (or mile markers), identifiable landmarks, and distance between the locations.
  - A copy of a document that contains consumers’ address, such as
Duplicate Address
- To resolve a duplicate address error, consumers must prove they are an independent household by submitting a Household Worksheet.
- A household is a group of people who live together and share income and expenses (even if they are not related to each other.) Consumers are only allowed one Lifeline benefit per household, not per person.