National Verifier (NV)

The National Verifier (NV) is Lifeline’s centralized application system. It determines whether consumers are eligible for Lifeline. USAC manages the NV and provides customer service to consumers through the Lifeline Support Center.

Service providers in all 56 states and territories (with the exception of the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) opt-out states) must use the NV when helping consumers apply to Lifeline. Consumers may also apply to the Lifeline program on their own through the NV consumer portal, or by mail.

Launches

USAC implemented the NV in phases. A group of states and territories received access to the system at a specific time. Each group of states and territories is known as a launch. The launch title of a group is the month and year that grouping received access to the NV.

All states and territories have been launched in the NV. For information on which launch each state and territory is in, visit the National Verifier Launches page.

Database Connections

The NV has automated database connections to verify consumer eligibility for Lifeline. If a consumer is not found in an automated database, they will need to provide documentation for manual review. For more information on this process, visit the Eligibility Decision Process page.

National Verifier Database Connection Map

The map below outlines the existing NV database connection in each state and territory.

The eligibility verification process and available database connections vary slightly in the NLAD opt-out states (California, Oregon, and Texas). Consumers in California, Oregon and Texas benefit from state database connections available in their respective states. Visit these states’ launch page for information.

Stay Up To Date

We will use the National Verifier Launches page and the NV launch email lists to communicate with service providers about launch specific information.

To be added to an NV launch list and for any questions related to the NV, service providers must email Lifeline Program indicating which states and/or territories they do business in.

Resources

This section outlines available resources on the NV, including plans, annual reports, and release notes from enhancements. To watch short video modules on the NV, visit the Videos page.

National Verifier Plans

National Verifier Annual Report

Release Notes

Month Year Release Notes
March 2020 Production Release Notes
February 2020 RAD, NV API, and NLAD Release Notes
January 2020 RAD, NV API, and NLAD  v1.1.0 Release Notes
January 2020 Production Release Notes
November 2019 v9.0 Production Release Notes
August 2019 v8.0 Production Release Notes
June 2019 v7.0 Production Release Notes
April 2019 National Verifier v6.0 Production Release Notes
March 2019 v5.0 Production Release Notes
December 2018 v3.0 Release Notes
November 2018 v2.0 Production Release Notes
June 2018 v1.0 Production Release Notes