USACLifelineNational VerifierHow to Use National Verifier
Common Transactions

Common Transactions

This page outlines common functionalities service providers may perform when interacting with the Lifeline National Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier).

Verify Eligibility

Service providers may submit an online application on behalf of their consumer to verify the consumer’s eligibility for Lifeline. This must be an in-person interaction.

The Lifeline National Verifier will determine if a consumer is eligible for a Lifeline benefit and, if so, provide approval by checking the following information:

  • Identity,
  • Address,
  • Income or qualifying government program participation, and
  • Compliance with the one benefit per household limit.

For more information, review the Eligibility Verification page.

Document Submission

When consumer information listed under the “Verify Eligibility” section is not verified through the National Verifier’s automated data sources, the consumer can submit documentation to the Lifeline Support Center. This will initiate a manual review process to determine if the consumer is eligible.

Service providers are able to help consumers submit documentation through the National Verifier service provider portal. The online portal will walk the user through which error(s) their application encountered and what information to submit to resolve the error(s). An “upload” button will appear for any errors that require documentation submission so that a service provider can help consumers upload copies of their documentation using the service provider portal.

Review potential errors and the information to resolve them on the Resolve Application Errors page.

Benefit Transfer

With the consent of the consumer, a service provider representative can transfer the consumer’s benefit with an application status of “The subscriber is already enrolled in Lifeline.” This status means that the consumer is already receiving Lifeline and is eligible to transfer their benefit.

To initiate the transfer:

  1. Obtain a transfer consent from the consumer,
  2. Ask the consumer to complete a new application (via online portal or a through a mailed-in application) to obtain the status of “The subscriber is already enrolled in Lifeline,”
  3. Log in to the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD),
  4. Select “Transfer NLAD Benefit” from the menu, and
  5. Enter all required information, and
  6. Select the “Transfer Benefit” button.

If the benefit transfer is a success, NLAD will:

  1. De-enroll the consumer from their former service provider.
  2. Label the consumer as de-enrolled as the result of a benefit transfer.
  3. Enroll the consumer with the new service provider.
  4. Label the consumer as enrolled as the result of a benefit transfer.
  5. Notify both the former and current service providers of the change.

If the benefit transfer fails, the service provider representative will see error codes and messages defining the reason for failure.

  • NLAD will direct the service provider representative to call the Lifeline Support Center for further assistance.
  • The consumer will stay active in NLAD under its previous service provider.

Address Update

Service providers must update a consumer’s address in NLAD within 30 days of learning the consumer’s new address. NLAD now allows address updates to process successfully even when an address failure or duplicate address failure is detected.

How Address Updates Work

  • When a service provider submits an address update, the transaction will process successfully regardless of whether NLAD detects an address failure or duplicate address failure.
  • If NLAD detects an address failure or duplicate address failure, the provider will receive a warning message, but the consumer’s address will still be updated.

Address Update Failures

If an address failure or duplicate address failure occurs during the update and a warning message is generated:

  • A continued eligibility application will be created in the National Verifier.
  • The consumer will receive outreach instructing them to complete this application to resolve the address issue and verify their address.
  • The consumer must complete the application within 30 days or they will be de-enrolled from the program.

Exceptions for Safe Connection Act (SCA) Subscribers

This new address update process does not apply to Safe Connection Act (SCA) subscribers. If a survivor’s address is updated and there is an address failure or duplicate address failure, then the update transaction will not be successful. The old process of completing an application in the National Verifier to resolve address failures will still apply for SCA subscribers.