Lifeline and Link-Up:
Outreach Tool Kit

Lifeline gives consumers a discount on monthly charges for basic local telephone service.

Link-Up pays for part of the consumer’s connection or activation charge for new telephone service.

• Consumers receiving Lifeline or Link-Up may also sign up for “toll blocking” or “toll limitation” service, which either blocks or limits long-distance calls from the consumer’s phone. Consumers who elect toll blocking or toll limitation do not have to pay a service deposit to start phone service.  

• Both programs are available in every U.S. state, territory, and commonwealth.

• Many, but not all, landline and cellular/wireless telephone companies offer the discounts. VoIP companies do not currently offer Lifeline or Link-Up.  

• Money for both programs comes from a surcharge on the phone bills of all consumers, except for those receiving Lifeline and Link-Up.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU SAVE?

Lifeline – The amount of the discount depends on where you live. The basic federal program provides a discount as high as $10 per month, but most states provide an additional discount. Residents of tribal lands may receive up to $35 under the federal discount, but must pay at least $1.00 per month.

Link-Up - The program pays up to half the installation/connection charge (with a $30 cap). You may ask for a year to pay off the other half of the connection or activation charge, without interest. For residents of tribal lands, Link-Up will cover 50% of installation costs up to $60, and all of costs between $60 and $130. Link-Up will NOT cover the cost of a phone or wiring your home.

DO YOU QUALIFY?

• Eligibility varies by state.

• Nine states provide only the federal discounts: Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Also, the following territories: American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
  
  In these states and territories, a consumer may qualify in one of two ways, either:

  • Taking part in one (or more) of the following federal programs:

    • Medicaid

    • Food Stamps

    • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

    • Federal Public Housing Assistance (such as Section 8)

    • Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

    • Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or

    • National School Lunch Program Free Lunch (Reduced lunches do not qualify.)

    - or -

  • If the consumer’s total household income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG). This link is to a chart that shows the limit on household income for different sized families to qualify in this manner for Lifeline and/or Link-Up: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/09poverty.shtml. If you have more than eight people in your household, there may be higher limits on household income. If you do not have access to the Internet, call your state public utilities commission or the Federal Communications Commission to determine if you can qualify based on your income.
    
    If you qualify for Lifeline or Link-Up based on income, you will be asked to provide proof of your income. The following documents are acceptable proof:

    • Last year’s state, federal, or tribal tax return

    • Three consecutive months of payroll statements or paycheck stubs for the current year

    • A Social Security statement of benefits

    • A Veterans’ Administration statement of benefits

    • A retirement/pension statement of benefits

    • An Unemployment/Workmen’s Compensation state of benefits

    • A federal, or tribal notice letter of participation in General Assistance

    • A divorce decree, child support, or other official document that proves your income

• States that opt to provide additional discounts above the federal discount determine the qualifications for the programs in that state. Call your public utility commission, your phone company, or the FCC to determine the particular criteria for your state. If you have access to the Internet, you can look up the qualifications for your state or territory at http://www.usac.org/li/low-income/eligibility/default.aspx.

• The additional discounts on tribal lands are available if you take part in at least one of the following programs:

  • Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance

  • Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (T-TANF)

  • Head Start (if your household has qualified for Head Start based on annual income)

DO I HAVE TO PAY A DEPOSIT?

If you have financial or credit problems, a phone company may require you to pay a deposit before connecting your service.

One way to avoid a deposit is to ask the phone company for “toll-blocking,” which is a free service that prevents regular long distance calls (though you can still use a pre-paid calling card for long distance calls in most cases).

If your telephone service has been disconnected for non-payment, consider asking the company to reconnect you on the condition that it blocks access to everything except basic local service.

HOW DO I APPLY?

In most states, consumers apply directly through their phone company. In some states, applications go to the state government. Call your public utility commission, your phone company, or the Federal Communications Commission to determine how to apply in your state. Individual state requirements are also posted online at http://www.lifelinesupport.org/li/low-income/lifelinesupport/browser/.

In most states, you must set up phone service directly with the phone company before they will apply the Lifeline and Link-Up discounts. This means that you will probably have to pay some out-of-pocket costs to get your phone connected.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• Lifeline and Link-Up discounts cannot be applied to past due telephone bills.

• Once you are on Lifeline, you will be asked periodically to verify that you remain eligible. If you do not respond, the phone company is required to stop the discounts.

• It can take up to two months for the discounts to show up on your bill, but you must pay the bill until that time.

• Lifeline is available on only one line per household.

• If you are qualifying based on participation in a federal aid program, the phone must be in the name of the person who receives those benefits in order to qualify for Lifeline and Link-Up on that basis, except if you qualify based on the National School Lunch program. In that case, the phone may be in the name of an adult.

January 2007