General Rules

National Verifier General Rules

If the consumer is NOT already in the National Verifier, they must provide proof of participation in one of the eligible programs. Consumers must submit a document, 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

In order to prove their house hold income is 135% or less than the federal poverty guidelines, consumers must submit one of 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 statment 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.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Consumers may qualify for lifeline if they participate in one of the following programs.
   1. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps
   2. Medicaid
   3. Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
   4. Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
   5. Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
   6. Tribal Programs (and live on federally-recognized Tribal lands)
   7. Consumers in California can apply with the qualifying programs below:
   1. Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC)
   2. National School Lunch Program (NSL)
   3. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
   4. California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs)
   5. Stanislaus County Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (StanWORKs)
   6. Welfare-to-Work (WTW)
   7. Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN)
   8. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
   9. Tribal TANF
   10. Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
   11. Head Start Income Eligible (Tribal Only)
   12. Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
   13. Federal Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit Program
2. Consumers must show a card, letter, or official document, as proof that they participate in one of these programs when applying for lifeline.
3. The name on the eligibility proof must match the name on the identification.
1. If the last name does not match, the consumer must provide valid proof of their name.