Aug 29, 2022
What is the Government's Lifeline Program All About?
All you need to know about the Government’s Lifeline program.
One of the definitions of the word “lifeline” is “something regarded as indispensable for the maintaining or protection of life.” Used in a sentence, like this, “The bill would extend the summer meals program for students, which is a lifeline for many families,” you can further understand its meaning.
Not only that, you get a sense of how crucial a lifeline is. There are a lot of Government subsidized programs that have been put in place to be lifelines to those who need them, like low-income consumers. Here we’re going to talk about two that are vital.
Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP)
SNAP provides nutrition benefits in the form of an Electronic Balance Transfer (EBT) card to those families whose food budgets may not be big enough to enable them to purchase healthy food. This Government program is particularly important to those who find themselves unemployed or who may be working but not earning enough to feed their family healthy, nutritious meals. Think of it as a boost to your food budget that you can obtain by meeting certain eligibility requirements.
What are the eligibility requirements for receiving SNAP benefits?
Requirements
The eligibility requirements for receiving SNAP benefits differ from state to state. But, if your state agency determines that you are eligible, you will receive benefits all the way back to the date you submitted your application.
Application
To apply for SNAP benefits, you need to submit an application with your local SNAP office. Click here for the SNAP State Directory of Local Resources. On that page, you’ll see a clearly labeled map of the United States. Find your state and click on it.
You’ll see your state’s particular name for its SNAP program, a link to its state SNAP website, an 800 number, and a link to your state’s local offices you can call with questions or for additional assistance. Some states even provide a link to their online application.
Once I submit my SNAP application, what happens?
Timing
Usually, within 30 days, your state agency or local SNAP office will send you a letter stating that they received your application, reviewed it, and whether or not you are eligible to receive SNAP benefits.
If you’re found eligible, you’ll be asked to take part in an eligibility interview which is usually done over the phone, but is occasionally done in person. You will also be asked to provide proof of the information you provided in your application.
If, after your interview and submission of your proof, you are determined to be 100% eligible, you will receive benefits all the way back to the date you submitted your application. So, if you submitted your application on September 1st, and are approved on October 1st, your benefits will be retroactive to September 1st.
It’s also possible that you could be eligible to receive SNAP benefits within 7 days of your application date. If your household has less than $100 in liquid resources and $150 in monthly gross income, or if your combined monthly gross income and liquid resources are less than what you pay for rent or mortgage and utilities expenses, it’s possible your wait will be less than a month. Your state agency can give you more information, so reach out to them.
How do you get your SNAP benefits and what can you buy with them?
Earlier we mentioned the Electronic Balance Transfer (EBT) card. This works like a debit card, with SNAP benefits (money) being placed into your account every month. Once the benefits appear in your account, you can use your EBT card to go food shopping. There are certain items you can buy with your SNAP benefits and certain items you cannot.
Items you can purchase with SNAP benefits include:
Fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry, and fish; dairy products; breads and cereals; snack foods; non-alcoholic beverages; and seeds and plants. Note: SNAP benefits can be used for seeds and plants that will produce food that your family can eat.
Items you cannot purchase with SNAP benefits include:
Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco; vitamins, medicines, and supplements; live animals; fast food and any foods that are hot when you buy them. In addition, you cannot use SNAP benefits to buy pet foods, cleaning supplies, paper products, or other household supplies, hygiene products or cosmetics.
SNAP is a lifeline for many, many families with a limited food budget and it’s worth applying for if you and your family could use assistance with purchasing healthy foods.
What if I could also use assistance with my cell phone bill and affording Internet access?
Many families struggle to afford cell phones and Internet access, both of which are vital to staying connected with their children’s schools, doctors, and on employers, among others. That’s why the Federal Government offers a program called Lifeline.
About Lifeline
Lifeline is a federal program created to help qualified households pay for phone or internet service. To qualify, household income must be less than 135% of the federal poverty level, and only one phone or internet service is allowed per household. Only one member of a household can participate in the program and the phone or internet service cannot be transferred to another family member or individual. The Lifeline program is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). USAC is responsible for helping consumers apply for the program, understand eligibility requirements, and keep their benefit current through an annual recertification process.
Examples of one household:
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A married couple that lives together
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A parent/guardian and child who live together
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An adult who lives with friends or family who financially support him/her
Each of these are one household and must share one benefit.
Examples of more than one household:
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Four roommates who live together but do not share money are four households. They can have one benefit each, for a total of four benefits.
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30 seniors who live in an assisted-living home are 30 households. They can have one benefit each, for a total of 30 total benefits.
As with SNAP, each state has different eligibility requirements such as receiving government assistance or having a household income that is at or below the federal poverty level for the state in which you reside.
In general though, you are qualified to receive Lifeline if you participate in any of the programs listed here:
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Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
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Medicaid (not Medicare)
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Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
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Section 8 Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
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Veteran's Pension or Survivor's Pension Benefit
Additionally, if you are a resident of a Federally-recognized Tribal land, you may qualify under the following programs:
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Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
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Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
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Tribally Administered TANF
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Head Start (if you meet the income-qualifying standards)
Even if you’re paying just $20 a month for cell phone or internet service, wouldn’t it be great to have that $240 to spend on groceries? If you apply for Lifeline and are approved, you’ll receive:
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FREE Unlimited Talk & Text
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FREE 15GB Data (+ more data for California residents)
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FREE Smartphone (or bring your own)
And Lifeline isn’t the only Government subsidize program designed to help you stay connected!
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP): What it is and how it doubles your connectivity
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a government benefit program operated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that provides discounts on monthly broadband Internet access service. ACP benefits may be obtained from any participating provider of internet services of your choice including Life Wireless. As with Lifeline, only one member of a household can participate in the program and the service cannot be transferred to another family member or individual.
If you’re approved for Lifeline and you sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), you get two sources of free talk, text, and unlimited data that you can split between two phones. That means free cell service for you and free cell phone service for someone you love. If your child has been asking for a cell phone, this is a terrific opportunity to provide him or her with talk, text, unlimited data and the ability to stay in touch with you!
Of course you don’t have to split the internet service between two phones, you can keep it all on one. But it’s a wonderful option if your spouse, child or relative needs a phone – and who doesn’t? – but has been unable to get one due to the expense.
Whichever option you choose – to keep the data on one phone or split it between two – Life Wireless will make sure you receive the free talk, text, and unlimited data to help you stay connected.
Option 1: Combine Your Data
Activate Lifeline and ACP on the same device and receive unlimited talk, text, and data, plus 5GB of mobile hotspot.
Option 2: Split Your Data
Split your data between two phones or supported devices and you’ll have one device with ACP’s free talk, text, and 6GB of data and a second device with Lifeline’s talk, text, and 4.5GB of data (6GB of data in California).
Important things to note:
Lifeline and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) are separate programs. Lifeline benefits may be combined with ACP benefits and applied to the same service plan. You may also apply your Lifeline benefit and ACP benefits to different service plans.
You don’t need to enroll in Lifeline in order to enroll in ACP and you do not need to enroll in ACP to enroll in Lifeline. You may choose to get Lifeline support and ACP services from different service providers, and you may transfer your Lifeline and ACP services to another provider subject to certain regulatory restrictions.
About Life Wireless
Life Wireless service is a prepaid telephone service offered to those eligible for ACP discount benefits and those eligible for Lifeline benefits. To maintain your service and benefits, you need to activate your service by calling someone, initiating data usage (by going on Facebook, for example), or by responding to instructions from Life Wireless to activate the service.
To keep your account active, you must use the service at least once during any 30-day period by calling someone, answering a call from someone other than Life Wireless, sending a text message, using cellular data (again, by going on Facebook or Amazon, for example), purchasing additional service from Life Wireless, or by responding to a direct contact from Life Wireless confirming that you want to continue receiving service from Life Wireless.
Should your service goes unused for 30 days, you will no longer be eligible for Lifeline benefits and your service may be suspended (allowing only 911 calls and calls to the Life Wireless's customer care center) subject to a 15-day cure period during which you must use the service (as described above) in order to fully re-activate your service, keep your telephone number and remain enrolled in lifeline subscribers the ACP.
For questions about Life Wireless, visit our Contact Us page here.
Like SNAP, Lifeline is your lifeline to maintaining a healthy life.
Stay connected for FREE to family, friends, employers, your children, your whole world with the Lifeline service. Enroll now by using the Life Wireless Online Enrollment form. And don’t forget to check out the reviews we’ve received from customers, below!
What our customers are saying:
"Life Wireless has been great. I have used it so many times for appointments and finding the proper care providers for my needs as well as for my family's needs. Thank you so much Life Wireless!" Rebecca L., KY
“Without this phone I would be lost. It has helped me stay in contact with my daughter’s specialist. I schedule her appointments and they can call back if there are any complications with her results. Thank you, Life Wireless.” Amanda Z., PA
“I've been looking for apartments, doctor’s offices, and school phone numbers, and my data provided has been a tremendous help in gaining access to this information. I'm very grateful for this service.” Maria R. AZ
Posted 1 year ago