About Low Income:

• Overview of the Program
• Overview of the Process
• Site Visits
• Understanding Audits
• Filing Appeals
• Training Events

Low Income Tools:

• Latest News
• Calendar/Reminders
• Required Forms
• Disbursement Data
• Rules and Orders
• Tips and Best Practices
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Program Compliance - Whistleblower Hotline
• Submitting A Complaint

Step 8: Certification and Verification

Certification and verification are the processes by which eligible consumers establish their qualification for Lifeline and Link Up discounts. Certification occurs at the time an individual is applying to enroll in Lifeline and Link Up, while verification occurs on a periodic basis after the subscriber has already begun receiving discounted service.

All eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) in federal default states or states that have elected to follow the federal procedures must submit their annual Lifeline VERIFICATION survey results to USAC by August 31. All ETCs in non-federal default states must submit their annual Low Income CERTIFICATION to USAC by August 31, attesting that the ETC has complied with the state verification procedures.

Companies may access the Lifeline certification and verification form below .

• Annual Lifeline Certification and Verification Letter [PDF, 20kb]
• Annual Lifeline Certification and Verification Letter [DOC, 64kb]

Received Certifications and Verifications can be viewed below:

• 2008 Certifications Received.xls [XLS, 1248KB, updated 11/19/2008]
• 2008 Verifications Received.xls [XLS, 1063KB, updated 11/19/2008]

The 2008 certifications and verifications database is updated on a weekly basis.