Lifeline Awareness Week September 9-15, 2013

In honor of Lifeline Awareness Week which starts on Monday, I wanted to make sure you know about the Lifeline Telephone Assistance Program. Lifeline is a national government subsidy program that helps people living in poverty stay connected with phone service.

You may be eligible for a FREE cell phone that comes loaded with 250 minutes that are renewed every month for free. You might have heard of this program but were not sure how to get one of the free phones.

First you need to determine if you are eligible. Eligibility requirements vary by state, but for most states you typically qualify if you are receiving public assistance which includes being enrolled in programs like Food Stamps, SSI, Medicaid, TANF, Section 8 Housing, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance, and National School Free Lunch Program. If you are not in any of these programs you may still be eligible based on you household income.

If you feel that you are eligible and are interested in applying, there are two major telephone companies that cover most of the United States. Check both if the first one you call doesn’t cover your state. To apply over the phone, you can call Assurance Wireless at 1-888-898-4888. Or, you can call Safelink Wireless at 1-800-723-3546. You can also go online to www.assurancewireless.com or www.safelinkwireless.com and search for either of those companies to apply directly online.

If you don’t get your phone within 4 weeks, you should call them back to see if there was a problem with your application.