http://www.citywidehomeservices.com/att-home-service-telephone-2/
Government Assistance For Your Home Phone Service
You’ve heard of programs like Food Stamps and Section 8 Housing but did you know that there is government assisted home phone service called Lifeline? Lifeline can save you at least ten dollars on your phone bill, although most customers save more that $13.50. Link-up is part of the same program that will offset the activation of your home phone if you don’t already have one. That program will pay half of the start-up costs, up to $30.
If you are one of the over 40 million Americans receiving Food Stamps and 50 million receiving Medicaid benefits, you are eligible to receive Lifeline assistance.
Food Stamps and Medicaid are just two of the programs that qualify you for the benefit. You can get Lifeline in any state of the USA. There are federal guidelines for the program but many states have their own rules. The Federal guidelines specify that your total household income does not exceed 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or that you’re currently participating in at least one of these programs:
* Medicaid
* Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
* Food Stamps
* Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
* Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8 housing)
* Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
* The National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program
You figured out that you’ve qualified. Now what? Getting the benefit is simple. Unlike other benefit programs where you need to go to a government office or meet with a caseworker, cashing in on Lifeline can be done by just contacting your telephone company. Just call and ask to be put on the Lifeline program. The sign-up process varies among carriers and states. Usually, they’ll send you a form to fill out with your name and address, then indicate which form of assistance you’re currently getting. Sign it and send it back and you should start seeing the reduction in your next phone bill. Some states might require you to send in proof (like your award letter) that you’re participating in one of the qualifying programs.
If you currently don’t have working phone service, look up a local provider in your phone book and ask them about Lifeline. All of the incumbent carriers like Verizon, AT&T and Qwest offer the program as well as most of the smaller competitive carriers. The cost to get started is minimal. Lifeline customers don’t have to pay a deposit and the Link-up program takes care of the activation fees. There are plenty of prepaid services that now offer free start-up.
The intent of Lifeline is to give every household the ability to afford phone service. So, it can only be applied to one (main) line. And, the Link-up assistance is a one-time benefit. If your phone service gets shut off and you want to get it re-connected or get connected with another company, the Link-up activation discount is no longer available to you. If you go with another carrier, you might get away with a second Link-up discount but you’ll be perjuring yourself when you sign the certification form.
Lifeline can also be applied to cellular service. You might have noticed advertisements offering free cell phone service. This is just Lifeline service for your cell phone. However, if you’re already receiving the Lifeline benefit on your home phone, you can’t use it to get cell phone service. The benefit is limited to one per household even if that is a cell phone.
So, what are you waiting for? Call your home phone service provider now and ask about the Lifeline program.
Real Home Phone Service from Global Connection – Available at BI-LO