Policy & Practice December 2017

to identify official documentation that can serve as proof of participa- tion, so USAC will have a full catalog of acceptable documentation, and eligible beneficiaries can get approved seamlessly and quickly. USAC is also consulting with its partners about what resources, tools, and training USAC can provide to social workers and community advocates to help eligible consumers sign up and retain this essential benefit. USAC sincerely appreciates our partners’ efforts to make the National Verifier’s launch a success. Looking ahead, USAC is actively pursuing new partnerships to identify the next set of National Verifier states. Our goal is to implement the National Verifier in the most effective and efficient manner possible. To partner with USAC to launch the Lifeline National Eligibility Verifier in your state, or to learn more, please contact Jessica Zufolo, USAC’s Director of State and Federal Partnerships, at Jessica.Zufolo@usac. org , or visit our website, usac.org/li . Lifeline strongly values our partner- ships with APHSA members to improve outcomes for our shared beneficiaries in low-income, at-risk communities. When the National Verifier launches in December 2017, we look forward to continuing those relationships and establishing new ones to deliver Lifeline in the most effective and effi- cient matter possible. Together, we can deliver affordable telephone and Internet services to our country’s SNAP and Medicaid recipients. eligible for Lifeline if they participate in the following programs: Supplemental Security Income, Federal Public Housing Assistance, Veterans Pension or Survivors Benefit, Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal Head Start (if household meets the income qualifying standard), Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. 2. If an automated data connection is not available to a qualifying program, the National Verifier will prompt the consumer to submit proof-of-eligibility documentation, and live agents at the Lifeline Support Center will review the items and return an eligibility decision. Reference Notes 1. Customers can also be approved as

Lifeline is a $1.5 billion federal program designed to make phone and broadband service affordable for low-income households. It provides a discount of $9.25 per month, and households on federally recognized tribal lands can receive up to $34.25 per month. This important benefit was established by the Federal Communications Commission, and is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC), an independent, nonprofit company that handles the program’s day-to-day administration. The data connections from state health and human services agencies will be used by a new, nationwide tool called the Lifeline National Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier). With it, prospective beneficiaries can apply for Lifeline and the National Verifier will automatically check the con- nected federal and state data sources to determine whether the applicant is enrolled in Medicaid, SNAP, and other qualifying programs. 2 If they are, the applicant is automatically approved for Lifeline. In August 2017, USAC announced the first six states for the Lifeline National Eligibility Verifier: Colorado, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as a key partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provided a connection to Federal Public Housing Assistance

data. The National Verifier will “soft launch” in December 2017, and “hard launch” in March 2018. Under the National Verifier model, all Lifeline eligibility verification will be handled by a single, neutral entity whose primary goal is to protect the integrity of the program, and protect these public funds from waste, fraud, and abuse. This model will deliver efficiencies to existing state eligibility verification processes, which are often managed by health and human services agencies and require exten- sive IT coordination with multiple phone and broadband companies. The National Verifier also provides a more streamlined experience for beneficiaries, giving them a single source of eligibility verification, rather than different processes depending on the telephone or Internet company they choose or the state they live in. Prospective beneficiaries will be able to use the National Verifier to check their eligibility with their computer, mobile device, or through a participating tele- phone or Internet company. Establishing data-sharing agree- ments with state and federal agencies is no small feat! USAC, the program’s administrator, collaborated closely with state health and human services agencies to establish the data connec- tions that power the National Verifier. USAC relied heavily on state agencies, including SNAP and Medicaid direc- tors, to understand and uphold state laws and codes, find the technology resources to prepare the data sources for connection, and align state-level Lifeline processes with the federal processes to avoid undue burden on beneficiaries. The project also bene- fitted from vibrant discussions with our state-level partners about protecting customers’ sensitive, private, personal data, and protecting the integrity of the program. There are other ways that USAC is actively engaging with state and especially the eligibility verification process. One example is preparing for those cases where the National Verifier cannot find an active SNAP or Medicaid participation record. We are working with APHSA members federal agencies to improve the delivery of the Lifeline Program,

Michelle Garber is the Vice President of the Lifeline Program at Universal Service Administrative Co.

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Policy&Practice December 2017