Continued Eligibility
On November 12, USAC will implement system changes to the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) production environment to allow Safe Connections Act (SCA) subscribers to complete the continued eligibility process. Part of these changes include updated NLAD error codes, a new SCA Subscriber Status Report, and new outreach types for both SCA subscribers and service providers. The error codes and new report are available for service provider testing in the staging environment.
SCA Continued Eligibility Overview
As of September 4, 2024, under the Safe Connections Act (SCA), survivors who have attempted a line separation request with their service provider and are experiencing financial hardship can qualify and receive emergency Lifeline support for up to six months. Qualifying survivors can receive a discount of up to $9.25 on phone, internet, or bundles services, and up to $34.25 if they live on qualifying Tribal lands.
After receiving the SCA benefit for three months (i.e., the survivor appeared on 3 snapshot reports), SCA subscribers who qualified for the benefit through an SCA specific method must undergo a continued eligibility process to show they qualify to receive the standard Lifeline benefit. These subscribers must demonstrate that they are eligible for Lifeline and will be contacted by USAC 75 days before their SCA benefit is meant to expire to complete the continued eligibility process. After the subscriber has received the benefit for six months, if an SCA subscriber does not successfully complete the continued eligibility process, USAC will de-enroll them from the Lifeline program within five business days.
- If a subscriber qualified for the SCA benefit through one of the standard Lifeline qualifying methods or are enrolled as an SCA subscriber in an opt-out state (California, Oregon, or Texas) they will not undergo the continued eligibility process.
- If subscribers qualified for the SCA benefit through one of the standard Lifeline methods, they will remain enrolled in NLAD and will receive the standard Lifeline benefit (or enhanced Tribal benefit if they live on qualifying Tribal lands) after they have appeared on six snapshot reports. Their Lifeline recertification efforts will be handled through the standard annual recertification process.
- If subscribers are enrolled in an opt-out state as an SCA subscriber, after they have received the SCA benefit for six months (appeared on six snapshot reports) they will be de-enrolled from the program and will need to reapply for Lifeline through their state’s regular Lifeline application process.
- Note: Survivors in California who receive broadband only service and qualified for emergency support through an SCA-specific method, will undergo the continued eligibility process.
SCA Subscriber Status Report
The new SCA Subscriber Status Report will enable service providers to track all SCA subscribers. The report will allow service providers to:
- Track the latest status of SCA subscribers, including when they enrolled or de-enrolled, how many snapshots they have appeared on, and the SCA group (SCA Eligibility, Lifeline Eligibility, Opt-Out States, or Former SCA Subscriber) with which they are associated.
- SCA Eligibility refers to SCA subscribers who qualified through SCA specific eligibility criteria.
- Lifeline Eligibility refers to SCA subscribers who qualified through Lifeline specific eligibility criteria.
- Opt-Out States refers to SCA subscribers in California, Oregon, or Texas. This does not include SCA subscribers who live in California and receive standalone broadband service.
- Former SCA Subscriber refers to subscribers who already received their SCA benefit for 6 months or who are no longer eligible for SCA.
- Identify subscribers that are undergoing the continued eligibility process and show an up-to-date continued eligibility status for these subscribers.
- The three continued eligibility status types will indicate where a subscriber is throughout the process (e.g., Confirmed Lifeline Eligibility, Confirming Lifeline Eligibility, Failed to Confirm Lifeline Eligibility).
We encourage service providers to check the SCA Subscriber Status Report in NLAD to stay updated on the status of their SCA subscribers.
SCA Consumer Outreach
SCA subscribers will receive outreach from USAC once they have received the SCA benefit for three months and have appeared on three snapshot reports. The outreach type (mail, email, text message, or robocall) they will receive depends on the preferred contact method they selected when applying for the SCA benefit.
Below is a summary of outreach SCA subscribers will receive once they have appeared on three snapshot reports.
- Qualified through an SCA specific method: These subscribers will undergo the continued eligibility process after they have received the SCA benefit for three months. They will receive outreach from USAC informing them about the process and they must complete it within 75 days, or they will be de-enrolled from the program after they have received the SCA benefit for six months.
- Qualified through a Lifeline specific method: These subscribers already demonstrated their Lifeline eligibility and will be sent outreach (after they have received the SCA benefit for three months) that informs them they will remain enrolled in Lifeline and start receiving a standard Lifeline benefit (or enhanced Tribal benefit if they live on qualifying Tribal lands). These subscribers will not undergo the continued eligibility process and do not have to take any action, although they may only be eligible for the reduced voice-only Lifeline benefit of $5.25 if they are on a qualifying voice-only plan.
- Enrolled in SCA through an Opt-Out State: These subscribers will receive outreach after they have received the SCA benefit for three months. This outreach will inform them when their SCA benefit ends, and that they will need to re-apply for Lifeline through their state’s application process. They will be de-enrolled from the program after they have received the SCA benefit for six months.
SCA Service Provider Outreach
Service providers will receive two different emails from NLAD to help track the status of their SCA subscribers undergoing the continued eligibility process. These notices will be sent to the ETC Administrator user role in NLAD, including any other user they’ve added as an email recipient on NLAD notices.
- The first email will indicate that one or more SCA subscribers are undergoing the continued eligibility process for a given SAC.
- The second email will indicate that subscribers have been de-enrolled from the program because they failed to successfully complete the SCA continued eligibility process.