Lifeline Claims System (LCS)
The Lifeline Claims System (LCS) is the online filing system that service providers use to receive reimbursement for offering Lifeline-supported services to eligible consumers.
After providing eligible consumers with Lifeline-supported service, a service provider must submit a claim to receive reimbursement.
Service providers must submit one reimbursement claim for each month they are claiming support through LCS. Service providers have up to one year after the data month to submit original claims and upward revisions.
System Background
Previously providers used FCC Form 497 (the “Lifeline and Link up Worksheet”) to submit claims. In the 2016 Lifeline Modernization Order, the FCC directed USAC to create a transition plan for phasing out the form. This order also required the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD), and the information about Lifeline subscribers within, to be used as the default basis for determining support payments to service providers.
Now all claims must be submitted using LCS. FCC Form 497 is no longer applicable for data months in 2018 and onward.
More information can be found in the FCC Public Notice DA-18-30.
User Information
E-File Entitlements
To file a claim using LCS or to submit a downward revision using the FCC Form 497, an E-File account is required.
To register your company for the first time:
- Visit One Portal and select “E-File,”
- Select “create an account” from the bottom menu, and
- Select “Service Provider – 498 ID” and click “Register Your Company.”
Create an E-File account and sub-accounts to file a claim:
- The 497 Officer can enter data, is authorized to certify the claim, can create sub-accounts, and is responsible for password resets for sub-accounts.
- A 497 User (sub-account) can enter data but does not have the authority to certify the claim.
To get a new E-File account, contact your company’s E-File “Officer” or “General Contact.” Contact customersupport@usac.org if you are unsure who your E-File admin is.
If you need help with E-File, review the Service Providers FAQs.
System Maintenance
For a list of LCS scheduled system maintenance, review NLAD’s monthly maintenance schedule.
Resources
Data
The Lifeline program’s Funding Disbursement search tool enables companies to use various search methods to locate payment data for any month beginning with January 2004 and beyond. Use Lifeline’s Disbursements Open Data tool to search for the total dollar amount disbursed to each service provider and the total number of subscribers claimed by each service provider, every month and year since January 2018.
FAQs
For common questions about LCS, review the Reimbursement FAQs.
Support for Submitting Claims
- Detailed instructions on navigating LCS are available by clicking on the Instructions link in the upper-right corner of the LCS interface.
- Review the LCS Upload Field Descriptions for further details on each header in the claims template and how to populate the corresponding columns.