54.410—Certification and Verification of Consumer Qualification for Lifeline.
(a) Certification of income.
Consumers qualifying under an income-based criterion must present documentation of their household income prior to enrollment in Lifeline.
(1)
By one year from the effective date of these rules, eligible telecommunications carriers in states that mandate state Lifeline support must comply with state certification procedures to document consumer income-based eligibility for Lifeline prior to that consumer's enrollment if the consumer is qualifying under an income-based criterion.
(2)
By one year from the effective date of these rules, eligible telecommunications carriers in states that do not mandate state Lifeline support must implement certification procedures to document consumer-income-based eligibility for Lifeline prior to that consumer's enrollment if the consumer is qualifying under the income-based criterion specified in § 54.409(b). Acceptable documentation of income eligibility includes the prior year's state, federal, or tribal tax return, current income statement from an employer or paycheck stub, a Social Security statement of benefits, a Veterans Administration statement of benefits, a retirement/pension statement of benefits, an Unemployment/Workmen's Compensation statement of benefits, federal or tribal notice letter of participation in General Assistance, a divorce decree, child support, or other official document. If the consumer presents documentation of income that does not cover a full year, such as current pay stubs, the consumer must present three consecutive months worth of the same types of document within that calendar year.
(b) Self-certifications.
After income certification procedures are implemented, eligible telecommunications carriers and consumers are required to make certain self-certifications, under penalty of perjury, relating to the Lifeline program. Eligible telecommunications carriers must retain records of their self-certifications and those made by consumers.
(1)
An officer of the eligible telecommunications carrier in a state that mandates state Lifeline support must certify that the eligible telecommunications carrier is in compliance with state Lifeline income certification procedures and that, to the best of his/her knowledge, documentation of income was presented.
(2)
An officer of the eligible telecommunications carrier in a state that does not mandate state Lifeline support must certify that the eligible telecommunications carrier has procedures in place to review income documentation and that, to the best of his/her knowledge, the carrier was presented with documentation of the consumer's household income.
(3)
Consumers qualifying for Lifeline under an income-based criterion must certify the number of individuals in their households on the document required in § 54.409(d).
(c) Verification of Continued Eligibility.
Consumers qualifying for Lifeline may be required to verify continued eligibility on an annual basis.
(1)
By one year from the effective date of these rules, eligible telecommunications carriers in states that mandate state Lifeline support must comply with state verification procedures to validate consumers' continued eligibility for Lifeline. The eligible telecommunications carrier must be able to document that it is complying with state regulations and verification requirements.
(2)
By one year from the effective date of these rules, eligible telecommunications carriers in states that do not mandate state Lifeline support must implement procedures to verify annually the continued eligibility of a statistically valid random sample of their Lifeline subscribers. Eligible telecommunications carriers may verify directly with a state that particular subscribers continue to be eligible by virtue of participation in a qualifying program or income level. To the extent eligible telecommunications carriers cannot obtain the necessary information from the state, they may survey subscribers directly and provide the results of the sample to the Administrator. Subscribers who are subject to this verification and qualify under program-based eligibility criteria must prove their continued eligibility by presenting in person or sending a copy of their Lifeline-qualifying public assistance card and self-certifying, under penalty of perjury, that they continue to participate in the Lifeline-qualifying public assistance program. Subscribers who are subject to this verification and qualify under the income-based eligibility criteria must prove their continued eligibility by presenting current income documentation consistent with the income-certification process in § 54.410(a)(2). These subscribers must also self-certify, under penalty of perjury, the number of individuals in their household and that the documentation presented accurately represents their annual household income. An officer of the eligible telecommunications carrier must certify, under penalty of perjury, that the company has income verification procedures in place and that, to the best of his or her knowledge, the company was presented with corroborating documentation. The eligible telecommunications carrier must retain records of these certifications.
[69 FR 34600, June 22, 2004, as amended at 73 FR 42274, July 21, 2008]