What It Is
The California LifeLine Telephone Program provides low-income families with a discounted home telephone service.

Are You Eligible?
To qualify for California LifeLine, you need to meet the following three requirements:

1. You must participate in an approved benefit program, or your gross annual household income (the income you pay before taxes) must not be more than the California LifeLine income limits (see below).

You may qualify for California LifeLine under either Method 1 - Program Based OR Method 2 - Income Based.

Method 1 - Program Based:
You can qualify for California LifeLine if you or another person in your household is enrolled in any one of the following public-assistance programs:

• Medicaid/Medi-Cal
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Federal Public Housing Assistance or Section 8
• Food Stamps
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Healthy Families Category A
• National School Lunch's FREE Lunch Program (NSL)
• Tribal TANF
• Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
• Women, Infant and Children Program (WIC)
• Head Start Income Eligible (Tribal Only)

Method 2 - Income-Based:
You can qualify for California LifeLine if your total household income is at or less than these income maximums:

Size of Household Maximum Annual Income
1 - 2 members – $24,000
3 members – $28,200
4 members – $34,000

For each additional member after 4 members, add $5,800.

In order to qualify for California LifeLine based on household income, you will need to provide documents proving that your total household income is at or below the income maximum for your household size. Income documents include:

• Prior Year's state, federal, or tribal tax return; or
• Income statements or paycheck stubs for three consecutive months within the calendar year
• Statement of benefits from Social Security, Veterans Administration, retirement/pension, unemployment compensation, and/or workmen's compensation
• A divorce decree
• Child support document
• Other Official documents

2. The household in which you are applying for California LifeLine must be your primary residence. Additionally, your household may not already have California LifeLine service.

3. You cannot be claimed as a dependent on someone else's income tax return.

For More Information
If you do not have home phone service or would like more information about LifeLine, contact the LifeLine call center:
English: 1-866-272-0349
Spanish: 1-866-272-0350
Laotian/Hmong: 1-866-272-0351
Cambodian: 1-866-272-0352
Tagalog: 1-866-272-0353
Korean: 1-866-272-0354
Vietnamese: 1-866-272-0355
Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese): 1-866-272-0356
Japanese: 1-866-296-0860
TTY: 1-866-272-0358

Website: www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/Telco/Public+Programs/ults.htm
Website: www.californiaLifeLine.com

How to Apply
Call your telephone company to enroll. Make sure to return the completed and signed enrollment form. Samples of qualification forms, instructions for qualification forms, frequently asked questions, and online applications are available at www.CaliforniaLifeline.com.