Phones happen to be an essential part of our daily lives. It helps us to communicate across the countries and thereby helps us to carry out our daily activities. But in many parts of this country, availing the proper phone services are quite expensive. That is why the government issues certain free government phone Washington state services for the responsible citizens.
But how to avail of these monthly free services? In case you are from Washington, you must have heard about the availability of free government cell phones. These are some of the benefits offered by the government authorities for the help the citizens. But are these easy to get? You might know the answer only when you know all the intricate details about these services.
These government phone services provide both free internet connectivity as well as calling facilities. But, just like any other service, these also come with specific rules and regulations for the users. You need to qualify the eligibility criteria to get these services for yourself. Therefore, here are some of the unique details of all the free cellphone services offered by the Washington government for you:
About the Washington Lifeline Program
The government provides free phone Washington state services to the citizens of this state. The program offers monthly free calling and data services so that these people can get the necessary amenities without any hassles. The Universal Service Fund provides these services to the citizens of this country. But the benefits might vary depending on your location.
In the case of Washington, you get to enjoy 250 free calling minutes every month, call-waiting, free voice mail, and caller ID services. You get to enjoy all these services with the free basic cellphone offered by the organization as well. The free minutes and other benefits are added to the phone every month as per the new cycle. The phones are available with a service period of one year.
There are specific eligibility criteria for receiving these services, one of which is the income of particular families. The services are mainly for the ones coming from the low-income group residing in Washington. Qualified individuals can get free cellphone services. This lifeline program is provided only to selected individuals fulfilling the eligibility criteria.
How to Get Free Government Phone If I Am from Washington?
Features of the Lifeline Program
The Lifeline Program available for the tribal lands and the families below the average income comes with several benefits. Right from free calling services to a data connection, one can get all the required phone services free from the government phones. Therefore, here are some of the features of the program for your reference:
- The services will only be available after the successful completion of the signup process provided by the concerned authorities
- The services will be offered to one person per family
- The services are not eligible to be clubbed with any other Lifeline offers
- It applies to the ones whose total household income is below 135 percent of Federal Poverty Guidelines.
- All the available plans are for 30 days cycle.
- One needs to submit the proper paperwork to the concerned authorities to become eligible for the selection procedure.
One can get the details of these procedures, both online as well as through offline platforms. In case you have doubts about how to get a free smartphone online, make sure to ask the officials first.
Eligibility Criteria for free government phone Washington state
The entire burden of paying the internet bills and the phone charges can sometimes be overloading for you. If you are struggling with paying the bills, you might check out the eligibility criteria for getting the free phone services. Such services are quite profitable to save a considerable amount of money on your monthly rental bills. Also, they help you to invest that extra money constructively for the family.
However, the government of Washington allows mainly two kinds of groups for such Lifelong programs. The first one primarily deals with the family income, while the second one involves the participation of the family in selected federal assistance programs.
The first thing you need to keep in mind is that you have to provide proper paperwork regarding the cumulative income of your entire family. The total family’s income needs to be less than 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Only then would your family be able to get sufficient free phone services for one member only.
Some of the eligible programs for this Lifeline plan are
- Federal Public Housing Assistance / Section 8
- Medicaid REQUIRES 9 Digit DSHS Client ID
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
- National School Lunch Program (NSL) Free Program Only
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Veterans Pension or Survivors Benefit
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) REQUIRES 9 Digit DSHS Client ID
- Head Start applicable for income qualifying/tribal lands only
- Tribally administered Food Distribution Program
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) REQUIRES 9 Digit DSHS Client ID
- Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) REQUIRES 9 Digit DSHS Client ID
People who are on food stamps, receiving survivor’s benefits, get Supplemental Security Income, are on Medicaid/Apple Health, etc. are also eligible. However, one needs to submit the proper paperwork to the concerned authorities to benefit from the benefits. Also, one needs to complete the entire signup procedure for receiving such benefits like Verizon wireless free government phones.
Services Offered by Lifeline Program
Here is the list of the services offered by the government to the selected families whose income is way below the federal laws:
- National calling services
- Call waiting
- Unlimited text messaging services
- Voicemail
- No roaming charges
- Three-way calling services
- Caller ID services
- Free domestic long-distance calling services
- Free 911 services
- Cheap recharge plans
- No Credit Check
- Free SIM card activation
- No annual contract
These services can vary accordingly and hence make sure to know these details accurately from the concerned government authorities.
Steps to Follow to Get free government phone from Washington state
The first step to follow in getting the free cellphone would include the submission of the legal paperwork to the concerned authorities. The signup procedure is exceptionally crucial for the approval of the free services to each family. That is why you need to provide all the essential income and other documents for the quick approval process. Once the authorities approve your form, you can bring your free cellphone and enjoy free services.
Few leading Washington cell phone providers do offer these services to the Federal Lifeline Assistance program. All you have to do is visit their website and signup for the procedure:
- Assurance Wireless offers free smartphones, 2GB of free data, 350 free voice call minutes, unlimited text services every month. You can call on 1-888-321-5880 to know more about such information. Due to the current situation of COVID-19, you can also get unlimited domestic calling and texting services. Along with all these, you also get 6GB data free services through 5/20/2020.
- Other companies like Safelink Wireless, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T are also proving such unique plans for helping out the Lifeline members during this pandemic situation.
These authorities have unique plans for the ones who already have their cellphones. You can bring the handsets to the organization and get 3GB free data along with unlimited talk time and texting services every month. Such information is necessary as the free cellphone services apply to only one member of the family.
Benefits of Free Government Phone Washington State
We have been discussing the features and eligibility criteria for the Lifeline programs offered by the government to its citizens. But what are the benefits of getting such monthly services? Here are some of the exciting advantages of using such services:
Quick Connection to The Emergency Services
One of the essential benefits of availing such services is that you get to connect to the emergency services without any hassles. People with earnings way below the government guidelines often suffer very severely. They do not get the chance to avail of proper medical benefits and emergency services. By using such lifeline free services, they can connect with the respective concerned authorities to get outstanding services without any hassles.
Build Your Career
Another reason why these services are beneficial for people is that they help them to build their careers. That means you get the leverage of acquiring knowledge and get the chance to get jobs. Many leading Washington cell phone providers have provided such services which help the people to browse job opportunities across their locations.
Help in Research
Free cellphone services not only provide hassle-free voice calling facilities but also come with internet services. These services help the people to carry out educational research and thereby aid the user in gaining knowledge. Thus, such services not only help in emergency cases but also in educational purposes.
These free cellphone services are quite beneficial for those who are struggling to meet their daily requirements. But these services are quite primary, and you cannot expect to enjoy the high-end calling or smartphone services. The handsets are the basic ones and offer fundamental level services that can meet your needs correctly.
However, this unique program of providing free government phone Washington state will undoubtedly help you build a career for yourself. It would help channel the funds to new paths, which can be profitable for those who need such government aid. Make the choices wisely and signup for the process as soon as possible to get your rights today!
