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Free Government Phone Illinois Inhabitants – Successful Way

The mobile phone is one of the most used digital devices today since it is the fastest way to communicate with others in case of emergencies. Therefore, every citizen must have it. Since our sturdy area in Illinois, it is known that the federal government of the US is providing free government phone Illinois low-income individuals to provide affordable mobile phone and home internet services through programs such as the Lifeline program.

These free cell phones are not given directly to people. Still, they are offered through some programs provided by mobile network operators in the US, such as Life wireless, American Wireless, Assurance Wireless, SafeLink Wireless, Terracom Wireless, and many more. However, these phones are not just given to all households or individuals; there are certain conditions that a person must satisfy to be eligible to receive free mobile phones. 

The households eligible to get the free phones will be discussed later in the article. Moreover, the article will also discuss how to get this free mobile phone, the programs that the federal government uses to give the free phones, and some of the other benefits of being eligible to be enrolled in the programs that offer the free cell phones and many more.

Acknowledgement of Lifeline Program

This is a federal government program that was initiated to provide free government cell phones for low-income citizens. Later after its formation, the program was upgraded and improved to offer free home cell phones and affordable monthly plans for seniors and people with disability. It is well known that most seniors are on the social security program. Therefore, they have a meager income. Therefore, the government has taken measures to provide them with free smartphones for emergencies.

To provide even more and better service to the people, the US government has offered free cell phones to seniors in other programs such as Medicare and Medicaid program, the Affordable connectivity Program, the social security program, and many more. This article will discuss some of the programs in detail later.

The Best Ways to Get Free Cell Phones for Seniors on Medicare

free government phone illinois

The seniors must get the best and most reliable mobile phone services at home, especially for emergency services. The federal government of the US, through Medicaid, is offering free phones for seniors on Medicare. So, what is Medicare? This is a federal government health insurance program that provides services to individuals aged 65 years and above. 

The program also offers services to specific young people with disabilities and with End-Stage Renal Disease, individuals with permanent kidney failure who require transplant or dialysis. To get free cell phones, the seniors can either apply online or by mail. The procedures for the applications are discussed below;

  • For the online application 
  • Visit nationalverifier.servicenowservices.com to verify your digital photos and necessary documents.
  • Select your current state
  • Click the “Get Started” button
  • Follow the on-screen instruction and fill out the online form
  • When applying through standard mail
  • Make physical photocopies of the required documents
  • Print the Lifeline application form
  • Fill in the application form
  • Send the application form and the documents to a Lifeline Support center

However, it is noticed that not all seniors can get access to these free government smartphones since some seniors are capable of providing themself with good mobile phones and medical services. Therefore, there are some qualifications that the individual must satisfy at Medicare to get the free phones through a program known as the Lifeline program; these qualifications include; 

  • The household must be considered a low-income household; that is, the individual’s income is at or below the federal government poverty level or no more than 135%of the federal poverty guidelines.
  • The individual participates in other federal government assistance programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), temporary assistance for needy families, Federal Public Housing Assistance, school lunch program, Medicaid, some tribal programs, head start, and many more.

The 4 Best Free Government Phones Providers

Many carriers in the US provide a free mobile phone for their citizens. As mentioned in the introduction, some carriers include life wireless, assurance wireless, and many more. These wireless companies also provide cell phone plans with free phones for the seniors and qualified individuals in a different federal government assistance program. Some of these companies have been discussed below;

i) Assist Wireless

Different states in the US can access different plans provided by wireless assurance companies. The company provides its services to Maryland, Missouri, and Arkansas residents. These residents get free smartphone plans that include 1000 minutes of talk time, 500 text messages, and 50B of mobile data.

The residents in Oklahoma benefit from tribal plans, including unlimited talks and texts and 4.5 GB of data. Therefore, this company is one of the best options for tribal lifeline qualifiers.

ii) Assurance Wireless

This is a federal Lifeline program that provides unlimited texting, free monthly talk time minutes, and data. The services provided by this company vary from one location to another. However, most states get up to 3GB of mobile data, 1000 voice minutes, and unlimited texts. Some of the states that enjoy these services include the state of Washington, California, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Texas, and many others.

iii) Qlink Wireless

This network provider offers free cell phone services such as unlimited talk time minutes, text messaging, and 3GB of mobile data. Customers enrolled in this service also enjoy other benefits such as no-contract mobile phone deals and plans, no monthly bills, no fees, no credit checks, and no surcharges. In addition to all these fantastic deals, the company also offers prepaid wireless cell phone services that are very affordable.

iv) Infinity Mobile

The company offers free cell phones and significantly discounted mobile phone plans in tribal and non-tribal forms. Seniors on Medicare get up to 1GB of mobile data, 1000 minutes of talk time, and unlimited text messaging. The carrier also offers even better services to Indian American citizens who qualify for the companies’ services. For example, they receive an extended mobile phone data plan of up to 2GB.

Free Government Phone for Seniors Through Social Security

Many other government programs offer free phones other than Medicare. Some of them include the lifeline and ACP programs. The US federal government also provides free mobile phones to individuals in the social security program to ensure that many low-income citizens get access to the best cell phone services. So, what is the social security program? This federal government program was started to offer financial assistance to retired individuals. 

It has a particular way of operating; it withholds 6.2% of Social Security tax from individuals’ paycheck, and the employer also pays another 6.2% of individual earnings on taxes. The taxes are then placed into the social security trust fund, which earns interest. These funds do not benefit the working individually but are used to pay the current social security recipient.

Furthermore, the federal government of the US provides free phones for seniors on social security. These phones intend to provide services to medical safety, personal safety, and mental health. Many network service providers offer these free phones for seniors.

Some of the best providers include; SafetyNet Wireless, SafeLink Wireless, life wireless, QLink wireless, Assurance wireless, and many more. These providers offer different types of free cell phones such as;

  • Snapfon ezTWO
  • LG Exalt VN220
  • ASUS ZenFone Max Pro
  • Jitterbug Flip
  • Jitterbug Smart2
  • Nokia 4.2
  • Motorola G6 Play

Best Ways To Get a Free Government Phone in Illinois

Illinois is one of the states in the US that experience difficult financial conditions such as unemployment, low income, and many more, thereby causing chronic conditions for most of the people living below the poverty line.

However, the government of the land of Lincoln is always on its toes to ensure that the citizens living in Illinois get access to the best mobile phone and home internet services. Eligible Illinois citizens can get free mobile phone services through the Lifeline program.

Some of the companies in Illinois that offer these free cell phones include; Life wireless, American Wireless, Assurance Wireless, US Cellular, and Terracom Wireless. The services some of these companies provide have already been discussed.

Therefore, the simple procedure that the Illinois individuals can follow to get access to the free mobile phone services is as follows;

  • Find the carriers in Illinois that provide free phone services.
  • Check the eligibility requirement for the free phones in Illinois.
  • Visit the company’s website and click “Apply.”
  • It will then take you to the application form, where you will fill in your details such as name, date of birth, address, and last number on social security.
  • Submit your application and wait for the company’s confirmation
  • You will receive the free mobile phone in about ten business days when approved.

Bottom Line

It is now clear that there are specific qualifications that an individual must satisfy to get access to free government phones. Generally, these mobile phones are intended to give good mobile phone services to low-income individuals, some seniors, and people living with a disability.

These phones are offered to individuals through federal government programs such as ACP and Lifeline programs offered by many network providers.

Karissa Bell

Karissa is a senior editor, covering all things Smartphone for Compatible Phone. Prior to joining Compatible Phone, she was a senior reporter at Mashable, where she wrote about Smartphone Reviews, big tech companies and internet culture. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding, traveling and watching too many cat videos on Instagram.

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