Friday, July 15, 2011

Free Medicaid Cell Phones

I have had many people who are on Medicaid ask me if they could apply for free cell phones for Medicaid recipients. I always tell them that it is possible to do that because these types of phones are for people with low income and resources. In fact, it would be easier for someone on Medicaid to apply for a free cell phone than a person who was not on Medicaid because their income is already verified. They would only have to show proof of their Medicaid coverage.

Once these people find out that they could apply for a free phone, they always ask how to go about doing that. There are several companies that provide free cell phone service. The one that I am most familiar with is Safelink Wireless. You could go directly to their website and fill out the application for a free phone. If you are approved, you would get a free cell phone and free minutes. You get about 250 free minutes each month. Some of the people that I talked to were worried that 250 minutes may not be enough to use for a whole month. I reminded them that the cell phones were not meant for them to be talking to their friends all day long. It is supposed to be used for emergencies and for taking care of personal business. But I also informed them that they could buy more minutes if they do run out of the 250 minutes. Another thing about this program is that each household can only get one free phone. Extra cell phones will cost money.

I think this is a very good program for those needy families and individuals who really cannot afford to get their own phone service. However, this program should not be abused as with any other government assistance program.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Free Cell Phones for Disabled People

Ever since I was disabled on my job, I have been unable to work ever since. I collect government disability checks in order to survive. It is a pretty tough life. In order to get by, I have also applied for other government benefit programs. Although I do not really like to do that, I feel that if I do not, I would not be able to survive in the society. One of the government programs that has really helped me was the free cell phones for disabled people program. Through this program I got a free cell phone plus 250 free talk time minutes per month. The cellular company that I went through was Safelink Wireless.

I went to their website and put in my zip code. It will then show whether your area has the free cell phones available. Not every place has this available yet so that is why you have to check your area. Lucky for me my area was eligible for the program. I then printed out the application and filled it out. I had to provide proof of my income which they would use to determine if I can get a free phone. The overall process was pretty simple. Once you submit your application, you can check their website and see how far along your application is. You also have to submit annual verifications if you want to continue using the free cell phone service for the disabled.

Once you join the program, you have the choice to add more minutes if you feel the free minutes that they give you are not enough. For me, I never use more than the free minutes that they give me. I use my phone mainly for business reasons and rarely use it for chatting. For example, I recently used my phone to help find a new job. The job that I applied for required a phone number on the application. They later called me to inform me that I got the job. If I did not have the phone I am not sure how I would be contacted. This is definitely a very good program for the disabled people that are poor.