One of the things about growing older is that it happens gradually. When I retired from Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels last year at age 72, I didn’t realize I was already a dozen years into what is legally defined as “senior”—60 years old or older—by many government program standards. I had already started receiving early Social Security at 62 and had seamlessly transitioned my medical coverage at my workplace to Medicare at 64.
Retirement for many means living on less income and I remembered reading somewhere that the governor had done something to make Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Electronic Benefits Transfer (SNAP/EBT) more available for Hawai‘i seniors. I wondered what the qualifications were. It took some digging to find out.
I applied online at Hawai‘i’s Department of Human Services (DHS) website (humanservices.hawaii.gov), qualified and received my EBT Kokua Card (Hawai‘i’s name for the EBT card) in about a month. If you don’t know if you qualify or not, go ahead and try. Nothing bad will happen if you don’t qualify and all the information is confidential.
In case you are wondering, “SNAP,” “EBT” and “Food Stamps” refer to the same thing. I use the term “EBT,” which is the tool we use to use our SNAP benefits. Your monthly SNAP benefits are loaded onto the EBT Kokua Card. “Food Stamps” is an old-school term for the same thing.
SNAP is a federal program funded by the US Department of Agriculture, administered here by the State of Hawai‘i. It helps American farmers. If we spend EBT dollars in Hawai‘i, it helps local businesses and local farmers if we buy local. And it certainly helps us seniors.
You can use EBT to buy food at the market, but you can’t buy medicine, vitamins, tobacco, alcoholic beverages or hot, prepared food (although you might qualify for a meals-on-wheels type service from other nonprofit organizations in Hawai‘i).
If you qualify, your benefit amount will vary according to your income.
Some surprising benefits come with your EBT card. Before I even received my Kokua Card, I received a DaBux card. What is DaBux? It’s a Hawai‘i program that gives EBT users a 50% discount off local produce at most local supermarkets and online at Farm Link Hawai‘i (farmlinkhawaii.com). And that includes “name-brand” organic produce. You double your EBT bucks with DaBux.
With your EBT card, you can even get seeds for vegetables and herbs at a discount from participating retailers so you can grow your own. You can’t get fresher than that.
Need Help?
Not all seniors are computer savvy, so I made a short instructional video about the new rules and how to apply online. You can find my 14-minute YouTube video that further explains the process on at tinyurl.com/HowToApplyEBT.
For those seniors who are not online at all, a local nonprofit organization can help you apply for SNAP/EBT and let you know about your eligibility for other senior programs.
Call Catholic Charities Benefits Enrollment Center on O‘ahu at 808-527-4777. Other islands can call 808-521-4357.
For SNAP application, interview and recertification updates, visit humanservices.hawaii.gov/bessd/updates.
H. Doug Matsuoka was born in Hilo, Hawai‘i, and lives in Honolulu. Now retired, his career spanned social service nonprofits, including Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii. He recently retired from his 10 years with Hawaii Meals on Wheels, where he started as a part-time driver and became the IT director. He is a social activist, author and co-founder of Hawaii Guerrilla Video Hui.
If you have a story to share, email the editor: debra@generations808.com.
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