14,000 More Hawaii Families May Be Eligible For SNAP Benefits Under New Rules
Department of Human Services says it is unsure when it can make the eligibility fix because it requires changes to the state’s 40-year-old computer system.
Hawaii will broaden eligibility for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to allow an estimated 14,000 additional lower-income families to begin drawing federal support, Gov. Josh Green said Monday.
The change in the SNAP program, commonly known as food stamps, is expected to bring an extra $40 million to $45 million in federal benefits into the state each year once it is implemented by the state Department of Human Services, according to supporters of the move.
鈥淭his is going to provide a huge relief for our working-class families who are struggling with Hawai鈥榠鈥檚 highest-in-the-nation cost of living,鈥 Green said in a announcing the change.
Green praised by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization that prompted the change. The study points out that thousands of lower-income Hawaii residents have been missing out on millions of dollars in SNAP benefits that are authorized by the federal government.
A family of four can receive as much as $1,759 per month in SNAP benefits. About 130,000 Hawaii households are now enrolled, and state residents typically receive a total of more than $60 million per month in SNAP benefits, according to the UHERO paper.
Authors Dylan Moore and Nate Hix explain in the paper that Hawaii currently imposes a gross income limit of no more than 200% of the federal poverty level to qualify for SNAP benefits. That would be about $5,750 monthly for a family of four, but Hawaii also imposes a more stringent “net income limit” to qualify for the program.
The federal government in 2000 granted the states flexibility to adjust the income restrictions through a mechanism known as 鈥渂road-based categorical eligibility,鈥 and the net income limit is no longer mandated by the federal government, according to the paper.
Green said Hawaii will therefore adjust its SNAP program by dropping that requirement. 28 other states have already done so, according to the paper.
Hix, who is social impact policy manager for the Hawaii Public Health Institute, said in an interview that the change will be “a huge win across the board.”
“This is an enormous opportunity,” Hix said. “Federal SNAP benefits are a federally funded program, and so the more residents we can have who are eligible, the better. It’s just bringing in free money to our state for low-income residents who are in need.”
The Department of Human Services is working on adjusting the eligibility requirements for SNAP, but doing so will require changes in the aging DHS computer system known as HAWI, or the Hawaii Automated Welfare Information system, Director Ryan Yamane said in a statement.
“Timeframe for implementation is dependent on the ability to make necessary modifications to the legacy HAWI system,” Yamane said in the statement. HAWI is now some 40 years old, and the department is in the process of replacing HAWI with a new system.
The change “aligns with the department鈥檚 overall mission to encourage self-sufficiency and support the well-being of individuals, families, and communities in Hawaii,鈥 Yamane said in the statement.
