SNAP -- Buy Hot Food with EBT Card for One Month Only

Hawai'i Free Press

Friday, April 17, 2026

SNAP -- Buy Hot Food with EBT Card for One Month Only
By News Release @ 11:59 PM :: 3009 Views :: Honolulu County, Hawaii State Government, Small Business

SNAP HOT FOOD PURCHASE WAIVER APPROVED STATEWIDE THROUGH MAY 16

News Release from DHS, April 17, 2026

HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services (DHS) has received federal approval for a temporary waiver allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households to purchase hot foods using their benefits at authorized retailers statewide, from April 17 through May 16, 2026.

The waiver, approved April 17 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), provides critical flexibility for households impacted by the March 2026 Kona Low weather events, which caused widespread flooding, power outages and damage to homes across the state.

Under normal circumstances, SNAP benefits cannot be used to purchase hot or prepared foods. This temporary waiver allows eligible households to buy hot meals, helping those who may be unable to cook or safely store food due to ongoing impacts from the disaster.

“This waiver provides immediate, practical relief for families across Hawaiʻi who are still recovering from the recent storms,” said Governor Josh Green. “By allowing the purchase of hot meals with SNAP benefits, we’re helping ensure that residents who may not have access to cooking facilities can still put food on the table as they recover.”

FNS approved the waiver statewide in recognition of the severity and widespread effects of the Kona Low weather systems, which resulted in displacement and ongoing challenges for affected households.

“Authorized SNAP retailers across Hawaiʻi have been notified of the waiver and may begin accepting SNAP benefits for eligible hot food purchases during the approved period,” said DHS Deputy Director Joseph Campos. “Retailers will require 24 to 48 hours from April 17 to make necessary updates to their point-of-sale systems to support hot food purchases.”

The waiver is authorized under Section 412 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and Section 5(h)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.

DHS may request an extension of the waiver if conditions warrant additional relief.

For more information about SNAP benefits and disaster-related assistance, visit the DHS website or contact your nearest DHS Processing Center.

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SNAP REPLACEMENT BENEFIT DEADLINE IS APRIL 29 FOR HOUSEHOLDS IMPACTED BY APRIL SEVERE WEATHER

News release from DHS, April 17, 2026

HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services (DHS) is reminding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households impacted by the severe weather event from April 9–12, 2026, that the deadline to request replacement benefits is April 29, 2026.

Replacement benefits are available to eligible households that lost food purchased with SNAP benefits due to storm-related household misfortune, including power outages. The amount of replacement benefits is based on the value of food lost, not to exceed the household’s monthly SNAP allotment. Requests will be considered for replacement of April 2026 SNAP benefits.

The April 29, 2026, deadline applies to SNAP households statewide in the City and County of Honolulu and the counties of Hawaiʻi, Maui and Kauaʻi.

Households that experienced food loss may apply by contacting any DHS Processing Center or calling the Public Assistance Information Line at 1-855-643-1643.

To request replacement benefits, households must submit a signed written statement that includes:

Name of the SNAP participant
Date of food loss (please provide a specific date, not a range)
Estimated value of food lost (please provide a specific dollar amount, not a range)
Description of what occurred and when
Contact information

A sample written statement is available on the DHS website; however, households may submit their own statement and are not required to use the sample form.

All submissions will be reviewed and validated and can be turned into your nearest DHS Processing Center or via the Statewide Branch email at bessd.statewidebranch@dhs.hawaii.gov. Approved households will receive replacement benefits following the review process.

The deadline to request replacement benefits for the March 2026 Kona Low severe weather events was April 9, 2026. Requests for those events are no longer being accepted.

For more information, visit the DHS website or contact your nearest DHS Processing Center.

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SNAP Food Replacement in KONA Low 2 Storm - Hawaii Announced

News Release from USDA, April 3, 2026

SAN FRANSICO, April 3, 2026 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced yesterday that households impacted by the Kona Low 2 storm in Hawaii could be eligible for replacement of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This is one of many recent steps USDA has taken to ensure Hawaii residents in need have food to eat.

Rather than require SNAP households to report food losses individually, USDA allowed the state of Hawaii to approve automatic mass replacements of 50% benefits for residents who lost food as a result of the flooding that started on March 20. The waiver applies to ZIP codes of 96712 and 96791. More details will be made available through the Hawaii Department of Human Services.

SNAP participants in areas hardest hit by the disaster may have a portion of their benefits that were issued in March replaced. SNAP recipients residing in other affected areas may request replacement benefits by filing an affidavit with the local office attesting to disaster-related loss.

For more information about assistance available to residents of Hawaii impacted by Kona Low 2, visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/disaster/hawaii.

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MASS SNAP REPLACEMENT APPROVED FOR WAIALUA AND HALEʻIWA: Deadline Extended to April 9 for Other Impacted Households

News Release from DHS, April 2, 2026

HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services (DHS) will issue an automatic mass replacement of 50% of March 2026 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for households in Waialua (96791) and Haleʻiwa (96712) on Oʻahu.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has approved DHS’ request to extend the deadline to apply for SNAP replacement benefits to April 9, 2026, for households impacted by the Kona Low weather events in March 2026.

For households in Waialua and Haleʻiwa, DHS will automatically replace 50% of each household’s March 2026 SNAP benefit no later than April 10, 2026. For example, a household that received $500 in SNAP benefits for March will receive a $250 replacement.

The April 9, 2026 deadline applies to SNAP households in the following impacted areas:

City and County of Honolulu (Oʻahu):
ʻAiea (96701), ʻEwa Beach (96706), Kapolei (96707), Haleʻiwa (96712), Hauʻula (96717), Kahuku (96731), Kailua (96734), Kāneʻohe (96744), Lāʻie (96762), Pearl City (96782), Wahiawā (96786), Mililani (96789), Waialua (96791), Waiʻanae (96792), Waipahu (96797) and Honolulu (various ZIP codes)

Hawaiʻi County:
Captain Cook (96704), North Kohala (96719), Hilo (96720, 96721), Holualoa (96725), Honokaʻa (96727), Honomū (96728), Kailua-Kona (96740, 96745), Kamuela/Waimea (96743), Keaʻau (96749), South Kona (96750), Kohala (96755), Kurtistown (96760), Mountain View (96771), Nāʻālehu (96772), Nīnole (96773), Pāhoa (96778), Pepeʻekeo (96783), Volcano (96785)

Maui County:
Haʻikū (96708), Hāna (96713), Kahului (96732), Kaunakakai (96748), Kīhei (96753), Lahaina (96761), Lānaʻi City (96763), Makawao (96768), Pāʻia (96779), Kula (96790), Wailuku (96793)

Households in these areas that have experienced food loss may apply by contacting any DHS Processing Center or calling the Public Assistance Information Line at 1-855-643-1643.

To request replacement benefits, households must submit a signed written statement that includes:

Name of the SNAP participant
Estimated value of food lost
Description of what occurred and when
Contact information

A sample written statement is available on the DHS website; however, households may submit their own statement and are not required to use the sample form.

All submissions will be reviewed and validated. Approved households will receive replacement benefits following the review process.

For more information, visit the DHS website or contact your nearest DHS Processing Center.

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SNAP Replacement Benefit Deadline is April 9 for Households Impacted by Second Kona Low

News Release from DHS, March 31, 2026

HONOLULU —The Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services (DHS) is reminding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households impacted by the second Kona Low weather event from March 20–23, 2026, that the deadline to request replacement benefits is April 9, 2026.

The April 9, 2026 deadline applies only to SNAP households in the following impacted areas:

City and County of Honolulu (Oʻahu):
Wahiawā (96786)

Hawaiʻi County:
Hāwī (96719), Holualoa (96725), Kailua-Kona (96740, 96745), Kamuela (96743), Keaʻau (96749), Kealakekua (96750), Kapaʻau (96755), Kurtistown (96760), Mountain View (96771), Nā‘ālehu (96772), Pāhoa (96778), Volcano (96785)

Maui County:
Hāna (96713), Kula (96790)

Households in these areas that experienced food loss may apply by contacting any DHS Processing Center or calling the Public Assistance Information Line at 1-855-643-1643.

To request replacement benefits, households must submit a signed written statement that includes:

• Name of the SNAP participant
• Estimated value of food lost
• Description of what occurred and when
• Contact information

A sample written statement is available on the DHS website; however, households may submit their own statement and are not required to use the sample form.

All submissions will be reviewed and validated. Approved households will receive replacement benefits following the review process.

For more information, visit the DHS website or contact your nearest DHS Processing Center.

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IMPORTANT UPDATE: SNAP REPLACEMENT BENEFITS DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 2, 2026

News Release from DHS Mar 20, 2026 -- Updated March 23, 2026 with additional information.

HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services (DHS) is announcing an important update to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) replacement benefits deadline. DHS obtained approval from the federal Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to extend the deadline to submit applications for replacement benefits until April 2, 2026, for specific areas of the state impacted by prolonged power outages associated with the Kona Low weather event from March 13 – March 15, 2026.

SNAP replacement benefits allow eligible households to be reimbursed for food, purchased with SNAP benefits, that was destroyed. The replacement amount will be based on the value of food lost, not to exceed the total monthly SNAP benefit issued to the household.

The extended deadline for applications for replacement benefits applies only to the following areas below:

City and County of Honolulu (Oʻahu):
- Kāneʻohe (96744), Kailua (96734), Wahiawā (96786), Mililani (96789), Laʻie (96762), Waialua (96791), Haleʻiwa (96712), Kahuku (96731), Waianae (96792), Hauʻula (96717) and Honolulu (various ZIP codes)

Hawaiʻi County
- North Kona (96740), South Kona (96750 and 96704), Volcano (96795), Keaʻau (96749), Kurtistown (96760), Mountain View (96771), Kaʻū (96734), and Kohala (96734)

Maui County
- Upcountry (96790 and 96768) and Haʻikū (96708)

Kauai County
- Kalāheo (96741), Kīlauea (96754), Waimea (96796), Princeville (96722), Kōloa (96756) and Kapaʻa (96746)

The extension of the reporting deadline is only for households in the above ZIP codes. For households outside of those areas who experienced loss of food purchased with SNAP, the request for replacement benefits will need to be reported within 10 days of the loss.

SNAP participant households in the identified areas above who were impacted by the recent Kona Low event and power outages may apply by contacting any DHS Processing Center or by contacting the Public Assistance Information Line at 1-855-643-1643. SNAP recipients must submit a signed written statement reporting food loss. The signed statement must include:

The name of the SNAP participant
An estimate of the value of food destroyed
A description of what occurred and when
Contact information for the SNAP participant

A sample written statement is available on the DHS website; however, recipients may submit their own signed written statement and are not required to use the sample form.

Once received, submissions will be reviewed and validated. Approved applicants will receive replacement benefits following the review process.

For more information, participants are encouraged to visit the DHS website or contact their nearest DHS Processing Center.

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HAWAII DHS ANNOUNCES SNAP REPLACEMENT BENEFITS FOR CURRENT RECIPIENTS AFFECTED BY KONA LOW WEATHER EVENT

News Release from DHS, March 18, 2026

HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services (DHS) is announcing an important update regarding the replacement of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits following severe weather, flooding and power outages associated with the recent Kona Low weather event.

This assistance is for current SNAP recipients who experienced food loss due to household misfortune, such as extended power outages or flooding across the state.

DHS is currently accepting applications for SNAP replacement benefits from SNAP households statewide.

To qualify, SNAP recipients must submit a written statement reporting the food loss within 10 days of the incident. The statement must include:

The name of the SNAP participant
An estimate of the value of food destroyed
A description of what occurred and when
Contact information for the participant

A sample written statement is available on the DHS website; however, recipients may submit their own written statement and are not required to use the sample form.

Written statements may be submitted to any DHS Processing Center statewide. Once received, submissions will be reviewed and validated. Approved applicants will receive replacement benefits following the review process.

For more information, participants are encouraged to visit the DHS website or contact their nearest DHS Processing Center.