NEWS RELEASE – DHS ANNOUNCES UPDATED SNAP REPLACEMENT BENEFIT DEADLINES AND KAUAʻI MASS REPLACEMENT APPROVAL FOLLOWING TROPICAL CYCLONES LALA AND LOWELL
STATE OF HAWAIʻI
KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
KE KIAʻĀINA
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
KA ʻOIHANA MĀLAMA LAWELAWE KANAKA
JOSEPH CAMPOS II
DIRECTOR
KA LUNA HOʻOKELE
TRISTA SPEER
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
KA HOPE LUNA HOʻOKELE
LORI-LEI APONTE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
KA HOPE LUNA HOʻOKELE
DHS ANNOUNCES UPDATED SNAP REPLACEMENT BENEFIT DEADLINES AND KAUAʻI MASS REPLACEMENT APPROVAL FOLLOWING TROPICAL CYCLONES LALA AND LOWELL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2026
HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services (DHS) is announcing important updates to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) replacement benefits for households impacted by Tropical Cyclone Lala and Hurricane Lowell.
Following federal approval, Hawaiʻi has extended the deadlines for SNAP households to request replacement benefits due to disaster‑related food loss. SNAP recipients may now submit written statements through:
- September 23, 2026, for households impacted by Tropical Cyclone Lala
- September 28, 2026, for households impacted by Hurricane Lowell
In addition, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service has approved a 60-percent Automated Mass Replacement (AMR) for Kauaʻi SNAP households affected by Hurricane Lowell, where power outages caused significant food spoilage.
Benefits issued under this AMR will be available on September 17.
For clarity, the 60-percent AMR represents 60 percent of a household’s regular monthly SNAP benefit. For example, if a household received $100 in August SNAP benefits, the automatic replacement amount would be $60.
Households outside the AMR area — or those who lost more food than the automatic replacement amount — may request additional or non‑automated replacement benefits by submitting a signed written statement that includes:
- Name of the SNAP participant
- Date of food loss
- Estimated value of food lost
- Description of what occurred
- Participant contact information
A sample statement is available on the DHS website, but applicants are not required to use it and may submit their own written statement instead.
Applicants may request replacement SNAP benefits due to impacts from Lala, Lowell or both, depending on their individual food loss.
Statements may be submitted to any DHS Processing Center statewide. As required by federal rules, the SNAP recipient must sign the statement.
For more information, visit https://humanservices.hawaii.gov/ or call the Statewide Public Assistance Information Line at 1-855-643-1643.
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