Benefits for seniors in Hawaii

Medicaid for people 65 and over

The Med-QUEST Division of the Department of Human Services runs Medicaid. Care is given through QUEST Integration. If you are 65 or over, blind, or disabled, Med-QUEST looks at your income and your assets.

• Income: Up to 100% of the Hawaii poverty level. For 2026 that is $1,530 a month for one person, or $2,075 for a couple.
• Assets: $2,000 for one person, or $3,000 for a couple.
• Over the income limit? If your assets are within the limit, the Medically Needy Spenddown program may help once your medical bills are high enough. You keep $469 a month to live on.
• What it covers: Doctor and hospital care, medicine, dental care, rides to medical visits, and long-term care. For dental questions, call Community Case Management Corp. at 808-792-1070 on Oahu or 1-888-792-1070 on the neighbor islands.

Long-term care. Med-QUEST can pay for care at home, in a community care foster family home, in an adult residential care home, or in a nursing home. You need an assessment of the care you need. If you live in a care facility, most of your income goes toward your care, but you keep a personal needs allowance of $75 a month. Medicaid may also pay medical bills from up to three months before you applied.

Estate recovery. After you die, the state may recover what Medicaid paid from your estate if you were 55 or over or lived in a nursing home. It waits until your spouse has died, and does not recover while a child under 21, or a blind or disabled child, survives. If you live in a nursing home and are not expected to return home, the state may also place a lien on your home.

Coming in 2027: New work rules start January 1, 2027, but only for adults 19 to 64. They do not affect people 65 and over.

Help paying Medicare costs

The Medicare Savings Programs pay some or all of your Medicare costs. Hawaii's income limits are higher than the mainland limits.

• QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles, and copays. Income up to $1,530 a month for one person, or $2,075 for a couple.
• SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary): Pays your Part B premium. Income up to $1,836 a month for one person, or $2,490 for a couple.
• QI (Qualifying Individual): Pays your Part B premium. Income up to $2,066 a month for one person, or $2,801 for a couple.
• Assets: $9,950 for one person, or $14,910 for a couple.

Some income is not counted, so apply even if you are a little over. If you get any of these programs, you also get Extra Help with drug costs automatically. Apply through Med-QUEST.

Prescription drug help

We could not find a current state program in Hawaii that helps seniors pay for prescriptions. The main help is federal Extra Help, which lowers Medicare Part D costs. Hawaii SHIP can help you apply and compare drug plans for free.

Extra state payment with SSI

Hawaii does not add a state payment for people who live on their own. If you live independently, you get the federal SSI amount of $994 a month.

Hawaii pays a supplement only to SSI recipients in foster care or domiciliary care. In an adult foster care home, the federal and state payment together is $1,823 a month for one person, in one check from Social Security (1-800-772-1213).

Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (AABD) is a state cash program for people 65 and over, or blind or disabled, with very low income and assets of no more than $2,000 for one person. The most it pays one person is $388 a month. It mostly helps people who cannot get SSI or Social Security. Call 1-855-643-1643.

Food help

Hawaii calls food help SNAP. It is run by the Department of Human Services.

• Rules for seniors: If someone in your home is 60 or over or disabled, the household only has to meet the net income test. Net income is what is left after allowed costs, such as some medical and housing costs, are taken off. Through September 2027 the limit is $1,530 a month for one person.
• If everyone in your home gets SSI, there are no income or asset limits for SNAP.
• Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program: If you are 60 or over with low income, you can get coupons for fresh fruits, vegetables, honey, and herbs from local farmers from April through October. You apply each year to the local agency for your county, not to the state. Call the Office of Community Services at 808-586-8681 to find out about this year's season.
• Meals: Home-delivered meals are one of the Kupuna Care services.

Help staying at home

• Kupuna Care: For people 60 and over who need help with two or more daily tasks, such as bathing or cooking, or who have memory loss. Services include adult day care, rides, case management, personal care, chore and homemaker help, and home-delivered meals. Your county Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) checks if you qualify.
• QUEST Integration home and community care: If you qualify for Medicaid and need nursing-home-level care, Med-QUEST can pay for care at home or in a community care home instead.
• PACE: PACE is for people 55 and over who need nursing-home-level care. We could not confirm a PACE program now running in Hawaii. Use Medicare's PACE search to check your area.
• Family caregivers: Your county office on aging offers caregiver training, support groups, and respite care.

Property tax and housing help

Each county sets its own property tax rules. File by the county deadline and reapply when told to.

• Honolulu (Oahu): The home exemption takes $120,000 off your home's taxable value, or $160,000 if you are 65 or over. The 65+ amount rises to $180,000 on July 1, 2027. The Real Property Tax Credit helps if all owners together had gross income of $80,000 or less and own no other property. It pays the part of your tax above 3% of your income. Apply every year by September 30. Call 808-768-3205.
• Kauai: The home exemption is $240,000 from age 60 and $260,000 from age 70. There are also credits for low-income owners. File by September 30. Call 808-241-4224.
• Maui County: The home exemption is $300,000. A circuit breaker credit can help if your property tax is more than 2% of your adjusted gross income. File by December 31. Call 808-270-7297.
• Hawaii County: Ask about the home exemption and homeowner programs at 808-961-8201.
• Renters' credit (state income tax): If you rent and your adjusted gross income is under $30,000, you may get $50 for each exemption. People 65 and over get one extra exemption. You must have paid more than $1,000 in rent for the year. Claim it on Schedule X with your Hawaii tax return, even if you owe no tax.

Help with energy bills

Hawaii's LIHEAP is the Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program (H-HEAP). It gives a one-time credit on your electric or gas bill. You can get only one type of payment each program year (October to September).

• Energy Credit: For regular bills. Applications are taken only in June.
• Energy Crisis Intervention: If you have a shut-off notice. Applications are taken all year, but spots fill quickly each month.
• How to apply: Send your application to the Community Action Agency for your island, not to a DHS office. Oahu: Honolulu Community Action Program (Central office 808-488-6834). Maui: Maui Economic Opportunity, 808-249-2970. Kauai: Kauai Economic Opportunity, 808-245-4077. Island of Hawaii: Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council, 808-731-7009 (option 1).

Free help and counseling

• Hawaii SHIP: Free, one-on-one help with Medicare, drug plans, Medigap, and programs that help pay costs. Call 1-888-875-9229 (TTY 1-866-810-4379) or visit www.hawaiiship.org.
• Aging and Disability Resource Centers: Statewide line 808-643-2372 (TTY 808-643-0889), or www.hawaiiadrc.org. County offices: Honolulu 808-768-7700; Hawaii County 808-961-8626 (Kona 808-323-4390); Maui 808-270-7774 (Molokai 808-553-5241, Lanai 808-565-7114); Kauai 808-241-4470.
• Executive Office on Aging: The state aging office, part of the Department of Health. Call 808-586-0100.

How to apply

Phone numbers: Free help lines for Hawaii agencies

Check what you may qualify for