Benefits in Hawaii: what you may be able to apply for

Key difference in this state

If you are a citizen of one of the COFA nations — the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau — read this first, because the question the mainland states put to immigrants ("are you a qualified alien?") does not arise here. The federal statute names you directly. 8 U.S.C. § 1612(b)(2)(G), "Exception for citizens of freely associated states," reads: "With respect to eligibility for benefits for any designated Federal program, paragraph (1) shall not apply to any individual who lawfully resides in 1 of the 50 States or the District of Columbia in accordance with the Compacts of Free Association …" — and § 1612(b)(3) defines "designated Federal program" as TANF, the social services block grant, and Medicaid. Note the wording: the statute reaches "any individual who lawfully resides … in accordance with the Compacts." It does not run through the "qualified alien" test at all. So on this program, the question "do I fall into a qualified-immigrant category?" is one COFA citizens do not need to ask — and it is why no mainland state's immigration-eligibility account should be copied onto this page. Hawaii's own words line up with that. Med-QUEST: "Effective 12/27/2020, Hawaii residents who are citizens of one of the COFA Nations will have access to Medicaid coverage." The same notice recalls what came before: "While Hawai'i has continued to provide coverage to eligible children and pregnant women and has used State-only funds to cover those who are 65 and over, blind, or disabled, this new law restores federal funding and support of Medicaid for all COFA citizens who reside in the U.S." In other words, before the federal restoration Hawaii carried part of this on its own state funds. One thing we are not answering for you: the provision above settles the § 1612 question. How the five-year bar at 8 U.S.C. § 1613 applies to COFA citizens is something we have not yet read word for word, so this page makes no claim about it — if that point matters to you, ask Med-QUEST directly. For people without lawful status, none of the above applies. We did not find broad state-funded coverage for undocumented adults in Hawaii; what exists is emergency Medicaid, whose definition and limits are set federally (see the federal section on this program's page). One narrow door is worth naming: Hawaii runs a state-funded breast and cervical cancer medical assistance program whose own rule describes it as covering "an individual who meets the requirements under the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program except for citizenship status." It is narrow, but it is a real door.

Key difference in this state

For lawfully residing immigrant families there is real good news in this cell: Hawaii has taken up the CHIPRA § 214 option (often called ICHIA), covering children and pregnant women, without the five-year wait. In the state-by-state list published by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (updated April 2, 2026), Hawaii's row reads, under Medicaid, "Children and pregnant women," with an asterisk whose note says: "These states cover children in Medicaid up to age 19." Why this matters: under the default federal rule, many lawfully present immigrants must wait five years after obtaining a qualifying status before Medicaid is even in question — and the § 214 option is precisely the provision that lets a state lift children and pregnant women out of that wait. So in Hawaii, lawfully residing children and pregnant people do not have to sit out those five years first. For citizens of the three COFA nations: a child applies through the same door (Med-QUEST), and COFA citizens' Medicaid eligibility is named directly in federal statute (see the detailed account on this state's Medicaid page). One thing we are not answering for you: Hawaii's CHIP is "Medicaid expanded with Title XXI funds," while the two federal provisions that name COFA citizens speak of "Medicaid." Which pocket the money comes out of and which door you walk through are two different questions. We have not read the first one word for word; the second has a clear answer — it is the Med-QUEST door. So do not assume that the word "CHIP" means you must look somewhere else. For children without lawful status, none of the above applies: we did not find broad state-funded coverage for undocumented children in Hawaii (scope of what we checked: Med-QUEST's program list, its FAQ, and the CHIP state plan). What exists is emergency Medicaid, whose definition and limits are set federally. That sentence says we did not find it — not that there is none. If a community organisation tells you about a local program, that does not contradict this page; go by what they tell you and confirm with Med-QUEST.

Key difference in this state

For citizens of the three COFA nations: the legal basis in this cell is not the same provision as on this state's Medicaid page, so do not infer one from the other. Medicaid runs on 8 U.S.C. § 1612(b)(2)(G) ("designated Federal program" = TANF, the social services block grant and Medicaid). SNAP runs on subsection (a)(2)(N) of the same statute — and (a)(3) defines "specified Federal program" as SSI and food stamps, that is, SNAP. The two stand independently; one being true does not make the other true. In Hawaii both are true. Hawaii's own DHS sets out the pedigree, word for word: "On March 9, 2024, President Joseph R. Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (CAA) (P.L. 118-42). Division G, Title II, Section 209(f) of the CAA amends Section 402 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA)…" and its FAQ states who is eligible: "COFA citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau who lawfully reside in the United States and meet income and other eligibility requirements for SNAP." Note that last clause: the law settles the status question; income and the other general conditions still have to be met on their own. Do not read "the status barrier is cleared" as "I will certainly receive benefits." And this cell contains something you rarely see elsewhere: people who were turned down can go back. DHS states that COFA citizens who applied for SNAP on or after March 9, 2024 and were denied may reapply to be determined eligible under the CAA, or may request a fair hearing within 90 days of the denial — and says plainly that you may do both: "You also have the option to both reapply and to request a fair hearing at the same time." For a hearing, use Form DHS 1461, call 1-855-643-1643, or ask at any DHS Processing Center. If you, or someone you know, was denied after March 2024 — this paragraph is for you. One thing we are not answering for you: there was a separate federal change in 2025 to which immigration categories qualify for SNAP (its content and effect are set out in the federal section of this program's page). We have not re-read this round how that change and the COFA provision above fit together. So if a caseworker tells you something different from this page, ask them which rule they are relying on, and go by the agency's answer. For people without lawful status, none of the above applies; we did not find a state-funded food program for undocumented adults in Hawaii (scope of what we checked: BESSD's SNAP page and this COFA page). That is "we did not find one," not "there is none" — community food banks and similar resources that do not ask about status are outside the scope of this page; ask about them separately.

Key difference in this state

Hawaii's Department of Health puts this question in its own FAQ, and the answer is one word: no. Word for word: "Do I need to be a U.S. citizen to qualify? — No. You may qualify for WIC if you are a Hawaiʻi resident and can provide proof of residency (e.g., utility bill)." Notice that it also says what is required: proof that you live in Hawaii — a utility bill, for instance — not an immigration document. So "I have no status" and "can I get WIC" are not the same question here. What to bring is also spelled out: "At your first WIC appointment, bring: ID, birth certificate, or immunization records; proof of residency (e.g., utility bill); one month's Leave and Earnings Statement. Proof of pregnancy is not required." Two points worth pulling out: (1) that first item is an "or" — ID, a birth certificate, or immunization records; any one of them, not necessarily a government photo ID; (2) proof of pregnancy is not required — this is often passed along wrongly as "you must get a test and a letter before you can apply." We do not judge your particular situation. If a clinic asks for something different from the above, ask them what it is based on, and you can check with the clinic or the Department of Health. Public charge: how WIC is treated is set out in the federal section of this program's page (not repeated per state), with the USCIS source attached there.

Key difference in this state

The answer in this cell is the opposite of Maine, the District of Columbia and New Mexico — do not carry those states' experience across. Hawaii's Department of Taxation spells out who a qualifying taxpayer is: "a taxpayer that: (1) files a federal income tax return for the tax year and claims the earned income credit under IRC section 32, and (2) files a Hawaiʻi income tax return (Form N-11 … or N-15 …) for the tax year using the same filing status used on the federal return." The decisive part is (1): Hawaii's state EITC is built on your having claimed the federal EITC on your federal return. And the federal EITC requires, under IRC § 32(m), a Social Security number valid for employment. So people who file with an ITIN cannot claim the federal EITC, and therefore cannot claim Hawaii's state EITC either. We say this plainly because vagueness here costs someone a wasted filing: Maine, the District of Columbia and New Mexico have state credits that expressly reach ITIN filers — Hawaii has no such provision (scope of what we checked: the Department of Taxation's annual EITC report and the statutory history of this credit). Do not assume that because a state credit takes ITIN filers elsewhere, it does here. But "this door is closed" is not "there is no other door" — and we will not guess for you which others are open: Hawaii has several other refundable state credits (for instance the food/excise-tax family of credits), and we did not check one by one this round whether they accept ITIN filers, so this page makes no claim about them. ⇒ Put the question directly to the Department of Taxation or a free tax-preparation site (VITA): "I file with an ITIN — which state credits can I claim?" One further note, unrelated to status but often confused: filing with an ITIN is the performance of a tax obligation, and is a separate matter from eligibility for the other benefits on this site. How tax credits are treated under public charge is set out in the federal section of this program's page.

Key difference in this state

SSI has one of the strictest immigration tests of any major benefit, and the thing that matters most in the Hawaii row is that the mainland states' account does not carry over. Citizens of the freely associated states (COFA) are named in the statute itself, and SSI is one of the programs named: 8 U.S.C. §1612(a)(2)(N), "Exception for citizens of freely associated states", provides that for any "specified Federal program" the exclusion in §1612(a)(1) does not apply to a person lawfully residing in the United States under section 141 of the Compacts of Free Association; and §1612(a)(3) defines "specified Federal program" as (A) SSI and (B) food stamps (SNAP). The five-year wait does not apply either: 8 U.S.C. §1613(b)(3), "Exception for citizens of freely associated states", takes the people described in §1612(b)(2)(G) out of the five-year bar entirely; and §1613(a) by its own terms reaches only a "qualified alien", a test COFA citizens never go through. So for a COFA citizen, the question "am I a qualified immigrant" does not arise for SSI — a different provision governs. That is not the same as "you will get it": the statute settles the status question only; the age/blindness/disability test, the income test and the resource limit each still have to be met. If you are a non-citizen who is not a COFA citizen, do not read your own situation off this paragraph — SSI's limits on other categories are severe and turn on which category you are in. See the SSI program page; this row does not restate the federal rules, because restating them creates a second source of truth. Public charge: SSI is counted in the current public charge test — the rule effective December 23, 2022 counts "public cash assistance for income maintenance" as one of its two categories, and SSI is such assistance. This is unlike SNAP and Medicaid, so do not carry those conclusions over to this one. For your own case consult a licensed immigration attorney or a Department of Justice accredited organization; many such organizations charge nothing or very little.

Key difference in this state

This row carries news that is rare in the United States, and the state wrote it down itself: Hawaii built a state-funded program for the families that federal TANF shuts out on status grounds. DHS says, verbatim, that federal TANF requires that "family members must be U.S. citizens"; and that before the 1996 federal welfare reform, AFDC "did not distinguish between citizen or non-citizen". To stay consistent with Article IX, Section 3 of Hawaii's State Constitution, Hawaii created the state-funded TAONF program "to continue to provide cash assistance to families that would have been eligible for benefits through the former AFDC Program but are not eligible through the TANF Program due to their citizenship status". And TAONF tracks federal TANF exactly: officially, "The state funded TAONF Program policies mirror the federal TANF Program policies and provides the same benefits and services", covering "mixed citizens and non-citizens, and single- and two-parent households". So in Hawaii, having a non-citizen in the household does not mean the family gets no cash assistance — it means a different track, with the same benefits. COFA citizens are named twice: at state level, Hawaii's TANF State Plan §25.8 describes TAONF's beneficiaries as "legal immigrant resident families or migrants under the Compact of Free Association"; at federal level, 8 U.S.C. §1612(b)(2)(G) lists TANF as a "designated Federal program" with a COFA exception, and §1613(b)(3) takes those same people out of the five-year wait. So a COFA citizen may well qualify for federal TANF directly, without needing the state-funded track. We do not reconcile the "must be U.S. citizens" sentence for the agency: it is a summary of federal TANF, and it does not line up exactly with the "qualified alien" rules or the COFA exception in the statute. In practice the difference is only which track you are placed in, and the state says the two tracks pay the same. If a worker turns you away on the strength of that sentence, ask for the rule being applied in writing, and ask specifically whether you should be processed under TAONF instead. Public charge: TANF and TAONF are public cash assistance for income maintenance, so they are counted in the current public charge test (one of its two categories). This is the opposite of SNAP, Medicaid and WIC — do not carry their "not counted" over to this program. Where the recipient is your U.S.-citizen child and you are not on the grant, the analysis differs. For your own case consult a licensed immigration attorney or a Department of Justice accredited organization; many charge nothing or very little.

Key difference in this state

First, how this differs from the other benefits on this site: unemployment insurance is something you earned by working. It is funded by employer contributions; it is not means-tested assistance. So the status question here does not run on the "qualified alien plus five-year wait" axis — it runs on work authorization. Not found, stated honestly: an explicit statement of non-citizen eligibility anywhere on Hawaii's UI pages. The only status-related sentence in the official FAQ is about what to bring — verbatim: "Alien registration number or I-94 or unexpired passport number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)". That sentence tells you what you will be asked for. It does not tell you who qualifies. We will not write a status rule Hawaii has not written — ask UI about your own situation and ask for the answer in writing (phone (808) 762-5752 or (833) 901-2272). One thing is certain, and it is the thing most often misread: being asked about status is not the agency checking you for immigration authorities. What unemployment insurance has to establish is whether the job you held was covered, and whether you were authorised to hold it. If you are worried, put the question in writing and get the answer in writing first — do not skip claiming money you may have earned because you are afraid of the question. Unemployment insurance is a contribution-based insurance payment and is neither. This is the opposite of TANF and SSI, which are counted, so do not carry this row's conclusion over to those. For your own case consult a licensed immigration attorney.Public charge: the federal conclusion — including what changes from September 18, 2026, the statutory exemptions, and how it differs abroad and at a port of entry — is set out in this program's program-level section and is not repeated here; repeating it would create a second source of truth.

Key difference in this state

The status rules for housing run on a different body of law from the SNAP and Medicaid ones. HPHA states, verbatim, that eligibility turns on "annual gross income; whether an applicant qualifies as elderly, a person with a disability, or as a family; and U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status". The rule that matters most here is federal — see the status-gate section below: it gives the federal wording verbatim and names the one sentence you have to say out loud yourself. We do not decide for Hawaii or HUD whether each person in your household qualifies, and we do not restate the status categories — that turns on your own documents, person by person. Ask the agency for a written explanation. Public charge: the current test, effective December 23, 2022, considers only public cash assistance for income maintenance and long-term institutionalization at government expense. Housing vouchers are neither and are not counted. That is the opposite of TANF and SSI, which are counted, so do not carry this row's conclusion over to them. For your own case consult a licensed immigration attorney or a Department of Justice accredited organization.

The waiting list for housing vouchers (HCV / Section 8) on Oahu is currently closed. HPHA's page says, verbatim: "Waiting List(s) are CLOSED. All waiting lists for this program are currently closed. Please check back later." (We checked on August 7, 2026.) The waiting list for federal public housing on Oahu is closed too, in the same words. Two things are not covered by that sentence — do not give up on them as well: (1) Federal public housing on the neighbor islands still takes paper applications — Hawaii Island (808) 933-0474, Kauai (808) 821-4415, Maui and Molokai (808) 243-5001. (That is public housing, not a voucher.) (2) Vouchers on the other islands are not HPHA's — HPHA's HCV programme covers Oahu only, and we did not find the current list status for the other counties' agencies, so we draw no conclusion for them — ask your own county's agency directly. "Closed now" is not "closed for good" — the state's own wording is "Please check back later".

Last checked: 2026-08-07

Key difference in this state

We do not write a status rule for Hawaii's H-HEAP, because the state's page does not state one. The federal LIHEAP status rules and how states apply them hang on the shared LIHEAP program page and are not restated here — restating them would create a second source of truth. One point matters particularly to the COFA community and has to be said plainly: the programmes Congress named one by one in 8 U.S.C. §1612 when it made an exception for citizens of the freely associated states are SSI, SNAP, TANF, SSBG and Medicaid — energy assistance is not among them. But "not named" is not "definitely not eligible" — LIHEAP has its own statutory basis, and each state applies it on its own. We do not reason from those five to this one, and we do not settle it for the state. What you can do tomorrow: ask the Community Action Agency for your island directly — "In my household's situation, what does H-HEAP require regarding immigration status?" — and ask for the answer in writing. Do not let uncertainty stop you from asking: this is a one-time payment towards a bill, and asking once costs very little. Public charge: the current test considers only public cash assistance for income maintenance and long-term institutionalization at government expense. Help with an energy bill is neither and is not counted. For your own case consult a licensed immigration attorney.

The two parts of H-HEAP are open at different times — do not treat them as one thing. (1) Energy Credit (EC): officially, "Applications for EC will only accepted from June 1 – June 30." — one month in the year. If you are reading this outside June, EC is closed for this program year — but put June 1 of next year in your calendar; it is the only window there is. (2) Energy Crisis Intervention (ECI): officially, "Applications for ECI are accepted year-round, but the number of approvals each month is limited, and spots fill quickly." ECI is for households already facing, or about to face, a utility disconnection. How to use this: if you have a disconnect notice, go for ECI now — do not wait for June; and if you have no crisis and simply want help with the bill, that is EC, and EC has only the June door. (Checked August 7, 2026.)

Last checked: 2026-08-07