SNAP Replacement Benefit Deadline Extended to April 2 for Big Island Residents
North Kona, Keaʻau and six other Big Island communities now have until April 2 to file for SNAP food replacement funds lost during the Kona low's March power outages.
Eight communities across the Big Island — from North Kona to Kohala, Volcano to Kaʻū — gained extra time to recover food assistance dollars wiped out by the Kona low storm, after the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services secured federal approval to push the SNAP replacement benefits deadline to April 2, 2026.
DHS obtained approval from the federal Food and Nutrition Service to extend the deadline for replacement benefit applications until April 2, 2026, covering specific areas of the state impacted by prolonged power outages associated with the Kona Low weather event from March 13 through March 15, 2026.
The program allows eligible households to be reimbursed for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was destroyed due to extended power outages or flooding during the severe weather. The replacement amount is based on the value of food lost, and cannot exceed the total monthly SNAP benefit issued to the household.
On the Big Island, the extended April 2 deadline applies specifically to residents in eight areas: North Kona (ZIP 96740), South Kona (96750 and 96704), Volcano (96795), Keaʻau (96749), Kurtistown (96760), Mountain View (96771), Kaʻū, and Kohala.
The extended deadline applies only to households in those listed areas. For households outside of those areas who experienced loss of food purchased with SNAP, replacement benefits must be reported within 10 days of the loss.
DHS is currently accepting applications for SNAP replacement benefits from SNAP households statewide. To apply, SNAP recipients must submit a signed written statement reporting food loss. That statement must include the name of the SNAP beneficiary, an estimated value of the food lost, a description of why and how the loss occurred, and contact information. A sample written statement is available on the DHS website, though recipients may submit their own written statement and are not required to use the sample form.
SNAP participant households in the identified areas who were impacted by the Kona Low event and power outages may apply by contacting any DHS Processing Center or by calling the Public Assistance Information Line at 1-855-643-1643.
The April 2 deadline leaves little time for affected households that have not yet filed. Those in eligible Big Island communities who experienced refrigerator or freezer losses during the March 13-15 storm window should contact DHS before that date to preserve their claim.
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