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House committee backs resolution to pilot unified benefits application for elderly and people with disabilities
Summary
The House committee voted to advance HR140/HCR146 asking the Department of Human Services to apply for and implement the Elderly Simplified Application Project, and supporters urged that the form also include people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and extend certification periods from one to three years.
Representative Martin’s House Committee on Health & Homelessness advanced HR140/HCR146 on March 20, 2025, requesting the state Department of Human Services to apply for and implement the Elderly Simplified Application Project in Hawaii.
The resolution would ask DHS to develop a uniform benefits application that can be used across multiple benefit programs to reduce duplicate paperwork. Dancho Bartolos, executive director of the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, said the resolution’s language extends to “individuals with disabilities” and urged support so people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are not repeatedly asked for the same information.
Nate Hicks of the Hawaii Public Health Institute also testified in support and recommended extending benefit certification periods from the current one year to three years to reduce repeated paperwork for participants and DHS staff. Jeanette Hayes, SNAP administrator speaking for DHS, said the department stood on its written testimony and was available for questions.
Committee members pressed witnesses for details about how many separate applications beneficiaries currently face. Bartolos listed several: developmental-disabilities services, Department of Health programs, DHS programs including SNAP, Medicaid (MedQUEST), low-income housing, voter registration and vocational rehabilitation — “so just right there, that’s already 5” to 6 application processes, he said, and noted intake or documentation errors can cause multi-month delays.
Committee discussion also touched on internal policy and rule conflicts. Bartolos described cases where agency intake practices had diverged from Hawaii Administrative Rules and required work with the attorney general’s office to reconcile interpretations before a uniform application would work.
In decision-making the committee moved HR140/HCR146 forward with an HD to address technical amendments for clarity, consistency and style. The action was adopted by voice/roll call as recorded in the session’s decision-making sequence.
The resolution does not itself create a pilot program or budget; it asks DHS to pursue federal participation in the Elderly Simplified Application Project and to coordinate across agencies if a grant or implementation proceeds.
