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Question: My current gold star license expires next year on my birthday. On that birthday I will be 72 years old. I plan to renew it six months ahead of my birthday, while I am still 71. Since I am 71 at the time I am renewing, do I need to apply for a kupuna driver’s license, or do I just get a regular license? If I must choose the kupuna driver’s license, how do I prove that I am free of conditions that could impair my driving ability, in order to get the four-year version? Answer: By renewing at age 71, which is what many Hawaii drivers in your situation do, you’ll be eligible for an eight-year driver’s license, without losing time on its duration. The expiration date of your renewed license will be eight years from the date your current license is set to expire (your upcoming birthday). State law allows applicants to renew their Hawaii driver’s license up to six months in advance, with the expiration date of the new license tied to the expiration date of the old one, not to renewal date. Applicants ages 25 through 71 are eligible for an eight-year license. As for your other questions, what’s known as a kupuna driver’s license is a four-year license for people age 72 through 79 at the time of initial application or renewal, who don’t have conditions that impair their ability to drive. Prior to Jan. 1, 2023, these folks could only get a two-year license; the duration was extended thanks to the 2022 passage of Act 159. These drivers submit the standard Hawaii driver’s license application and take the same vision test as younger applicants; they don’t preemptively submit a separate medical clearance form. By contrast, applicants age 72 to 79 who do have conditions that could impair their ability to drive must submit a DOT-H2058 Medical Report Form and still may be eligible for a two-year license, according to Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services. The form (808ne.ws/4nBNvbF), which is filled out by a doctor at the applicant’s expense, asks whether the applicant has physical, cognitive or psychological impairments that affect safe driving. A driver’s license representative may ask an applicant in this age group to submit the form, according to the CSD website. Applicants age 80 and older can only get a two-year license, even without impairments that affect safe driving. Q: Will I get the $250 SNAP replacement from the state if my SNAP application was pending (being processed) as of Nov. 1? A: No. The Hawai‘i Emergency Food Assistance Program is for households approved for November SNAP benefits, according to the state Department of Human Services. November payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program were disrupted by the federal government shutdown; SNAP is federally funded. HEFAP, funded by state taxpayers, will pay $250 per person to households approved for November SNAP. The money will be distributed through SNAP’s Electronic Benefit Transfer cards. Recipients may be able to view HEFAP deposits in their accounts as soon as Thursday , but the money won’t be available to spend until Monday , according to the DHS website. The state continues to process SNAP applications during the federal shutdown. “While those not approved for November 2025 SNAP benefits will not receive HEFAP, DHS is continuing to process eligibility for SNAP and continuing to conduct interviews. Households not currently receiving SNAP are still able to apply for that benefit,” the website says. With Thanksgiving coming soon, it is important to think of two things. The first is how blessed we are if we have food to eat, money to spend on our families’ needs, and good health. The second is to provide what we can to those who are not as fortunate as us in any way we can — money, food or service. If each of us did this every chance we have, what a wonderful world we would live in. God bless us everyone! — M. Scott, Makakilo Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
