Government Benefits in Hawaii

Where Hawaii residents apply for SNAP, Medicaid, home energy assistance, and unemployment insurance, plus every nationwide program available to everyone.

4 Hawaii Programs

How This Works

SNAP, Medicaid, LIHEAP, and unemployment insurance are all administered at the state level, so each state runs its own application portal and sets some of its own rules — including, for Medicaid, whether the state expanded eligibility to more adults under the Affordable Care Act, and for unemployment insurance, the maximum weekly benefit and how long you can collect it. The cards below link you straight to Hawaii's official application system for each program. Exact SNAP/Medicaid income limits change with annual poverty-guideline updates, so we intentionally don't publish a specific number for those — the portal will show your exact cutoff for your household size. Unemployment insurance figures below are official published caps from the U.S. Department of Labor, current as of January 2026.

SNAP

HI Dept. of Human Services

PAIS also screens for Med-QUEST and other HI DHS programs.

Apply on PAIS ↗

Med-QUEST (Medicaid)

Medicaid Expanded

HI Dept. of Human Services

Hawaii expanded Medicaid, so adults without dependent children can qualify based on income alone.

Apply for Med-QUEST ↗

LIHEAP (Home Energy Assistance)

HI Dept. of Human Services

Administered through community action agencies statewide.

Find Your Local LIHEAP Provider ↗

Unemployment Insurance

Has Waiting Week

HI Dept. of Labor & Industrial Relations

Max Weekly

$868

Min Weekly

$5

Max Duration

26 weeks

Based on 1/21 of your highest quarter — a higher share than most states.

File a Claim ↗

Looking for more programs available to Hawaii residents?

Hawaii residents also qualify for every nationwide program on our full benefits tool — WIC, Lifeline phone/internet discounts, ACA health insurance subsidies, SSI, SSDI, Section 8, VA disability compensation, TANF, Pell Grants, Head Start, and unemployment insurance.

See All 16 Programs →