Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 9, 1 September 2020 — Catholic Charities Assists Kūpuna with Benefits Enrollment [ARTICLE]

Catholic Charities Assists Kūpuna with Benefits Enrollment

To assist kūpuna affected eeonomically by COVID-19, Catholic Charities Hawai'i (CCH) has created a Benefits Enrollment Center to help obtain long-term care solutions for food security and other services needed by our kūpuna. CCH's Benefits Enrollment Center (BEC) helps kūpuna (65+) apply for benefits and any assistive services they may be eligible for to ensure that they have access to resources they need to maintain their health and independence. This includes assistance in applying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) services whieh provides older adults with limited incomes access to healthy food. Many kūpuna have not been utilizing this program due to the complex and lengthy applieahon process. In addition to SNAP, CCH's Benefits Enrollment Center staff ean also help kūpuna apply for Medicaid, Medicare Savings Program (MSP), Medicare Extra Help/ Low ineome Subsidy (LIS), and

Low ineome Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). For more information contact Catholic Charities Hawai'i's Senior Help Line at (808) 527-4777. The BEC program is funded through a grant from the Nahonal Council on Aging (NCOA).