Question: Do they ever try to find out when someone dies and cancel their handicap parking pass? I know adult “children” who keep using their parent’s placard after they died. It’s not right.
Answer: Yes, the Disability and Communication Access Board, which administers the Parking Program for Persons With Disabilities, cross-matches its database of permit-holders against an index of Hawaii deaths.
A check in January, for example, identified an unspecified number of dead people with active parking placards, according to a report on DCAB’s website.
DCAB invalidated the placards and sent letters to the estates of the deceased to retrieve the parking passes, resulting in the return of 4,339 placards, the report said. In addition, 598 placards were surrendered by decedents’ estates that fiscal year, without DCAB having to send a letter.
The people who are misusing their late parent’s placard should return it. They can drop it off at any satellite city hall or mail it to DCAB (with a brief note) at P.O. Box 3377, Honolulu, HI 96801.
Q: Is it true the city is giving $1 million interest-free loans? To whom?
A: No, that’s not accurate; $1 million is the total amount available for all applicants combined, not the value of a single loan.
What’s true is that qualified low- to moderate-income Oahu households can apply for an interest-free down-payment loan of up to $40,000 through the federal HOME program administered by the city Department of Community Services.
The prospective homeowner must provide 5% down toward the home’s purchase price, be approved for a first mortgage and meet other criteria. Call 768-7076 for more information.
Q: How do they decide which schools get the free flu shots? They should be available to all students.
A: You seem to be referring to the state Department of Health’s “Stop Flu at School” program, which occurs annually at participating Hawaii public schools. This is a voluntary program that allows students to receive the flu vaccine on campus without paying a fee. The clinics run at various schools on various dates this month and next.
According to the Health Department’s website, influenza vaccination clinics will be offered to all elementary and intermediate public schools in Kauai, Maui and Hawaii counties because access to health care on the neighbor islands can be a challenge.
On Oahu they are being offered at about 100 public schools where at least 40% of students were considered needy under federal guidelines.
The free flu shots are not offered at private schools, due to “limited fund and resource constraints,” according to the program description, which you can read at 808ne.ws/stopflu.
Auwe
Auwe to the person who charged me more than the marked price on items I purchased at a rummage sale Saturday. Next time I’m not going to be as trusting. Also, you thought I didn’t know what was happening, but I did. I decided not to make a scene. — Savvy shopper
Mahalo
I received a notice from Hawaiian Electric Co. that my financial institution rejected last month’s electrical bill. After inquiring as to why, I found out I had closed that account two weeks earlier. After talking to Hawaiian Electric, they allowed me to establish a new auto-pay account and also waived the $25 late charge. I also realized that my Social Security check is deposited in that same closed account, so I also had to contact them to establish a new deposit account. Mahalo to both organizations for helping me fix this in a timely manner. I believe it helped to be truthful; I started each conversation with “I screwed up!” — A senior but not senile citizen
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
