Seniors whose eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits has been lost or reduced by a recent increase in Social Security benefits could see relief through a bill introduced by Hawaii U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda last week.

The Keep Kupuna Fed Act would exempt Title II income, or Social Security benefits, from counting against benefits under SNAP, which provides low-income households with financial assistance to purchase food.

SNAP recipients must earn below certain income thresholds to qualify for the program’s benefits, but meeting those requirements has recently become a more difficult task for low-income seniors with Social Security benefits.

Beginning in December, about 70 million Americans saw an 8.7% increase in their benefits following a cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. The adjustment is meant to offset inflation-driven increases in prices, but for some that increased income has also come at the cost of SNAP eligibility.

“I had people telling me that senior hunger is real. People are being forced even further into hunger and food insecurity as a result of what should have been a benefit,” Tokuda told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “What they were seeing was a net loss, with money that they were using for food literally leaving their wallets.”

An estimated 5-10% of the 300,000 people 60 years and older who live in Hawaii are food insecure, according to a report by Hawaii Appleseed, and more than 1 in 5 Hawaii residents receives Social Security benefits, according to a 2022 report by AARP.

Access to food became even more difficult after a COVID-19 pandemic program that gave SNAP recipients maximum benefits regardless of income ended in March.

There has been an observable growth in food insecurity in general but especially among seniors, said Kristin Frost Albrecht, executive director of The Food Basket, a nonprofit food bank based on Hawaii island that also offers a senior-specific program called the Kupuna Pantry.

“We serve almost 1,400 seniors with this program. It’s a once-a-month supplemental food program that provides 35-40 pounds of food a month,” Albrecht told the Star-Advertiser. “These are typically the folks that are also eligible for SNAP — they’re just hovering on the edge or they definitely are there. That’s where we’ve definitely encountered folks on this program that have been affected by COLA.”

She said more seniors want to join the program because they’ve lost their SNAP benefits. More seniors are also asking for the food bank’s emergency food boxes that it distributes.

Tokuda said thousands of seniors in Hawaii have been or will be affected by the COLA increase.

“I don’t think that was at all the intention (of the COLA). I believe we have to rectify it by striking it from income eligibility, and making good on what our intent was — to keep kupuna fed,” she said, adding, “It’s a very simple bill, however, it has great impact when we think about our ability to make sure that our seniors, our kupuna, are getting the food that they need.”

While the bill is set to make its way through the legislative process, Tokuda, Albrecht and other stakeholders said efforts to increase awareness about low-income food programs among eligible seniors is one way to help right now.

Awareness is currently an issue, as only 50% of seniors eligible for SNAP are enrolled in the program, Hawaii Appleseed said in its report.

“We have got to do more to educate our kupuna about what programs … they are eligible for,” Tokuda said. “Not everyone who’s eligible is even applying or receiving support.”

Albrecht also said that food banks across the state — including The Hawaii Food Basket, Maui Food Bank and the Hawaii Foodbank’s Oahu and Kauai branches — have senior- focused programs for emergency food.

She also said SNAP outreach providers statewide are available to inform seniors and others who have questions about the program. The Hawaii Food Basket is the outreach provider on Hawaii island, but callers statewide can reach Aloha United Way at 211 for information.