Question: I am 88 years of age. Is there an age when I can no longer be issued a Hawaii driver’s license if all other requirements are met?
Answer: No, there isn’t an upper-age limit on a Hawaii driver’s license. There are questions on the driver’s license application gauging fitness to drive, such as about diminished mobility or memory, that may affect some drivers of advanced age, but a license would not be denied based on age alone. Eligible applicants age 80 and older do receive a shorter license, though, with a duration of two years, rather than the 4-year “kupuna license” for eligible applicants ages 72 to 79, and the 8-year license for eligible applicants ages 25 to 71, according to Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services. (Eligible applicants ages 17 to 24 get a 4-year license, while younger drivers participating in Hawaii’s graduated licensing program get a permit or a provisional license, depending on the stage.)
Kokua Line has received so many similar questions recently that we emailed Harold Nedd, a CSD spokesperson to make sure a different rule hadn’t taken effect. He confirmed “that there is no upper-age limit for getting a driver’s license in the City and County of Honolulu. A 90-year-old person, for example, is eligible to renew a driver’s license as long as he or she is free of conditions that could impair his or her driving ability.”
Q: Regarding the Change Healthcare hack, have they sent out letters to the people affected?
A: No. UnitedHealth Group has set up an informational website and call center. Neither provides details about effects on specific patients. Change Healthcare, which was hacked in February, is a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group. The parent company says on its website that protected health information (PHI) or personally identifiable information (PII) of “a substantial proportion of people in America” apparently was exposed. It says:
“Given the ongoing nature and complexity of the data review, it is likely to take several months of continued analysis before enough information will be available to identify and notify impacted customers and individuals. As the company continues to work with leading industry experts to analyze data involved in this cyberattack, it is immediately providing support and robust protections rather than waiting until the conclusion of the data review.
“People can visit a dedicated website at changecybersupport.com to get more information and details on these resources. A dedicated call center has been established to offer free credit monitoring and identity theft protections for two years to anyone impacted. The call center will also include trained clinicians to provide support services. Given the ongoing nature and complexity of the data review, the call center will not be able to provide any specifics on individual data impact at this time.”
The number is 1-866-262-5342.
Change Healthcare runs an electronic payment network that handles about 1 in 3 U.S. patient records, so you don’t have to be a UnitedHealth customer to be affected by this hack. UnitedHealth Group is urging everyone to “regularly monitor the explanation of benefits statements you receive from your health plan and statements from your health care providers, as well as your bank and credit card statements, credit reports and tax returns, to check for any unfamiliar activity.”
Mahalo
This Mahalo is going out to two great Americans who helped me when I fell at Ala Moana park by the high-rise. I tripped and fell and they came right away to pick me up. A big Mahalo to them for helping me. — Grateful senior
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
