School buses drop off students at the Lahainaluna campus on Monday.
From the Maui News
KAHULUI – The Department of Human Resources Services (DHS) announced that applications for the SUN Bucks program will open on July 5, 2024. DHS will award the benefits and work with the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE) to implement the SUN Bucks program for school-age children this summer.
Summer EBT (also known as SUN Bucks) is a new, permanent program that provides food assistance during the summer to households with school-age children. Households receive $177 per eligible child to use during the summer. Eligibility must be established annually.
“Families who rely on healthy school breakfasts and lunches for their children often find it difficult to access healthy foods over the summer.” First Lady Jamie Kanani Green said: “The Sunbucks program addresses child hunger and provides meaningful activities that allow children to play, learn, grow and stay healthy over the summer.”
DHS Administrator Ryan Yamane said: “We appreciate First Lady Green’s leadership in supporting this important program to provide meals to children. This summer nutrition program in partnership with the DOE will help provide meals to more than 100,000 school-age children across our state.”
Who is automatically eligible for SUN Bucks (no application required)?
School-age children are automatically eligible for SUN Bucks if they meet the following criteria:
The child was in a household that participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) any month between July 1, 2023 and August 4, 2024.
The child is identified as being in state care (foster care) or is identified by the school as homeless, migrant, or runaway.
The child attended a school that implements the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the household applied for and was approved for free or reduced-price school meals.
Exceptions to the school-age requirement are Head Start and/or other preschool students who attended NSLP-participating programs in NSLP-participating schools.
Who needs to complete the SUN Bucks application?
The following households must complete their SUN Bucks application between July 5, 2024 and August 4, 2024:
Households with children attending schools that operate the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), under which all meals are provided free of charge to all students, who have not applied for or been approved for free or reduced-price school meals, and whose household income is at or below the federal income eligibility guidelines limit.
If you are a household with a child attending a school that implements the NSLP and were not approved for free or reduced-price meals during the school year, but may be eligible now because your household income is at or below the federal income eligibility guidelines limit, click here for more information and complete FAQs.
How are SUN Bucks funded? SUN Bucks is funded by the State of Hawaii and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Are SUN Bucks the same as Pandemic EBT (P-EBT)? No. The P-EBT program was intended to help families during the COVID-19 pandemic. P-EBT issued its last benefits in the summer of 2023 and has since ended.
SUN Bucks is a new program that helps families have access to nutritious food by providing benefits for grocery purchases over the summer. Some students who were eligible for P-EBT are not eligible for SUN Bucks. Unlike P-EBT, some families must apply for the SUN Bucks program. Many students are automatically approved.
What is the definition of school age?
Children who are at least 6 years of age and who will not reach 18 years of age by December 31 of the school year.
My child is homeschooled, can he still receive SUN Bucks?
Homeschool families who receive or have received SNAP or TANF benefits or have foster children any month between July 1, 2023 and August 4, 2024 are eligible for this benefit. Interested families must complete this application and indicate their foster child status. Applications will then be reviewed to determine eligibility. SNAP and TANF households do not need an application. See item 3 above. Homeschool households cannot use household income to qualify for SUN Bucks.
How many SUN Bucks will I receive?
SUN Bucks are a one-time payment of $177 per eligible child during the summer, intended to help with grocery shopping for the entire summer.
When will I receive my SUN Bucks EBT card?
Children who automatically qualify (see item 4 above) will receive a SUN Bucks EBT card pre-loaded with $177 in benefits via USPS from our mainland vendor, FIS, beginning July 16. Families should expect delivery to take 1-2 weeks. We will use the mailing address from the child’s school record, or the household’s mailing address from the SNAP or TANF case if school record information is not available.
Families who believe their mailing information is incorrect should contact SUN Bucks Customer Service toll free at 1-888-975-SEBT(7328) to report a change of address.
Households that applied (see item 5 above) and were determined to be eligible will have their SUN Bucks EBT cards shipped via USPS by our mainland vendor, FIS, with the $177 benefit already loaded on them beginning July 17, and for any subsequent applications that are received and approved, the next business day after eligibility is determined, by August 4. Households should expect delivery to take one to two weeks.
If your child is a foster child, the cards will first be mailed to the central child welfare office on Oahu, then sent to the appropriate child welfare office serving foster children for distribution.
Where can I use SUN Bucks and what can I buy with them?
SUN Bucks can be used anywhere EBT benefits are accepted. Benefits can only be used to purchase food. Stores cannot return change or cash back from food benefit transactions. Only the exact amount of the food purchase will be deducted from your food benefit account. If a refund is issued from your SNAP account, the refund amount will be deposited as a credit on your EBT card. In accordance with federal law, cash cannot be paid for refunds.
There is no minimum amount per transaction or maximum number of transactions.
For a list of SNAP-eligible foods, visit www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items SUN Bucks can also be used under the Da Bux program.
What can’t I buy with SUN Bucks?
The following items cannot be paid for with SUN Bucks.
Hot food
Beer/wine/other alcoholic drinks
Cigarettes/Cigars/Other Tobacco Products
gasoline
Dog food/Cat food/Other pet food
Vitamins and medicines
Additionally, any unauthorized use, transfer, alteration, possession or presentation of SUN Bucks rewards or cards may be prosecuted as a violation of federal law.
When do my SUN Bucks expire?
Any unused rewards will expire 122 days after the reward issuance date. Please use the rewards within the expiration date. Rewards cannot be recharged once they have expired.
How does a child receive a SUN Bucks card if custody is split between two households?
SUN Bucks benefits are intended for children. SUN Bucks EBT cards are issued in a child’s name and travel with the child from household to household. A child’s SUN Bucks card will be mailed via USPS to the parent or guardian mailing address listed on the child’s school records. This may be the adult who submitted the child’s free or reduced price meal application or the adult listed as the primary contact in the school system. Please work with other parents/guardians to coordinate support for children who are eligible for benefits.
What should I do when I receive my SUN Bucks card in the mail?
Follow the instructions that come with your SUN Bucks card to set up your PIN, then you can use your card to buy groceries at most grocery stores and farmers markets.
How do I change my PIN? To change your PIN or learn how to protect your benefits, download the free ebtEDGE mobile app or visit www.ebtEDGE.com .
If your SUN Bucks card is lost, stolen or damaged and you need a replacement card, please call the FIS Customer Service Center toll free at 1-888-328-4292.
If I receive notification that my child has been accepted into SUN Bucks for Summer 2024, do I still need to fill out an application? No, but please read the SUN Bucks Notice and the enclosed FAQs.
If you have children in your household who are not listed on your eligibility notice, please contact SUN Bucks Customer Service toll free at 1-888-975-SEBT(7328).
If I don’t qualify now, can I apply later?
Yes, you can apply any time during the SUN Bucks 2024 period through August 4, 2024. For example, you can choose to reapply if you or someone in your household experiences a wage reduction or loss of employment. Your child may be eligible for SUN Bucks if your household income falls below the income limit.
Can I apply if there are people in my household who are not U.S. citizens?
Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not need to be U.S. citizens to apply.
What if your income isn’t always the same?
Write down the amount you normally receive. For example, if you normally earn $1,000 a month, but you were off work last month and only earned $900, write down that you earned $1,000 a month. Include overtime pay if you normally get it, but don’t include it if you only work overtime occasionally. If you’ve lost your job or your hours or wages have been reduced, write down your current income.
What if some members of my household don’t have income to report?
A household member may not receive all of the income they are asked to include on the application, or may have no income at all. “0” Please note, however, that if any income field is left blank or empty, it will also be counted as zero. If you leave any income field blank, it will be considered as leaving it blank intentionally.
What happens if there isn’t enough space on the application for my family?
Please list any additional household members and their required information on a separate piece of paper and attach it to your application.
Can I apply online?
Yes! If possible, we encourage you to complete the online application instead of a paper application. The online application has the same requirements and asks for the same information as the paper application.
Visit sunbucks.dhs.hawaii.gov to begin the online application process or download a paper application. If you have any questions about the online application process, please contact SUN Bucks Customer Service toll-free at 1-888-975-SEBT(7328).
