After decades-long fight, Pacific migrants in Hawaii ‘overjoyed’ by renewed benefits
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - In a monumental change, thousands of Pacific migrants in Hawaii are once again eligible for federal benefits that were taken away in 1996.
Hawaii lawmakers have been demanding they be restored since.
Under a new federal law, hundreds of wildfire victims on Maui will also be eligible for disaster assistance.
The Compact Impact Fairness Act (CIFA) was passed by Congress earlier this month.
It provides more than $7 billion in aid to Pacific nations over 20 years. Now the state is working with the federal government to see when Pacific migrants can actually get their entitled benefits.
There are 20,000 to 30,000 Pacific migrants legally in Hawaii from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau under the Compacts of Free Association (COFA).
Under the new federal legislation, COFA citizens in the United States are now eligible for federal benefits like Social Security, food assistance, education assistance and FEMA disaster relief.
“I am overjoyed. There is no other words, but thank you, mahalo,” said Shanty Asher, the city’s Pacific Islander liaison, at an event Tuesday. “Everything that is forthcoming is going to change lives for so many people especially as we try to better integrate into our society,” she added.
“It’s such an incredible feeling of satisfaction and such an incredible result after such a hard and long fight to actually see our federal government do the right thing,” added U.S. Rep. Ed Case, (D-Hawaii).
The nonprofit We Are Oceania estimates that it’s helped 300 COFA citizens on Maui who lost their homes, but FEMA wouldn’t pay for temporary housing because of the old federal rules. “Seeing how devastating it was to need to access FEMA, but we couldn’t because of all the gaps and all the barriers,” said Asher.
Scott Morishige, Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division administrator at the state Department of Human Services, said his office is working fast to ensure benefits are rolled out quickly.
“But the devil is in the details,” he adde.d
Officials they’ve gotten FEMA to retroactively pay for the disaster relief, but it’s too soon to say when Pacific citizens will see the benefits.
Hawaii pays $183 million per year to cover key benefits for COFA residents.
The Welfare Reform Act passed in 1996 took away those benefits for COFA citizens, including Medicaid.
“This was a focus that I’ve had for many, many years,” said U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii.
Another benefit of the new act is a provision that will allow Veterans Affairs to provide care to veterans in the Freely Associated States and that would allow veterans to move home after their service.
It’s the first time this benefit has existed.
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