Question: I just quit driving, and I have this handicap parking placard and it expires at the end of the month. Can I extend it? Even though I am not driving, can I use it to have somebody drive me, because we still need to park close to the entrance to get out and walk only a short distance? Also, how do I convert my license to a state ID before it expires next month?
Answer: Yes, you can keep using the disability parking pass as a passenger. Yes, you can renew it, assuming that your doctor signs off, because you have a Disability Parking Permit (blue placard), not a Disabled Paid Parking Exemption Permit (green placard). The former does not require you to have a valid driver’s license (and does not exempt you from parking fees), while the latter does.
You can renew a long-term blue placard by mailing a completed Form PA-3 to DCAB, P.O. Box 3377, Honolulu, HI 96801.
DCAB is short for Disability and Communication Access Board, which is part of the state Department of Health. You can download Form PA-3 at 808ne.ws/PA3 or from the DCAB website, health.hawaii.gov/dcab. Or call DCAB’s office at 808-586-8121 and they’ll mail you a form, said Kirby Shaw, DCAB’s executive director.
The form requires your health care provider to certify that you qualify for the six-year renewal because you have a verified condition that restricts your mobility.
Once your renewal is processed and DCAB mails you a new placard, it also will send you an envelope so that you can return your expired placard, ensuring it is taken out of circulation, Shaw said.
As for the state ID, as we’ve reported before, to readers’ dismay, you can’t simply convert your Hawaii driver’s license to a state ID. You must apply for a state ID and present documents through the usual process. You can make an appointment via AlohaQ.org.
Q: Do you know whether we will be able to make lei for Memorial Day at Punchbowl at Honolulu Hale this year?
A: “Yes, we are holding a Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony at Punchbowl this year, and yes, we will also be hosting Sew a Lei for Memorial Day sites to help us gather approximately 38,000 lei to adorn every grave within the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific,” Nate Serota, spokesperson for Honolulu County’s Department of Parks and Recreation, said Tuesday in an email.
The department will publicize various ways the public can help and post the Sew a Lei sites (such as Honolulu Hale) on its website and social media once details are confirmed, he said.
Q: My mother-in-law is extremely worried because her green card was stolen (it was in her purse, which was stolen from her car when she mistakenly left her purse in the car during what she thought would be a quick errand to a friend’s house). She doesn’t want to tell anybody because she’s afraid of getting in trouble, but I told her that was a bad idea. Auwe to the thief who caused this trouble.
A: Lawful permanent residents must replace a green card that has been lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Reassure your mother-in-law that processes exist for this occurrence; she may file for a replacement online or on paper, according to the USCIS website, uscis.gov. Read the details at 808ne.ws/red.
Mahalo
A huge mahalo to Mr. Su’a of the prison system. I was at the main post office to mail a package. I didn’t realize the post office opens at 9 a.m. and I would have to use the self-service machine. He was nearby posting a large stack of items. He showed me how to use the self-service machine and patiently explained each step. Without him there, I would have gone back to my car and sat until 9. Thank you! — 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.
