The Veterans Affairs (VA) office provides grants to service members and veterans with certain permanent and total service-connected disabilities to help purchase or construct an adapted home, or modify an existing home to accommodate a disability. Two grant programs exist: the Specialty Adapted Housing (SAH) grant and the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant.
Specialty Adapted Housing (SAH)
SAH grants help veterans with certain service-connected disabilities live independently in a barrier-free environment. SAH grants can be used in one of the following ways:
- Construct a specially adapted home on land to be acquired
- Build a home on land already owned if it is suitable for specially adapted housing
- Remodel an existing home if it can be made suitable for specially adapted housing
- Apply the grant against the unpaid principal mortgage balance of an adapted home already acquired without the assistance of a VA grant
Home Improvement and Structural Alterations (HISA)
This grant provides medically necessary improvements and structural alterations to veterans/servicemembers’ primary residence for the following purposes:
- Allowing entrance to or exit from their homes
- Use of essential lavatory and sanitary facilities (e.g. roll in showers or walk in tubs)
- Allowing accessibility to kitchen or bathroom sinks or counters (e.g. lowering counters/sinks)
- Improving entrance paths or driveways in immediate area of the home to facilitate access to the home through construction of permanent ramping
- Improving plumbing or electrical systems made necessary due to installation of home medical equipment
HISA Grants help veterans with improvements to their home including ramps, doorways, entrance to or exit from a home, door widening, roll in showers or walk in tubs, lowering counters/sinks, improving entrance paths or driveways, improving plumbing or electrical systems made necessary due to installation of home medical equipment. HISA provides $2,000 to $6,800 depending on if your disability is service connected.
How to Apply
- Applying online via www.ebenefits.va.gov
- Download the Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation Grant, form VA Form 26-4555, and mail it to your nearest Regional Loan Center
- Visiting the nearest VA regional office by visiting VA Regional Office Locations or calling the VA toll-free at 1-800-827-1000 to have a claim form mailed to you
Need more information or have questions? Contact a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) staff member via email at [email protected] or by phone at (877) 827-3702.