VA Housing Grants For Disabled Veterans

If you’re an active duty member or veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces with service-related disabilities, you may be struggling to buy accessible housing or renovate your current home to make it more accessible and allow you to live more comfortably and independently.

To help disabled veterans adjust and make the best possible adaptations for the future, the Department of Veterans Affairs makes a number of grants available each fiscal year for the construction or modification of homes to better support the needs of veterans. Unlike loans, these are grants not meant to be paid back.

Let’s go over the various housing grants available through the VA, who’s eligible, funding amounts and what you need to know to apply.

Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant

The first two programs we’re going to talk about have very similar names and serve the same purpose. The difference between the two is the amount of funding you can receive, the types of disabilities of those eligible and in some cases, the number of veterans who can qualify for the program each fiscal year.

The first program we’ll talk about is the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant. This is intended for new construction or major modification of a home with special adaptations for better outcomes in living with your service-connected disability.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to qualify for an SAH, there are two main requirements. The first is that you own or will own the home and intend to live in your home on a permanent basis. That’s not to say you can never move, but you have to intend to be there long term.

Secondly, you have to have a qualifying service-connected disability. The categories listed on the VA website are the following:

• The loss or loss of use of more than one limb
• Loss or loss of use of a lower leg that has lasting effects associated with a natural disease or injury
• Blindness (defined as vision of 20/200 or less) in both eyes
• Certain severe burns
• If the injury was sustained after September 11, 2001, the loss or inability to use one lower appendage such that you can’t get around without the aid of braces, crutches, canes or a wheelchair. Only 120 veterans eligible based on this last category can qualify each fiscal year.

Funding Amount

Those who do qualify for this grant can receive up to $101,754 to build or adapt a home in the 2022 fiscal year. It’s important to note that the total amount of your grant doesn’t need to be used in the year that you received it. You can use the grant up to six times over the course of your lifetime.

Special Home Adaptation (SHA) Grant

A Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant can be used to assist in buying, building, or modifying your permanent home to meet your needs. Although the loan purpose is the same, the eligibility categories and the amount of funding available for an SHA grant is different.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for this program, you or a family member must own the home already or you will own it in the near future. Also, you have to have a qualifying disability. Note that the qualifying service-connected disabilities under this program are different from the ones for the SAH grant. They include:

• Loss or loss of use of both hands
• Certain severe burns
• Qualifying respiratory or breathing injuries

Funding Amount

If you qualify for this grant, the maximum amount for the 2022 fiscal year is $20,387. Like the SAH grant, it can be used up to six times throughout your lifetime.

Renovations Permitted

SHA and SAH grants can be used for the following renovations or purposes:

• To build an adapted home
• To install ramps or widen doors
• To make other modifications to help you live independently

Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant

If you’re living in a family member’s home temporarily and need modifications to make that home work for your physical capabilities, you may be able to receive funding through a Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to qualify for a TRA grant, there are two major requirements you have to meet:

• Other than living in your permanent residence, you have to qualify for a SAH or SHA grant.
• You must be temporarily living in a family member’s home that needs adaptations to work for you.

Funding Amount

The maximum amount of funding you can receive under a TRA grant is dependent on whether you qualify for a SHA or SAH grant.

Those who qualify under the SHA grant can receive up to $7,318 in 2022. Meanwhile those who qualify under the bigger SAH grant can receive up to $40,983 under the TRA grant of the same. Because it’s based on a temporary home, you have to use the funding in the year that you get it.

Home Improvement And Structural Alterations (HISA) Grant

The Home Improvement and Structure Alterations (HISA) Grant is meant to fund medically necessary improvements for veterans. Unlike the programs we’ve gone over so far, this also has funding for disabilities not connected to time in service.

Eligibility Requirements

The improvements or alterations made must be on your primary residence. In addition, they must be permanent alterations. The following are listed as eligible modifications:

• Modifications to help with entrance or exit of the home.
• Anything that helps with the use of the bathroom, such as roll-in showers.
• Modifications that allow for access to kitchen or bathroom sinks or countertops.
• Improvement of walkways or access to a ramp to get into and out of the area immediately around the home.
• Fortifying plumbing or electrical systems to better handle home medical equipment.

The funding can’t be used for exterior improvements or new construction.

Funding Amount

The amount of funding veterans and service members can receive depends on the nature of their condition.

Veterans or service members who have a service-connected condition or veterans who have a non-service-connected condition that the VA considers 50% or more service-connected, they can get up to $6,800 in lifetime benefits.

If the condition isn’t service-connected, the lifetime limit is $2,000.

How To Apply For Veteran Housing Grants

Here are the steps you’ll need to follow to get a veteran housing grant.

Step 1: Get Ready To Apply

The first step is to check your eligibility. If you meet the eligibility criteria we listed above for the grant program you’re interested in, you’ll need to gather up all the information you’ll need to complete the application for SHA or SAH housing. You’ll also need your social security number and your VA file or claim number, if one has been issued to you.

Step 2: Create An Account

Next, create an account through the VA eBenefits portal. You’ll need your DS logon to access the application. If you don’t have a DS logon, you can register for one through the VA portal.

Step 3: Find The Help You Need To Complete The Application

If you need help completing the grant application, you can email a VA staff member who can assist you or help you gather additional information. You can also reach a SAH staff member by phone at 877-827-3702.

Step 4: Complete The Application

Online

Once you gain access to the application, you can fill it out and submit the application online.

Mail

You can download VA Form 26-4555 and complete it manually. Then you can mail the form to the loan service center nearest you. You can find your nearest loan center by searching the VA’s  Regional Loan Center Contact Information database.

In Person

You can also go to your nearest VA regional center and complete the application in person.

Step 5: Await The VA’s Decision

Your claim will be reviewed and you’ll receive a letter outlining the VA’s decision. You can also track the progress of your application on the VA website.

The Bottom Line: You Could Qualify For Grants To Adapt Your Home

Those with a service-connected disability could be eligible for one of several grants available to make modifications in and around their home in order to make it more accessible for them and improve their quality of life within the home.

Want to learn more about property tax benefits for disabled veterans? Take advantage of our Learning Center to get all the information you need.