VA Veterans Disability Housing Allowances and Housing Grants

Veterans who have severe injuries or medical conditions are eligible for four types of housing grants offered through VA. Each type of loan is suited to veterans with particular needs to build, remodel, or find adapted housing to accommodate their disabilities and achieve a more independent lifestyle. VA suggests improvements such as ramps or widened doorways as improvements that will benefit wounded veterans.

If you’re in need of improvements or modifications to your home, you may be eligible to apply for any of the following grants.

Special Adaptive Housing (SAH)

SAH grants are available to 120 veterans each fiscal year. They are meant for veterans to improve or build upon a long-time permanent home. Eligible veterans must satisfy two requirements: they own or will own a permanent home, and have a service-connected disability which includes one of the following:

• The loss or loss of use of more than one limb
• The loss or loss of use of a lower leg along with the residuals (lasting effects) of an organic (natural) disease or injury
• Blindness in both eyes (with 20/200 visual acuity or less)
• Certain severe burns
• The loss, or loss of use, of one lower extremity (foot or leg) after September 11, 2001, which makes it so you can’t balance or walk without the help of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair

If you qualify for an SAH grant, you can get up to $101,754 for fiscal year 2022. An important note: you don’t need to spend all of that money in the year you earn it. You can use money from your SAH grant 6 times over your lifetime.

Special Home Adaptation (SHA)

SHA grants are also available to veterans who want to improve or adapt a permanent home. To qualify, you must meet these two requirements:

• You or a family member own or will own the home
• You have a service-connected disability that includes one of the following:
  • The loss or loss of use of both hands
  • Certain severe burns
  • Certain respiratory or breathing injuries

You can get up to $20,387 in fiscal year 2022 if you qualify for an SHA grant. As with the SAH grant above, you can use money from this grant 6 times over your lifetime.

Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA)

Let’s say you don’t own your own home. TRA grants are available to veterans who need to improve or modify a family member’s home to suit their needs. To qualify for a TRA grant, you must meet both of the following requirements:

• You qualify for a SAH or SHA grant
• You’re living temporarily in a family member’s home that needs changes to meet your needs

If you qualify for the SAH grant, you can get up to $40,983, and if you qualify for the SHA grant, you can get $7,318 in fiscal year 2022.

Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA)

HISA grants are available to veterans with disabilities, and your condition doesn’t need to be service-connected to qualify. This grant is meant for “medically necessary improvements and structural alterations” to your permanent residence. More specifically, funds must be used to improve entry, exit, and pathways from your home, lavatory and sanitary facilities, kitchen and bathroom sinks and counters, and plumbing and electrical systems necessary for home medical equipment.

You may qualify for up to a lifetime benefit of $6,800 if you have a service-connected disability or a non-service-connected disability with a 50% rating. Veterans with a non-service connected disability lower than 50% qualify for up to $2,000.

Assistance with your claim

Have you had trouble with a rejected disability claim or need help getting modifications funded for your home? If so, contact VA Disability Group at 844-VET-LAWS to help get you the VA disability compensation and benefits you need to live independently.