Disabled Veteran Housing Allowance and Adaptive Housing Grants

While VA disability compensation does not include a housing allowance, veterans may qualify for housing support through HUD-VASH or SSVF rental assistance programs, higher pension payments for Aid and Attendance or for Housebound veterans (if eligible), state or local property tax relief, and other housing programs.

Many states offer veterans with 100% disability rating tax exemptions that can eliminate the property tax bill. If you have a 100% or TDIU rating, these benefits can save you thousands of dollars every year, effectively lowering your housing cost as if you were receiving a housing allowance. Some states also offer partial property tax relief to disabled veterans rated less than 100%.

Additionally, any veteran with severe mobility issues may benefit from special housing adaptation grants. The grants allow disabled veterans to modify or build homes that accommodate their needs, promoting maximum independence and offering financial relief.

Types of Adaptive Housing Grants for Disabled Veterans

An Adaptive Housing Grant is funding that is available through the VA to assist veterans with certain service-connected disabilities to live as independently as possible for as long as possible. Veterans who have limitations of movement (like those in wheelchairs) need spaces they can access freely, such as hallways and doorways wide enough to accommodate their chair as well as turning around.

There are several types of grants that address diverse types of environmental adaptations:

• Adapting the veteran’s current home
• Purchasing a new home
• Adapting temporary living spaces such as a family member’s home a veteran may be living in until they are able to move into more permanent housing (due to needing 24 hour care for a length of time)

Specially Adapted Housing Grant (SAH)

The SAH Grant provides up to $126,526 for fiscal year 2026 to build or modify a home for independent living. According to the Ryan Kules and Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act of 2019, veterans can use this grant up to 6 different times over their lifetime, as long as the total funding remains within the maximum limit.

To qualify for a SAH grant, a veteran must own (or will own) the home and have one of the following disabilities:

• 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. This category is limited to 120 veterans or service members per fiscal year.

Learn how to apply for a SAH grant and sign up for the VETS Advantage Newsletter to receive news and expert tips on how to get more benefits.

Special Home Adaptation Grant (SHA)

The SHA Grant offers up to $25,350 for fiscal year 2026 for veterans to adapt their current home or purchase a new one. Like the SAH grant, the SHA grant may also be used up to six times until the maximum dollar amount is reached.

Veterans may qualify for both the SHA and SAH grants but can only use one type of grant on a single home at one time. To start, complete Form 26-4555 and submit it to your nearest VA regional office or through the VA.gov portal.

Home Improvement and Structural Adaptation Grant (HISA)

The HISA Grant helps veterans make home modifications necessary to continue receiving medical treatment or to access the home and essential facilities within it, such as the bathroom and sanitary equipment.  

Unlike the SAH and SHA grants, the HISA Grant is available to both service-connected and non-service-connected veterans: 

• $6,800 may be approved to address a VA disability, or to address a non-service-connected disability if the veteran has another service-connected rating of 50% or higher (from a single condition, not a combined rating)
• Other veterans with a non-service-connected disability can receive up to $2,000

How to Get a HISA Grant

An application for a HISA grant with the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service requires the following documents:

• the Veteran’s Application for Assistance in Acquiring Home Improvement (VA Form 10-0103)
• a specific medical prescription written or approved by a VA physician that details the veteran’s diagnosis and explains why the specific home modification is medically necessary
• a written estimate from a contractor that includes a breakdown of labor, materials, and any necessary permits
• a statement from the owner authorizing the improvement or structural alteration (for renters)

What Do HISA Grants Pay For?

• Access Improvements: Building permanent ramps or lifting devices to allow entry into or exit from the home
• Structural Modifications: Changing the layout of doorways, hallways, or stairs to allow for safer movement
• Bathroom and Kitchen Upgrades: Installing specialized sinks, toilets, or walk-in tubs/showers to improve accessibility
• Surface Leveling: Altering driveways or walkways to create a level surface for the veteran
• Plumbing and Electrical: Necessary upgrades to plumbing or electrical systems required to support the installation of medical equipment or accessibility devices

What Doesn’t Qualify for HISA?

The program does not cover items that are considered general maintenance, aesthetic upgrades, or portable equipment. Examples of excluded items include:

• Walkways to non-essential areas like greenhouses, fences, or gardens
• New construction, such as building an entirely new room or addition
• External hot tubs, spa-type tubs, or saunas
• General home repairs like roof replacement, siding, or window insulation
• Adjustable beds or other non-permanent furniture

Temporary Residence Adaptation Grant

The TRA Grant is available to veterans who are otherwise eligible for SAH or SHA but are living in a home owned by a family member rather than their own. It provides financial assistance to those who need temporary housing modifications while living with a family member to receive medical care.

How Much Does a TRA Grant Offer in 2026?

• Veterans eligible under Section 2101(a) of the SAH Grant can use up to $50,961
• Veterans eligible under Section 2101(b) of the SHA Grant can use up to $9,100

What Renovations Typically Qualify for Grants?

• Bathrooms, kitchens, and bedrooms 
• Covered porches, ramps, and walkways 
• Garages, carports, and passageways 
• Doors, windows, and flooring materials 
• Security items 
• Concrete or asphalt walkways 
• Sliding doors, handrails, and grab bars 

While there are many innovative adaptations being marketed today for people with disabilities, make sure you get approval from the VA before you contract for any renovations, especially for anything new such as computerized or smart home adaptations. VA often requires plans or inspections, and reimbursement rules can be strict.

Grants can be very specific about what they will and will not pay for. However, if a grant will pay for certain things, that may free you up to pay for other adaptations that the grant may not pay for, so getting the grant does not mean you are limited completely, only by what the grant will fund.

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