VA Adapted Housing Grants

The VA offers several housing grants to help veterans with specific service-connected disabilities adapt their homes — or build or buy already-adapted homes. Unlike VA home loans, these are grants, not loans. You do not pay them back.

There are three main grant programs:

• Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant — for veterans with the most severe qualifying disabilities
• Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grant — for veterans with specific disabilities such as blindness or loss of use of both hands
• Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant — for veterans living temporarily in a family member's home

Grant amounts are adjusted annually by the VA. The figures below reflect FY2024 maximums.

The SAH grant is the larger of the two primary grants and is intended for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities that affect mobility or daily living.

Maximum Amount

Up to $109,986 (FY2024). This grant can be used up to 3 times, as long as the combined total does not exceed the maximum.

Qualifying Disabilities

You may be eligible for the SAH grant if you have a service-connected disability that includes any of the following:

• Loss or loss of use of both lower extremities (both legs)
• Loss or loss of use of both upper extremities (both arms) at or above the elbow
• Loss or loss of use of one lower extremity and one upper extremity, affecting balance or propulsion
• Blindness in both eyes (with 5/200 visual acuity or less) plus loss or loss of use of one lower extremity
• Certain severe burn injuries (deep partial thickness or full thickness burns covering 30% or more of the body, or 30% or more of the face)
• Loss or loss of use of a lower extremity (after September 11, 2001) that prevents ambulation without braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair

What the Grant Can Be Used For

• Building a new specially adapted home on land you already own or will purchase
• Buying a home that is already adapted or can be adapted
• Modifying an existing home to meet your adaptive needs — including wheelchair ramps, widened doorways, roll-in showers, lowered countertops, accessible kitchen modifications, and stair lifts

The SHA grant is for veterans with different qualifying disabilities than the SAH grant. It provides a smaller maximum amount but covers a wide range of home modifications.

Maximum Amount

Up to $44,299 (FY2024). This grant can also be used up to 3 times, as long as the combined total does not exceed the maximum.

Qualifying Disabilities

You may be eligible for the SHA grant if you have a service-connected disability that includes any of the following:

• Blindness in both eyes (with light perception only)
• Loss or loss of use of both hands
• Certain severe burn injuries
• Certain severe respiratory injuries (including from toxic exposure such as burn pits) — specifically, a service-connected lung disease rated at 100% disabling resulting from toxic exposure during military service

What the Grant Can Be Used For

• Modifying your existing home to accommodate your disability
• Buying an already-adapted home
• Installing accessibility features such as tactile markers for the visually impaired, modified handles and fixtures, voice-activated or automated systems, and fall-prevention features

The TRA grant is for veterans who are temporarily living in a family member's home and need adaptations to that home. The amount you can receive depends on whether you qualify for SAH or SHA.

Maximum Amounts

The TRA grant can be used to adapt the family member's home so that you can live there safely and with greater independence. The adaptations remain with the home, so this is typically used when you plan to stay for an extended period while making longer-term housing plans.

You can apply for any of these grants using VA Form 26-4555 (Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation Grant).

Application Methods

• Online: Apply through VA.gov's disability housing grants page
• By mail: Download and complete VA Form 26-4555 and mail it to your VA regional loan center
• In person: Visit your local VA regional office for assistance

What Happens After You Apply

1. The VA reviews your application and verifies your disability rating and qualifying conditions
2. If approved, a VA grant agent is assigned to work with you
3. You work with the agent and (if building or modifying) an architect or contractor to develop plans
4. The VA reviews and approves the plans and cost estimates
5. Construction or modification begins, with VA oversight
6. The VA disburses grant funds as work is completed

To be eligible for any of the VA adapted housing grants, you must meet the following general requirements:

• You must have a qualifying service-connected disability rated by the VA
• The disability must be one of the specific conditions listed for the grant you are applying for
• You must own or will own the home being adapted (for SAH and SHA), or be living in a family member's home (for TRA)
• Active duty service members who have a qualifying disability may also apply

Note: You do not need to use a VA home loan to qualify for these grants. You can use a grant on a home purchased with a conventional mortgage, a VA loan, or a home you already own outright.

• You must have a VA disability rating with a qualifying condition. A general disability rating alone is not enough — the VA looks at the specific conditions listed under each grant type.
• Grant amounts are adjusted annually. The figures listed above are for FY2024. Check the VA website for current-year amounts.
• You can combine these grants with a VA home loan. For example, you could use a VA home loan to purchase a home and then use a SAH or SHA grant to adapt it.
• The grant can be used up to 3 times — but the total across all uses cannot exceed the maximum grant amount.
• If you sell your adapted home, you may be able to use the remaining grant balance on a new home.
• These grants do not cover maintenance of previously installed adaptations. They are for initial adaptation, construction, or purchase only.
• Processing times vary. Start the application process well before you need the modifications completed.

• VA Disability Housing Grants — VA.gov
• VA Form 26-4555 — Application for Adapted Housing
• VA Home Loans — Adapted Housing Overview