Veteran Benefits
Adaptive Housing Grants (SAH, SHA & HISA)
Adaptive housing grants pay to modify a home so a disabled veteran can live in it safely and independently - roll-in showers, widened doorways, ramps, and lowered counters. This is money you never repay, and it is a completely different benefit from the VA home loan. For an aging veteran who wants to stay in their own home instead of moving to a facility, it can be life-changing.
Who this is for
If stairs, tubs, or narrow doorways are making your own home hard to live in, the VA may simply pay to fix that - with grant money you never repay. This is not the home loan; it is a separate benefit built to let you stay where you are, safely.
In plain language
What Adaptive Housing Grants (SAH, SHA & HISA) covers
- Grant money (not a loan) to build, buy, or remodel a home for accessibility
- Roll-in showers, grab bars, widened doorways, ramps, and lowered counters
- SAH - the largest grant, for the most serious service-connected disabilities
- SHA - for conditions such as blindness or loss of use of both hands
- HISA - smaller home-improvement grants, available more broadly
- Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) when you live in a family member’s home
~$126,500
Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant cap for FY2026
~$25,300
Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant cap for FY2026
up to $6,800
HISA grant for smaller changes - available more broadly
The full picture
Everything you need to know
Nothing hidden behind a click. Here is the whole story in plain language, so you can decide what fits your situation.
Key facts & current figures
- These are grants, not loans - money you do not pay back - to make a home accessible. They are completely separate from the VA home loan.
- The Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant is the largest, up to about $126,500 for fiscal year 2026 (confirm the current cap on va.gov), for the most significant disabilities.
- The Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant is up to about $25,300 for fiscal year 2026, for certain conditions such as blindness or the loss of use of both hands.
- The HISA grant covers smaller changes - up to $6,800 for service-connected veterans - and is available even if you do not qualify for SAH or SHA.
General figures, current as of December 2025 and reviewed each year. Your exact amount depends on your situation - always confirm on va.gov.
Grants, not loans - and separate from the home loan
- The VA home loan helps you buy or refinance a house, and you pay it back. Adaptive housing grants are different - they are money the VA gives you to make a home accessible, and you do not repay it.
- You can use both benefits. A veteran can buy a home with a VA loan and separately receive a grant to adapt it.
- These grants exist so that a disability does not force you out of your own home. They are authorized under 38 USC Chapter 21 and 38 CFR 3.809.
Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) - the largest grant
- SAH is for veterans with the most serious service-connected disabilities - for example, the loss or loss of use of both legs, blindness plus the loss of use of a limb, or certain severe burns.
- For fiscal year 2026 it is worth up to about $126,500 (the cap is adjusted every year - confirm the current figure on va.gov).
- It can be used to build a new adapted home, buy a home already adapted, or remodel your current home for wheelchair access.
SHA and HISA - help at other levels
- The Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant - up to about $25,300 for fiscal year 2026 - helps veterans with conditions such as blindness in both eyes, the loss of use of both hands, or certain severe breathing or burn injuries.
- The Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant covers smaller, medically necessary changes - ramps, grab bars, roll-in showers, widened doorways - up to $6,800 for a service-connected condition (up to $2,000 for a non-service-connected condition).
- HISA is broader: you can qualify even if you do not meet the SAH or SHA rules, which makes it a practical option for many aging veterans.
Living in a family member’s home
- If you are staying in a home owned by a family member, the Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grant can pay to adapt that home too, up to a smaller limit tied to SAH or SHA.
- This matters for veterans who have moved in with an adult child or sibling and need the bathroom or entrance made safe.
- A VA occupational therapist or the SAH/HISA staff at your VA medical center can help plan exactly what changes qualify.
Your complete benefit picture
~$126,500
the most the Specially Adapted Housing grant can pay in fiscal year 2026 to make a home wheelchair-accessible - money you never repay, and entirely separate from the VA home loan. Confirm the current cap on va.gov.
Do not miss this
This is a grant you never repay - not the home loan
People hear "VA housing help" and picture the home loan, which you pay back. These are different: adaptive housing grants are money the VA gives you to make a home safe and accessible, and you keep it.
For an aging veteran who wants to stay home instead of moving to a facility, a ramp, a roll-in shower, or a widened doorway can be the difference - and HISA can help even if you do not meet the SAH or SHA rules.
You can use both
A veteran can buy a home with a VA loan and separately receive a grant to adapt it. They are not either-or.
HISA is the broad option
Up to $6,800 for service-connected changes like ramps and grab bars - with looser rules than SAH or SHA.
A clear path forward
Your step-by-step action plan
No rush and no pressure - but a little order helps. Applying is always free.
First
Figure out which grant fits
SAH for the most serious disabilities, SHA for conditions like blindness or loss of use of both hands, HISA for smaller changes.
Get a plan
Involve VA occupational therapy
A VA OT or the SAH/HISA staff at your medical center can spell out exactly which modifications qualify.
File the form
Apply with VA Form 26-4555
Submit for SAH or SHA online at va.gov, by mail, or with free accredited help; request HISA through your VA medical center.
Use it in stages
Spread it out if you need to
Grants can often be used across stages and more than one home over your lifetime, up to the program limits.
Who to call & where to go
These are free, official VA lines. Have your Social Security number handy when you call.
VA Home Loans & Housing Grants
Home loan guaranty and adapted-housing grants (SAH/SHA).
VA Benefits Hotline
Compensation, pension, and general claim questions.
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702-992-4883Download the forms
Not sure where to start?
Apply for SAH or SHA with VA Form 26-4555 - online at va.gov, by mail, or with free accredited help. The HISA grant is requested through your VA medical center with a prescription from your VA provider. You can often use a grant in stages and across more than one home over your lifetime, up to the program limits.
More benefits for veterans
These often go hand in hand - tap any card to learn more.
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