Specially Adapted Housing Grants for Veterans

Veterans and other service members who have service-related disabilities may be eligible for a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make their lives a little easier. The VA provides two grant programs – the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant and the Special Housing Adaption (SHA) grant.

The current maximum grant amount is $100,896 for the fiscal year 2021. Applicants must use funds to construct or modify a home to meet adaptive needs.

Both programs aim to provide Veterans with a barrier-free living environment that delivers a level of independence that the Veteran may not usually enjoy.

What is a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant?

With the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant, eligible Veterans can use the grant to construct a specially adapted home – on both land that has already been purchased or is yet to be purchased.

Veterans receiving the grant may also remodel an existing structure to make it suitable or apply the funds against the unpaid principal of an already adapted home.

What is a Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grant?

With the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant, Veterans with certain service-connected disabilities can adapt an existing home that the Veteran or family already owns and lives in, adapt a home that the Veteran intends to purchase and will live in, or to help a veteran purchase a home that has already been adapted.

The SAH and SHA benefit amount is set by law but can be adjusted upward annually based on a cost-of-construction index.

A temporary grant may be available to SAH/SHA eligible Veterans and Service members who are or will be temporarily residing in a home owned by a family member.

How to Apply for a Specially Adapted Housing Grant

To apply for a grant, fill out and submit VA Form 26-4555, Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation Grant. You can access this form by:

• Applying online via www.ebenefits.va.gov
• Download VA Form 26-4555, Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation Grant, and mailing it to your nearest Regional Loan Center
• Call the VA toll free at 1-800-827-1000 and request the claim form to be mailed
• Visiting the nearest VA regional office

For more information, visit the official VA site.