VA Home Adaptation Grants: SAH, SHA, HISA, and TRA

Quick Comparison of SAH, SHA, TRA, and HISA

The SAH, SHA, and TRA amounts above are the official fiscal year 2026 limits. Fiscal year 2026 runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. A maximum is not an automatic award. VA reviews the person, property, plans, costs, and approved scope.

Current status: VA’s official pages list these benefits as available and accept applications. They do not show one general annual application window. The 120-person cap applies only to the specific post-September 11 single-lower-extremity SAH category.

Which VA Home Adaptation Program Fits?

Start with the barrier in the home. Write down what the person cannot do safely, such as enter through the only door, turn a wheelchair in the hall, use the shower, reach a sink, transfer to the toilet, or connect needed medical equipment. Then match that need to the program.

Specially Adapted Housing Grant

Type of help: SAH is a federal grant, not a mortgage, repair loan, tax credit, or cash payment for any project the household chooses.

SAH may help buy, build, or change a permanent home. The person must own or plan to own it and have a qualifying service-connected disability. VA lists loss or loss of use of more than one limb, blindness in both eyes at 20/200 or less, certain severe burns, and other listed mobility conditions.

A post-September 11, 2001, category covers loss or loss of use of one lower extremity when a mobility aid is needed for balance or walking. Congress limits this category to 120 recipients per fiscal year. A person blocked only by the cap may be considered later.

The fiscal year 2026 maximum is $126,526. SAH or SHA may be used up to six times, but all uses share one total entitlement. HRG’s SAH application guide explains the project stages.

Special Home Adaptation Grant

Type of help: SHA is a federal housing grant. It is smaller than SAH and uses a different disability list.

SHA may help buy, build, or change a permanent home. The eligible person or a family member must own or plan to own it. VA lists loss or loss of use of both hands, certain severe burns, and certain respiratory injuries.

The fiscal year 2026 maximum is $25,350. VA, not project cost alone, decides whether SAH or SHA applies. The HRG SHA and HISA guide compares the programs.

Temporary Residence Adaptation Grant

Type of help: TRA is a federal adaptation grant tied to SAH or SHA eligibility. It is not a separate general repair program.

TRA may change a family member’s home where the eligible person lives temporarily. The person need not own it, but must qualify for SAH or SHA. Fiscal year 2026 limits are $50,961 with SAH eligibility and $9,100 with SHA eligibility.

Ask VA how the project affects remaining entitlement and whether the temporary living plan fits. Get the answer in writing before signing a contract.

Home Improvements and Structural Alterations

Type of help: HISA is a VA health care benefit. It is not SAH, SHA, a home loan, or an income-based local grant.

HISA may pay for medically necessary structural changes to a primary residence, whether owned or rented. A renter needs a signed and notarized owner authorization.

The lifetime amount is $6,800 for a service-connected need, certain needs treated as service connected, or a non-service-connected need when the person has one service-connected disability rated at least 50%. Ratings cannot be combined for that test. Other covered needs have a $2,000 lifetime amount.

Local Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service staff determine eligibility, remaining benefit, and paperwork.

Eligibility, Ownership, and Income Rules

A disability rating alone does not guarantee approval, and an eligible person may not receive every requested feature. Tell VA early about trusts, life estates, shared ownership, inherited property, manufactured-home titles, or separate land ownership. Never change a deed because a contractor says it will help.

What the Programs May and May Not Cover

SAH, SHA, and TRA may fund approved built-in changes such as an accessible entrance, wider routes, safer bathroom access, transfer space, or reachable controls. Design depends on need, property, code, approved plans, and available entitlement.

HISA’s official benefit instructions list these possible uses:

• Changes that allow entrance to or exit from the primary residence
• Access to essential bathroom and sanitary facilities, such as a roll-in shower
• Accessible kitchen or bathroom sinks and counters
• Permanent ramping or immediate entrance-path changes needed to reach the home
• Plumbing or electrical changes needed to install home medical equipment

VA also lists clear HISA exclusions:

• Routine roof, furnace, or air-conditioner replacement
• New home construction
• Exterior decks, walkways to outbuildings, hot tubs, spas, or Jacuzzis
• Home security systems
• Removable equipment such as portable ramps, porch lifts, and stair glides

Another VA prosthetic benefit may cover a portable item that HISA excludes. Ask the clinical team and PSAS. HRG’s accessibility repair guide compares common projects.

How to Apply Without Losing Time

Apply for SAH, SHA, or TRA

SAH and SHA use the same application. VA decides which fits. TRA also starts through adapted housing because SAH or SHA eligibility is required.

The official application page lists online, mail, and in-person routes. The current mailing address is:

VA does not charge an application fee. For adapted housing questions, call the VA home loan line at 1-877-827-3702, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The VA benefits hotline is 1-800-827-1000. TTY users can dial 711.

Apply for HISA

HISA begins through the VA medical system, not the home loan grant application. Contact the local VA medical center, care team, rehabilitation service, or PSAS office. Use the official VA facility locator if you do not know which office serves you.

A complete HISA package generally includes:

• A prescription written or approved by a VA physician
• The person’s name, address, and phone number
• A description of the project, alternatives, and items to be installed
• The diagnosis and medical reason the change is needed
• A signed VA Form 10-0103
• A signed and notarized owner authorization when the applicant rents
• An itemized estimate for labor, materials, permits, and inspections
• A color photograph of the area before improvement

The form allows an applicant to request advance payment, but the local office controls the process. Ask who receives payment, what receipts are required, whether VA will inspect, and what happens if the final cost differs from the estimate.

Documents to Gather

Do not delay the first VA contact while trying to build a perfect package. Ask which records apply to your case. These items commonly help:

Send sensitive records only through an official VA portal, office, or mailing address. Do not email Social Security numbers, medical records, or bank information to an unverified contractor or caller.

What Happens After You Apply

For SAH or SHA, VA processes the claim and sends a written decision. Use the claim status tool for supported claims. VA does not publish one universal timeline.

After eligibility, an SAH agent may review needs, property, design, costs, builder, permits, inspections, and payment stages. For HISA, the medical center reviews medical need, benefit amount, estimate, and proposed work and may inspect the site. Ask for the local approval and payment steps in writing.

Builders, Bids, Permits, and Payments

VA says SAH builders are not “VA approved.” They register for a Builder ID, which does not prove skill, insurance, licensing, price, or quality. Check licenses, insurance, references, warranties, permits, and written bids. The builder registration page explains the rule, while VA’s builder training covers contracts, inspections, changes, payments, and lien releases.

SAH, SHA, and TRA are grants, and HISA is a health care benefit. They have no normal loan payment or interest, but they are not unrestricted cash. VA may stage payments and require proof of approved costs. Misused or overpaid funds may have to be returned.

Common Problems, Delays, and Denials

A request for evidence is not a denial. Respond by the stated deadline and keep proof. After a benefits denial, VA offers a Supplemental Claim for new and relevant evidence, a Higher-Level Review for a claimed error without new evidence, or a Board Appeal.

Most decisions allow one year for a Higher-Level Review or Board Appeal, but the letter controls. Review the official decision review options.

For HISA, ask the medical center for the written reason and correct clinical or administrative review route. A VA-accredited representative can help with a benefit claim. Accredited Veterans Service Organization claim help is always free.

HRG’s VA denial guide explains how to organize the letter, evidence, deadline, and backup plan.

Backup Options When VA Does Not Cover the Work

A denial may mean the work belongs in another program. These options use their own income, age, ownership, location, and funding rules:

• Medicaid home modifications: Some state home- and community-based services programs may cover approved environmental modifications. This is a Medicaid service, not cash. Prior authorization and a service plan are usually required. See HRG’s Medicaid modification guide.
• Local disability programs: A city, county, state housing agency, independent living center, or aging and disability office may offer a grant, deferred loan, forgivable loan, regular loan, or contractor-managed service. Start with the disabled homeowner guide.
• USDA Section 504: Very-low-income rural homeowners may qualify for a 1% repair loan, and some homeowners age 62 or older may qualify for a hazard-removal grant. This is income-tested and not a veteran-only benefit. Review the USDA repair guide.
• Veteran nonprofits: Local Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together, and other veteran repair programs may provide a no-cost service, subsidized repair, or locally defined assistance. Availability and terms vary. Use HRG’s veteran nonprofit guide.

Ordinary roof, heating, electrical, plumbing, and code repairs often belong with local, rural, utility, disaster, insurance, or nonprofit programs. Disclose other pending help so the same cost is not paid twice.

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