Grants for Veterans for Home Repairs: VA SAH, SHA, HISA and Other Real Help

Search for “grants for veterans for home repairs” and you will find plenty of promises. The real picture is narrower and more useful. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays for home changes that a disability makes necessary, such as a ramp, a roll-in shower or wider doorways. It does not pay to replace an aging roof or a worn-out furnace. For those everyday repairs, veterans use the same programs as other homeowners, and a few of them give extra priority to people with disabilities or older adults.

This guide sorts the options into two groups so you can go straight to the right office: VA grants for disability-related adaptations, and other official programs for general repairs. Every amount below comes from the agency that runs the program, and we link to each source.

Facts were checked on October 30, 2026 against VA.gov, VA’s Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, the Federal Register, the Department of Energy, USDA Rural Development and USAGov. Every source is listed at the end.

Is there a VA grant for general home repairs?

No. None of the VA housing grants is a general repair fund. Each one is tied to a disability and to changes that help you live in your home more safely or independently.

The clearest statement comes from VA’s own description of its Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) benefit. Among the things it excludes are “routine repairs as part of regular home maintenance like replacements of roofs, furnaces, or air conditioners.” The larger Specially Adapted Housing grants work the same way: the money is for building, buying or changing a home to meet the needs of a qualifying service-connected disability.

So start with one question: is the work you need caused by a disability?

• Yes (for example, you use a wheelchair and cannot get through the front door or into the shower): look at the VA grants in the next sections.
• No (for example, the roof leaks or the heating system failed): skip to help with roofs, furnaces and other repairs.
• Both: you can pursue each track separately. A VA adaptation grant and a local repair program are run by different offices with different rules.

Which VA home grants can veterans get?

VA runs four home-related grants for individual veterans and service members. Two different parts of VA manage them. The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) handles the Specially Adapted Housing family of grants, and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) handles HISA through its prosthetics service.

VA also offers a home adaptation grant to some veterans in the Independent Living track of Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E). That grant is part of an approved rehabilitation plan, so you reach it through a VR&E counselor rather than a separate application.

Who qualifies for a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant?

According to VA, two things must both be true. You own, or will own, the home, and you have a qualifying service-connected disability. VA lists these qualifying disabilities:

• loss, or loss of use, of more than one limb;
• loss, or loss of use, of a lower leg together with the lasting effects of an organic disease or injury;
• blindness in both eyes (20/200 visual acuity or less);
• certain severe burns;
• loss, or loss of use, of one lower extremity after September 11, 2001, that leaves you unable to balance or walk without braces, crutches, canes or a wheelchair.

That last category has a cap. Congress allows only 120 veterans and service members per fiscal year to qualify on that basis. If you are eligible but the year’s 120 slots are used, VA says you may be able to receive the benefit in a later year. The VA fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, so a new year of slots started on October 1, 2026.

The home must be your permanent home, meaning one you plan to live in for a long time. Active-duty service members can qualify too, which matters if you are adapting a home before separation.

Who qualifies for a Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant?

SHA has the same permanent-home rule, with one helpful difference: you or a family member can own the home. The qualifying service-connected disabilities are different:

• loss, or loss of use, of both hands;
• certain severe burns;
• certain respiratory or breathing injuries.

Severe burns appear on both lists. VA decides which grant fits based on the specific rating, so apply and let VA make that call rather than guessing which form of the benefit you should request.

How much are SAH and SHA grants for 2026–27?

VA’s disability housing grants page lists the fiscal year 2026 maximums: $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA. Those figures took effect on October 1, 2025, and were announced in a Federal Register notice published November 18, 2025. That notice raised the amounts by 3.87 percent, in line with the Turner Building Cost Index that VA uses to track construction costs.

What about fiscal year 2027, which began October 1, 2026? As of October 30, 2026, we could not find a fiscal year 2027 notice in the Federal Register, and VA’s page still shows the 2026 figures. Last year’s notice came out about seven weeks after the fiscal year started and applied back to October 1. Expect the same pattern, but treat any “2027 SAH amount” you see online as unconfirmed until VA publishes it.

Three rules make the numbers easier to plan around:

• It is a lifetime total, not a yearly allowance. You can use SAH or SHA money up to six times over your lifetime, taking as much or as little as each project needs.
• The cap follows the latest maximum. VA says you may receive up to the current maximum for the last year in which you use the grant. If the cap rises, the room you have left can rise with it.
• The amount is a ceiling. What you actually receive depends on the adaptations you need and your builder’s bid.

What is the Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grant?

Some veterans live for a while with a parent, adult child or other relative, for example while recovering or while their own home is being built. TRA lets an SAH- or SHA-eligible veteran adapt that family member’s home. You do not need to own it. For fiscal year 2026, VA lists up to $50,961 if you qualify for SAH and up to $9,100 if you qualify for SHA.

VA’s grant page does not spell out how a TRA grant interacts with SAH or SHA money you may use later for your permanent home. Before you start a large temporary project, call the housing grant line and ask how it would affect your remaining benefit.

What does the VA HISA grant cover, and not cover?

HISA is the grant most veterans can realistically use, because it is not limited to the severe disabilities listed above. It pays for medically necessary changes to your primary residence. VA lists these purposes:

• getting into and out of the home;
• using essential bathroom and sanitary facilities, such as a roll-in shower;
• reaching kitchen or bathroom sinks and counters, such as lowering them;
• permanent ramping on entrance paths or driveways right next to the home;
• plumbing or electrical work made necessary by installing home medical equipment.

It is a lifetime benefit with two levels:

• Up to $6,800 if the work addresses a service-connected disability, a disability treated as if it were service-connected, or any disability when you have a service-connected rating of at least 50 percent;
• Up to $2,000 for other eligible veterans whose project addresses a disability not covered above.

The exclusions matter just as much. VA will not use HISA for exterior decking, walkways to outbuildings, spas or hot tubs, home security systems, new construction, or removable equipment such as portable ramps, porch lifts and stair glides. Routine repairs are also excluded, as noted above.

Renters can use HISA. You will need a signed, notarized statement from the owner approving the work.

Where can veterans get help with roofs, furnaces and other repairs?

For repairs that are not disability-related, these are the legitimate places to look. None is veterans-only, but all are open to veterans who meet the rules.

USDA Section 504 (rural homeowners)

If you own and live in a home in an eligible rural area and have a very low income, USDA Rural Development’s Section 504 program offers repair loans of up to $40,000 at a fixed 1 percent rate for 20 years. If you are 62 or older, you may also qualify for a grant of up to $10,000 (a lifetime limit) to remove health and safety hazards. The two can be combined for up to $50,000. Our USDA Section 504 home repair guide covers income limits, the address eligibility check and how to apply.

Weatherization Assistance Program

The Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) pays for energy-efficiency work such as insulation, air sealing and some heating-system repairs, carried out by local providers. DOE says households at or below 200 percent of the poverty guidelines, or receiving Supplemental Security Income, are eligible under its rules. States may use the LIHEAP standard of 60 percent of state median income instead. Both homeowners and renters can apply, and priority goes to older adults, families with a member who has a disability, families with children and households with high energy costs. You apply through your state weatherization agency or a local provider, not through DOE.

LIHEAP for heating emergencies

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps with heating bills and, in many states, with crisis repairs or replacement of a broken heating system. LIHEAP seasons are opening now. Pennsylvania, for example, opens its 2026–27 season on November 2, 2026, and its state plan sets a closing date of April 23, 2027, which the state may extend or shorten depending on funding. Our guide to help paying utility bills through LIHEAP and weatherization explains how to find your state’s office.

Local and state repair programs

Many cities and counties run owner-occupied repair programs, often paid for with federal housing funds and offered as grants or forgivable loans. USAGov notes that some repair programs are offered only at the state or county level, so check your city, county and state housing agencies. Other places to check:

• your state department of veterans affairs, which VA lists in its directory of state offices; some states run their own veteran home programs;
• 211, the free referral line for local help;
• volunteer repair nonprofits such as local Rebuilding Together affiliates, which repair homes for homeowners in need (services and eligibility vary by affiliate).

Our overview of home repair grants and programs lists more of these options. If you live in Colorado, see our guide to grants and benefits for Colorado veterans.

Loans are not grants

A VA-backed cash-out refinance can turn home equity into cash for improvements, and HUD offers Title I property improvement loans and 203(k) rehabilitation mortgages. These can be good tools, but they are loans you repay, not grants. VA itself warns that refinance offers promising skipped payments or unusually low rates may be signs of a misleading offer.

How do you apply for a VA SAH or SHA grant? (Step by step)

1. Confirm your service-connected rating. SAH and SHA depend on specific service-connected disabilities. If your condition is not yet rated, the disability claim comes first.
2. Gather two items. VA asks for your Social Security number and your VA file or claim number, if you have one.
3. Apply. Use the online application on VA.gov. Or complete VA Form 26-4555 and mail it to: Department of Veterans Affairs, Claims Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444. You can also take the form to your nearest VA regional office.
4. Get help by phone if you need it. VA’s housing grant line is 877-827-3702 (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. You can ask them to mail you a form.
5. Wait for the decision letter and track the claim by signing in to VA.gov.
6. Plan the work with VA before building starts. The amount you receive depends on the adaptations you need and your builder’s bid, so line up a qualified builder and keep VA informed rather than starting work and asking to be repaid later.

Applying is free. You never need a paid service to file VA Form 26-4555.

How do you apply for the HISA grant?

HISA runs through your VA health care, not the regional benefits office. VA says a complete application package includes:

1. A prescription written or approved by a VA physician. It must describe the project, the area of the home, the alternatives considered and the medical reason for the change. Start by asking your VA provider for a referral to the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service.
2. A completed and signed VA Form 10-0103. You submit it to the VA health care facility where you get care. If you want an advance payment, request it on this form.
3. A written, itemized estimate covering labor, materials, permits and inspections.
4. A color photo of the area before any work is done.
5. For renters: the owner’s signed, notarized permission.

VA may inspect the site. The form also says that if the cost is higher than your remaining HISA balance, you agree to pay the difference. Get your estimate before you sign so you know whether that applies to you.

Are there deadlines for veterans’ home repair grants?

VA’s pages for SAH, SHA, TRA and HISA list no application deadline. You can apply at any time. The dates that do matter:

Local repair programs often open for short windows or close when money runs out, so check your city or county site early in the year.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Asking VA to pay for a new roof or furnace. VA grants cover disability-related adaptations. Route general repairs to USDA, weatherization, LIHEAP or local programs.
• Starting construction before approval. Get VA’s decision, and for HISA your prescription and estimate, first.
• Assuming the maximum is what you will get. SAH and SHA amounts are ceilings that depend on the work and the bid, and HISA is a lifetime total.
• Skipping HISA because you are not 100 percent disabled. HISA has a $2,000 level for some non-service-connected conditions, and a 50 percent service-connected rating opens the $6,800 level.
• Treating a loan as a grant. Cash-out refinances, Title I loans and 203(k) mortgages must be repaid.
• Paying someone to “unlock” a grant. USAGov warns that the federal government does not offer free money to individuals to repair their homes, and that ads promising it are often scams. Check any offer with our grant scam checker.

How AGA can help

American Grant Association is a private service, not a government agency, and we do not award grants. If you want home repair and veteran programs that fit your state sent to you, sign up free for Grant Alerts and the grant tracker. For every verified match with numbered steps and deadline reminders, the Starter plan is built for individuals; compare all options on our plans and pricing page. To learn more about grants versus benefits for household costs, read government grants to pay bills: what is real. If you are a veteran starting a business rather than fixing a home, see our guide to disabled veteran business start-up grants. More guides like this one are in our personal and individual grants hub.

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. VA, USDA, DOE and state agencies make all eligibility decisions.

Official sources

• VA: Disability housing grants for Veterans (SAH, SHA, TRA)
• VA: How to apply for a disability housing grant
• VA Form 26-4555
• Federal Register: FY 2026 SAH assistance amounts (Nov. 18, 2025)
• VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service: HISA
• VA Form 10-0103 (HISA application)
• VA: Veteran Readiness and Employment, Independent Living
• VA: Cash-out refinance loan
• USDA Rural Development: Section 504 home repair loans and grants
• U.S. Department of Energy: How to apply for weatherization assistance
• HHS Administration for Children and Families: LIHEAP
• Pennsylvania DHS: LIHEAP
• Pennsylvania DHS: FY 2027 LIHEAP state plan (PDF)
• USAGov: Home repair and improvement programs
• USAGov: Avoid “free money” from the government scams
• VA: State departments of veterans affairs