VA Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation Grants

Entitlement facts

Benefit type

Grant. Non-repayable financial assistance for an eligible purpose, subject to application, approval, funding, and use restrictions. Taxonomy definition →

What it unlocks

FY2026 maximums are $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA for an eligible permanent home, or $50,961 for an SAH-qualified TRA project and $9,100 for an SHA-qualified TRA project in a family member's home

Who qualifies

Veteran or service member with a qualifying service-connected disability; Owner or prospective owner of the permanent home for SAH; Applicant or family-member owner or prospective owner for SHA; Temporary resident in a family member's home for TRA

Requirements

For SAH, the applicant must own or will own the permanent home and have a qualifying service-connected disability: loss or loss of use of more than one limb; loss or loss of use of a lower leg with lasting effects of an organic disease or injury; blindness in both eyes with 20/200 visual acuity or less; certain severe burns; or, after September 11, 2001, loss or loss of use of one lower extremity that prevents balance or walking without braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair. Congress limits that last single-extremity route to 120 qualifying Veterans and service members per federal fiscal year. For SHA, the applicant or a family member must own or will own the permanent home, and the applicant must have loss or loss of use of both hands, certain severe burns, or certain respiratory or breathing injuries. TRA requires temporary residence in a family member's home that needs adaptation plus underlying SAH or SHA eligibility; the applicant does not have to own that temporary home. VA makes the eligibility decision.

How to activate

Review the SAH and SHA disability and ownership tests, then apply online through VA.gov or submit VA Form 26-4555. A paper application can be mailed to Department of Veterans Affairs, Claims Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444, or taken to a VA regional office. VA says the application requires a Social Security number and, if available, the VA file or claim number. Save the online confirmation or a copy of the paper submission. VA will process the claim, send a decision letter, and let the applicant check claim status by signing in to VA.gov.

Cost basis

Subsidized or partially covered. A government, nonprofit, employer, insurer, scholarship, or other sponsor pays some or all eligible costs; the user's remaining amount depends on the award and program rules.

Cost and fees

VA's public application pages do not list a VA application fee. The published dollar figures are maximum grant entitlements, not automatic awards or separate amounts for every use. An eligible person may use grant money up to six times over a lifetime, drawing as much or as little as needed for the approved adaptations and builder bid; unused entitlement may remain for future use. VA may adjust the total maximum each year for construction costs, and the applicable ceiling is the current total maximum in the last year the grant is used. Costs above the available grant, including additional home, construction, design, permit, or financing costs, remain the applicant's responsibility. The 120-person annual cap applies specifically to the post-September 11, 2001 single-lower-extremity SAH eligibility route, not every SAH or SHA applicant.

Geography

US

Personalization

Published eligibility is not described as individually targeted.