Housing grants for disabled veterans: who qualifies, how to apply

Veteran housing grants from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pay to buy, build or change a home for veterans and service members with certain service-connected disabilities, ones caused or made worse by military service. For fiscal year 2026, VA's limits were $126,526 for a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant and $25,350 for a Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant. To get one, apply online or send VA Form 26-4555.

VA can raise the limits each October 1, the start of its fiscal year, when building costs rise, and it never lowers them. So the limits for fiscal year 2027, which began October 1, 2026, are at least the 2026 amounts. Check VA's grants page for the newest limits before you plan a budget.

What do the SAH and SHA grants pay for?

Both grants pay to make a home work for your disability, so you can live more independently, for example by putting in ramps or widening doorways. They are grants, not loans, and they are separate from VA home loans.

A permanent home is one you plan to live in for a long time.

Who qualifies for the SAH and SHA grants?

You need one of the service-connected disabilities below, rated by VA. "Loss of use" means a hand or foot is still there but works no better than an artificial one would.

You must also own the home for SAH; for SHA, you or a family member can own it. For most of them, the law requires a rating of permanent and total: VA rates the disability at its highest level and doesn't expect it to improve. Blindness and the loss of one leg after September 11, 2001 need only a permanent rating. A service member on active duty can qualify if the disability came from, or got worse during, service.

Disabilities that qualify for SAH:

• The loss, or loss of use, of more than one limb.
• The loss, or loss of use, of a lower leg along with lasting effects of a physical disease or injury.
• Blindness in both eyes, with 20/200 visual acuity or less.
• Certain severe burns.
• The loss, or loss of use, of one leg or foot after September 11, 2001, so you can't balance or walk without braces, crutches, canes or a wheelchair. Congress limits these grants to 120 a fiscal year. If you qualify after the year's 120 are used, VA says you may get the grant in a later year.

Disabilities that qualify for SHA:

• The loss, or loss of use, of both hands.
• Certain severe burns.
• Certain breathing injuries. VA's rule covers lasting effects of breathing in a harmful substance, such as scarred lung tissue (pulmonary fibrosis), asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

For SAH, VA also checks that the plan works for you. It must be medically safe for you to live in that home and area rather than in a care facility. The home must suit your needs, and you must be able to afford it on your income.

How much will VA pay?

The amounts above are the most VA pays, not what every veteran gets. VA pays for the work it finds reasonably necessary for your disability, and you pay anything above that.

• SHA: VA pays the actual cost of the needed changes, up to the limit.
• SAH, changing a home you already own: VA can pay the full cost of the changes, up to the limit.
• SAH, building a new home: VA pays no more than half of the cost of the home and its land, up to the limit.

Example. Say VA finds that $20,000 of bathroom and entrance changes are needed under an SHA grant. VA pays $20,000. If the same work cost $30,000, VA would pay the fiscal year 2026 limit of $25,350, and you would pay the other $4,650.

You don't have to use it all at once. You can draw on an SAH or SHA grant up to 6 times in your life, until you reach the limit. If VA raises the limit in a later year, the higher limit applies the year you use the grant.

Is the Temporary Residence Adaptation grant still available?

The Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grant is available until December 11, 2026. A funding law signed September 2, 2026 moved the end date from September 30 to December 11, 2026. After that, VA can't pay a TRA grant unless Congress extends the date again, as it has several times before. Before you plan any TRA work, call VA at 877-827-3702 and ask: "Can I get a Temporary Residence Adaptation grant now, and until what date?"

A TRA grant pays to change a family member's home that you live in for a while, so you don't have to own it. You must qualify for SAH or SHA. For fiscal year 2026, VA's TRA limits were $50,961 for someone who qualified for SAH and $9,100 for someone who qualified for SHA. SAH and SHA themselves have no end date in the law.

How do you apply for a veteran housing grant?

1. Gather your details: your Social Security number and your VA file or claim number, if you have one.
2. Apply online, or fill out VA Form 26-4555, the Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation Grant.
3. Or send the form by mail to Department of Veterans Affairs, Claims Intake Center, Post Office Box 4444, Janesville, Wisconsin 53547-4444, or bring it to your nearest VA regional office. If you need a paper form mailed to you, call 877-827-3702 (for a text telephone, dial 711), Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
4. Wait for the letter. VA sends a decision letter. You can check your claim's status by signing in on VA's website.
5. Expect approval steps before money moves. VA gives a conditional approval first, then final approval once your building plans meet its design rules and you show you own the home. You also sign a fair housing certification, a promise that the home follows fair housing laws. A home in an area the Federal Emergency Management Agency marks as a flood hazard needs flood insurance.

Before you ask builders for prices, read VA's design guide for SAH and SHA projects, which shows the features VA expects.

What other VA housing help is there?

• Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA). This VA health benefit pays for medically needed changes to the home you live in, such as a roll-in shower or a ramp. VA's HISA page sets a lifetime amount of $6,800 for a service-connected disability, or for any disability if VA rates you at least 50% service-connected. Other veterans can get $2,000. You need a prescription from a VA doctor and VA Form 10-0103. If you rent, you also need a signed, notarized statement from the owner allowing the work.
• VA home loans. A VA-backed home loan can help you buy, build, improve or refinance a home, and most are made with no down payment. State first-time buyer programs can add help with closing costs, and some work with VA loans.
• Housing for veterans who are homeless or about to be. HUD-VASH gives a homeless veteran a voucher, which pays part of the rent, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), along with a VA case manager. Supportive Services for Veteran Families is a separate VA program that pays short-term costs such as rent and moving.

What should you do next?

If your disability is on the lists above, apply for SAH or SHA now; VA decides whether your rating qualifies after you apply. For rentals built for people with disabilities, see our guide to housing for people with disabilities.

To look for rentals or homes for sale, browse our listings page or affordable housing by area. Then run the qualify check to see which listings fit your household.