Submitted by: Curt Coy
Colleagues and Fellow Veterans:
Are you a Veteran with a severe service-connected disability that affects your mobility? Do you know someone who is? If you answered Yes to either question, then you or someone you know may be eligible for the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant program that is administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The SAH program helps certain severely-disabled Veterans and Servicemembers purchase or construct an adapted home, or modify an existing home, to create a barrier-free-living environment. VA offers two grant programs: the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant and the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant.
The SAH grant can be used to purchase or modify a home so that it provides a barrier-free living environment that affords Veterans a higher level of independent living. Veterans and Servicemembers with certain service-connected disabilities may be entitled to a grant up to the current maximum of $67,555.
The SHA grant can be used to increase the mobility of eligible Veterans and Servicemembers throughout their home. Veterans and Servicemembers with specific service-connected disabilities may be entitled to this type of grant, up to the current maximum of $13,511.
In addition to these two grant types, a temporary residential grant may be available to SAH/SHA eligible Veterans and Servicemembers who are or will be temporarily residing in a home owned by a family member. The maximum amount available to adapt a family member's home for the SAH grant is $29,657 and for the SHA grant it is $5,295. All grant amounts are indexed annually based on cost of construction, and the grant amounts will never decrease.
VA has staff located nationwide to assist individuals in applying for and receiving these grants. You can find more detailed information about qualifying disabilities here: http://benefits.va.gov/homeloans/adaptedhousing.asp, and you can find contact information for an SAH Agent in your area here: http://www.benefits.va.gov/HOMELOANS/contact_agents.asp.
Each Veteran's housing/living needs are as unique as their physical disabilities. The SAH program provides hands-on, personalized, customized service to severely-disabled Veterans seeking home adaptations.
