VA SAH, SHA and HISA Grants: What Each One Covers and How to Apply

VA has two separate ways to help pay for accessibility changes to a home, and they are easy to mix up. The housing grants (SAH, SHA and TRA) come through VA's housing program and are tied to specific service-connected disabilities. HISA comes through VA health care and is tied to medical need. This guide reflects the official VA pages as of October 2026.

214 Veteran Solutions is a veteran-owned general contractor. We are not part of VA, and we do not determine eligibility or approve grants. Only VA does.

The housing grants: SAH, SHA and TRA

VA's disability housing grants page, last updated November 18, 2025, describes three grants:

• Specially Adapted Housing (SAH): helps buy, build or change a permanent home. You must own or will own the home and have a qualifying service-connected disability. VA's list includes the loss or loss of use of more than one limb, blindness in both eyes at the stated acuity, certain severe burns, and certain losses of a lower leg or foot, including a post-9/11 category that VA limits to a set number of approvals each fiscal year.
• Special Home Adaptation (SHA): also helps buy, build or change a permanent home. You or a family member must own or will own it, and the qualifying disabilities include the loss or loss of use of both hands, certain severe burns and certain respiratory or breathing injuries.
• Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA): helps adapt a family member's home where you are living temporarily, if you qualify for SAH or SHA.

VA publishes a maximum for each grant every fiscal year and lists the fiscal year 2026 figures on that page. VA also says grant money can be used up to six times over your lifetime, which matters if you plan changes in phases or move later. Read VA's full eligibility list rather than relying on this summary.

How to apply: VA's how-to-apply page says you can apply online, by mail with VA Form 26-4555, or in person at a VA regional office, and that VA will send a decision letter.

HISA: Home Improvements and Structural Alterations

HISA is a VA health care benefit, administered through Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service. VA's HISA page (last updated February 12, 2025) describes medically necessary improvements to a veteran's primary residence, such as:

• Making it possible to get into and out of the home
• Access to essential bathroom facilities, for example a roll-in shower
• Access to kitchen or bathroom sinks and counters
• Improving entrance paths or driveways right around the home
• Plumbing or electrical changes needed for home medical equipment

The same page lists what HISA does not cover, including walkways to exterior buildings, spas and hot tubs, exterior decking, new construction, security systems, removable equipment like portable ramps or stair glides, and routine maintenance.

HISA has lifetime limits in two tiers. The higher tier generally applies to service-connected conditions, or to veterans with a qualifying service-connected rating; the lower tier applies to other conditions. VA lists the current limits on the HISA page.

What the HISA application asks for: according to that page, a prescription written or approved by a VA physician, VA Form 10-0103 (current revision February 2025), a written itemized estimate covering labor, materials, permits and inspections, a color photo of the area before any work, and, for renters, a signed and notarized statement from the owner. Start with your VA health care team or the prosthetics office at your VA medical center.

SAH or HISA: which one fits?

Some veterans may be able to look at both. Ask VA how the programs apply to you.

What the construction side needs

Whichever program you use, the paperwork goes smoother when the construction scope is clear:

1. Measurements of existing conditions: door widths, thresholds, hallway turns, shower size, counter heights and the path from the driveway to the door.
2. A written scope that ties each change to the need it addresses.
3. An itemized estimate that lines up with the scope, with labor, materials, permits and inspections broken out, since HISA asks for exactly that.
4. Before photos of each area.
5. Drawings where ramps, structural openings or layout changes are involved.
6. Licensed trade work for any plumbing, electrical or HVAC changes, performed, permitted and inspected by licensed trade contractors, plus City permits where required.

Do not start work before VA tells you the request is approved. Follow the instructions your VA contact gives you and keep copies of everything you submit.

For bathroom features in detail, see our aging-in-place bathroom checklist and our guide to tub-to-walk-in-shower conversions. The Texas program is a separate benefit, covered in our Texas Veterans Land Board guide. Our VA construction and renovation page explains how we document scopes and estimates for these requests.

If you need a measured scope and itemized estimate for a VA request, book an estimate consultation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between SAH and HISA?

SAH (with SHA and TRA) is a VA housing grant for specific service-connected disabilities and can help buy, build or adapt a home. HISA is a VA health care benefit for medically necessary access changes to a primary residence, started through your VA health care team.

How much do the VA housing grants and HISA pay?

VA sets the limits. The housing grant page lists the fiscal year 2026 maximums and the HISA page lists the lifetime limits. Check both pages directly before you plan a budget.

What does HISA not cover?

VA's HISA page excludes walkways to exterior buildings, spas and hot tubs, exterior decking, new construction, security systems, removable equipment such as portable ramps and stair glides, and routine maintenance.

Is 214 Veteran Solutions part of VA, or can it approve my grant?

No. We are an independent contractor, not part of VA, and we do not decide eligibility or approve grants. We can measure the home and prepare the written scope and itemized estimate VA asks for.