San Antonio is home to one of the largest active-duty, retired, and disabled veteran communities in the country. Between JBSA-Lackland, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, JBSA-Randolph, the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, and the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital, thousands of local households eventually face the same question: how do I pay for the home modifications I now need because of a service-connected disability?
The Department of Veterans Affairs answers that question with three different grant programs, each with its own eligibility rules, dollar limits, and approval path. This guide walks through what each grant is, what it pays for, and what a real San Antonio modification project looks like from estimate through final inspection.
The three VA home modification grants at a glance
| Grant | Who it is for | Approximate limit | Typical scope in San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAH — Specially Adapted Housing | Veterans with severe service-connected disabilities such as loss of use of both lower extremities or certain blindness combined with loss of a limb. | Annually adjusted by the VA. The FY 2026 maximum is in the low six figures (verify the current cap at va.gov). | Whole-home accessibility: no-step entries, widened doorways, roll-in showers, accessible kitchens, lowered controls, accessible routes, and in some cases new construction of an adapted home. |
| SHA — Special Home Adaptation | Veterans with severe service-connected vision loss or loss of use of both hands, plus certain respiratory or burn injuries. | Annually adjusted, roughly one-fifth of the SAH maximum. | Targeted adaptations such as accessible bathrooms, accessible kitchens, tactile or contrast-improved finishes, and selected route widening. |
| TRA — Temporary Residence Adaptation | Eligible SAH or SHA recipients who live temporarily in a family member's home. | Drawn from the SAH or SHA lifetime amount, with a separate temporary cap. | Smaller adaptation packages so the veteran can live safely with family while a permanent solution is built. |
| HISA — Home Improvements and Structural Alterations | Veterans needing medically necessary home modifications, prescribed by VA healthcare. | Lifetime $6,800 for service-connected conditions; $2,000 for non-service-connected (verify current amounts). | Grab bars, ramps, walk-in showers, widened bathroom doorways, accessible sinks and toilets, and similar medically prescribed work. |
The grants are not mutually exclusive in all cases. A veteran approved for SAH may still use HISA for separate medically prescribed work, and TRA can be combined with SAH or SHA when the veteran is living with a family member.
SAH: the big-build grant
SAH is the grant most people picture when they hear "VA home modification." It is built for veterans with the most severe service-connected disabilities — typical eligibility involves loss or loss of use of both lower extremities, certain blindness combined with limb loss, or other categories defined in 38 CFR. The dollar limit is annually adjusted by the VA based on residential construction cost indices.
SAH can be used in three ways: build a specially adapted home, adapt an existing home a veteran already owns, or be applied to a home owned by a family member when the veteran lives there. The VA assigns an SAH agent who works through the project plans, scope, and approvals.
In San Antonio, SAH work usually involves a coordinated set of items: a no-step entry from driveway or sidewalk grade, widened front and interior doorways at 36 inches clear, hard-surface flooring on accessible routes, a roll-in shower with a curbless drain and a folding seat, a lowered or removable vanity, accessible toilet height, grab-bar blocking in walls, lowered light switches, raised receptacles, and a kitchen with a roll-under sink, a side-opening oven, and accessible cabinet hardware.
SHA: targeted accessibility
SHA is smaller in dollar amount and serves a different group: veterans with severe service-connected vision loss, loss of use of both hands, or specific respiratory or severe burn injuries. The scope is usually narrower — accessible bathroom and kitchen work, contrast and tactile improvements for low vision, and other targeted adaptations.
SHA still goes through a VA approval path with an assigned agent, and the contractor scope must match the approved plan. In San Antonio, a typical SHA project might focus on a single accessible bathroom plus targeted kitchen changes, finished within a few weeks once permits are pulled.
HISA: medically prescribed modifications through VA healthcare
HISA is structured differently from SAH and SHA. It is administered through VA healthcare — the South Texas Veterans Health Care System for San Antonio veterans — and requires a prescription from a VA provider documenting medical necessity. HISA can be used by both service-connected and non-service-connected veterans, but the lifetime cap is higher for service-connected conditions.
Approved HISA projects in San Antonio commonly include:
- Walk-in or roll-in shower conversions
- Grab bars, transfer benches, and reinforced wall blocking
- Accessible toilets and toilet height adjustments
- Widened bathroom and bedroom doorways
- Threshold ramps and exterior grade ramps
- Lever door hardware and accessible faucet handles
- Hard-surface flooring on accessible routes
- Plumbing and electrical work directly tied to accessibility scope
Because HISA is paid through VA healthcare, the prescription, scope, and contractor invoice flow through the local VA medical center, not the regional benefits office.
What the build actually looks like in San Antonio
An accessibility remodel under any of these grants follows a clear sequence. Skipping steps in this order is the most common cause of delay and rework.
1. Prescription, eligibility, and grant agent
For HISA, the VA provider writes the prescription and the VA medical center approves the scope before work is bid. For SAH and SHA, the VA assigns a grant agent who confirms eligibility and reviews the plan. The contractor cannot accurately price the job until the approved scope is in writing.
2. Site walk and code review
214 Veteran Solutions walks the home with the veteran and any caregiver, measures door widths, hallway clearances, bathroom dimensions, and route slopes. Older San Antonio homes often have narrow halls, raised thresholds, slab elevation changes near the entry, and original plumbing that needs to be re-planned for accessibility. The walk also checks structural conditions, framing for grab bars, electrical capacity, and HVAC implications.
3. Scope, drawings, and permits
City of San Antonio Development Services Department usually requires permits when accessibility work moves plumbing, electrical, framing, or changes egress. Like-for-like grab bars and ramps to grade are often exempt. A real scope document should specify clear opening widths, shower curbless transitions, exact grab-bar blocking, slip-resistant flooring, transfer clearances, fixture mounting heights, and any HVAC or insulation work tied to room reconfiguration.
4. Coordinated trades under one contractor
Accessibility projects touch demolition, framing, plumbing, electrical, drywall, paint, waterproofing, tile, flooring, and finish carpentry. A veteran-owned general contractor coordinates qualified Texas trade subcontractors so the sequence works: rough plumbing and electrical before drywall, blocking and waterproofing before tile, inspections before close-up. One accountable point of contact prevents the typical accessibility-project failure mode of mismatched scope between subs.
5. Inspections, sign-off, and VA documentation
Permitted work requires inspection sign-off through City of San Antonio Development Services. After completion, the contractor delivers final invoices and project documentation back through the SAH agent, SHA agent, or VA medical center as required for grant reimbursement. Photos and measurements may also be requested.
Common San Antonio accessibility scopes and what they involve
Roll-in shower conversion
Replacing a standard tub or step-in shower with a curbless roll-in shower means removing the tub or pan, re-routing the drain, modifying the subfloor for the linear drain, building a properly sloped pre-pan or pre-formed accessible base, waterproofing the entire wet area, installing reinforced wall blocking for grab bars and a folding seat, and finishing with slip-resistant tile or accessible solid surface. In a San Antonio slab-on-grade home this often requires concrete cutting and re-finishing.
No-step entry
Most San Antonio homes have a step or two at the front entry. A no-step or low-rise entry usually requires grade work or a properly engineered ramp, a level landing, a 36-inch clear door, and weather protection. Threshold transitions must meet accessibility standards and shed water away from the slab.
Widened doorways
Standard interior doors are often 28 to 30 inches. Accessible clear openings are usually 32 to 36 inches. Widening involves re-framing the rough opening, relocating electrical switches and outlets nearby, repairing flooring transitions, and re-trimming. Load-bearing walls add structural engineering to the scope.
Accessible kitchen
Accessible kitchens involve a roll-under or removable cabinet at the sink, a side-opening oven, accessible cooktop controls, lowered switches and outlets, pull-out shelving, and lever or D-pull cabinet hardware. Plumbing and electrical changes are common.
Whole-home route work
Larger SAH projects coordinate the entire accessible route from the parking surface through the entry, hallway, primary bath, and bedroom. The goal is a continuous path with adequate clear widths, level transitions, and durable, slip-resistant finishes.
Why a veteran-owned San Antonio contractor matters
VA-funded accessibility work is not a generic remodel. The plan must match the grant agent's approved scope, the build must hold up to documented measurements, and the invoice and documentation must clear the VA's reimbursement path. A contractor who understands the difference between SAH, SHA, and HISA — and who has worked in San Antonio long enough to understand the City's permit and inspection rhythm — protects the veteran from the most common headaches: scope creep, mismatched measurements, missed inspections, and slow reimbursement.
214 Veteran Solutions is a veteran-owned general contractor in San Antonio that handles accessibility construction across Bexar County. Work is coordinated through one accountable point of contact, with qualified Texas trade subcontractors for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and structural scope.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to apply for SAH or HISA before I call a contractor?
You can call early to scope feasibility, but the VA approval drives the budget. For HISA, the medical provider's prescription and VA medical center approval should be in motion. For SAH and SHA, the grant application should be filed and the assigned agent identified before a final estimate. A contractor can walk the home and discuss likely scope at any time.
Can I use SAH and HISA on the same project?
You generally cannot use both grants to pay for the same line item, but they can fund separate parts of a larger project. For example, SAH might fund a no-step entry and roll-in shower, while HISA funds a separate grab-bar and accessible-toilet scope prescribed by a VA provider.
Are San Antonio permits required for accessibility work?
Permits are typically required when plumbing, electrical, framing, or egress changes. Grab-bar additions and like-for-like fixture swaps usually do not require a permit. Confirm with the contractor before scope is finalized.
Does 214 Veteran Solutions work outside the City of San Antonio?
Yes. 214 Veteran Solutions works throughout the greater San Antonio area, including Bexar County and surrounding cities. Permit and inspection rules vary by jurisdiction; the contractor confirms the path before bidding.
How long is a typical project?
HISA-scope work typically runs two to six weeks from contract through final invoice. SAH and SHA scopes typically run six to twelve weeks for an adaptation; new SAH construction takes longer.
Plan your VA-funded San Antonio modification
If you are a disabled veteran in San Antonio working on a SAH, SHA, or HISA project, 214 Veteran Solutions can walk the home, discuss feasibility, and coordinate the build once the VA approves the scope.
Request a Free Estimate Call (210) 429-7396Related San Antonio remodeling guides
- Bathroom Remodel Cost in San Antonio (2026 Guide) — typical price ranges for tub-to-shower conversions, full bath remodels, and walk-in showers.
- How to Pull a Home Addition Permit in San Antonio — what City of San Antonio Development Services expects on a permit packet.
- San Antonio Remodel Preconstruction Checklist — scope, allowances, hidden conditions, and trade coordination.
- VA Construction & Renovation Services — the 214 Veteran Solutions service overview for veteran-focused work.
Grant amounts shown above are illustrative. The Department of Veterans Affairs adjusts SAH, SHA, and HISA limits over time. Confirm current limits and eligibility at va.gov or with your VA grant agent or VA medical center.