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About VA Housing Grants
We all know about The Department of Veterans Affairs and their popular VA loan that helps veterans and active service members to buy a home with zero down payments.
However, veterans and service members that incurred service-related disabilities may find it difficult to buy a home or modify their home to live independently.
In such cases, The Department of Veterans Affairs provides grants for disabled veterans. In this post, we will understand all about VA housing grants in detail.
What Are VA Housing Grants?
VA housing grants are the funds provided to help veterans with disabilities adapt and make the best housing modifications for their comfortable living.
The VA department provides several grants each year for the construction or modification of housing to meet the needs of veterans. Unlike loans, these are grants that are not intended to be repaid.
There are different types of veteran housing grants that are provided by the VA department based on the disability type and the requirement of the veterans.
What Are The Types Of VA Housing Grants?
The VA has three types of housing grant programs that help veterans with certain lifelong service-related disabilities modify or build a house to meet their requirements.
The three types are the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant, Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grant, and Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant. Let’s take understand the difference between these three types of grants.
1. Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant
The SAH grant is for veterans with service-related disabilities who plan to use the funds to purchase, build, or modify their permanent residence.
To qualify for a SAH grant, a veteran must own (or plan to own) a home and have a qualifying service-related disability, such as:
- Loss or loss of use of lower limbs and permanent effects of disease or injury.
- The loss or loss of use of more than one limb.
- Blindness in both eyes and loss or loss of one leg.
- Some severe burns.
- Loss or damage to a lower limb (foot or leg) that prevents balance or walking without the aid of crutches, braces, wheelchairs, or canes.
Note: There is a limit on how many applicants can get this grant. Only 30 veterans and service members are allowed to receive this grant in a fiscal year. The maximum amount of grant allowed in SAH is $44,299 in 2022.
2. Special Home Adaptation (SHA) Grant
SHA grants also provide funding for veterans with service-related disabilities; however, the total grant amount is lower and the disabilities that qualify are different from the SAH grants.
Similar to the SAH grant, the SHA grant is for veterans who will use the money to purchase, build, or modify their permanent residence.
The most important thing is that this grant can be used for a house that is owned (or to be owned) by a veteran with certain service-related disabilities or a family member.
To qualify for an SHA grant, the list of service-related disabilities is slightly different than the SAH grant:
- Blindness in both eyes (vision of 20/200 or less)
- Loss or loss of use of both hands
- Some severe burns
- Injuries related to breathing or shortness of breath
Note: The maximum amount of grant allowed in SHA is $7,910 in 2022.
3. Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant
If a disabled veteran is living temporarily in a family member’s home and needs to make some changes in the home to adapt to his disability, the veteran can receive funds for modification of the home through a Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant.
To be eligible for a TRA grant, you must meet two main conditions:
- The disabled veteran applying for the grant must be eligible for either a SAH or SHA grant.
- The disabled veteran applying for the grant must live temporarily in the home of a family member that needs modifications required for the disabled veteran.
How To Apply For VA Housing Grants?
The process to apply for VA housing grants is very simple. This application for the grants for disabled veterans can be completed online through the VA’s eBenefits portal (https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/about/feature?feature=sah-grant) or by mail to the nearest VA Regional Lending Center (https://www.benefits.va.gov/HOMELOANS/contact_rlc_info.asp).
As an alternative, veterans can contact the VA directly by calling 800-827-1000. Once the application is submitted, veterans will be notified of the VA’s decision by mail or through the eBenefits portal (https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/about/feature?feature=sah-grant).
Conclusion
The VA housing grants are one of the best options for veterans with service-related disabilities to modify or change the interior or exterior of their property to live comfortably and independently.
You can use the above information to check if you qualify for one of the three available grant options. If you have any questions about any specific VA housing grants you can contact the VA department directly.
