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Veterans have benefits in addition to VA home loans available to them. Specially adapted housing grants are available to veterans who have service connected disabilities.
In addition to VA Home Loans, veterans who have certain service-connected disabilities may be entitled to a Special Home Adaptation (SHA) or a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant. These grants are provided for the purpose of building a home or modifying an existing home to meet their specific needs. The SHA grant is limited to $10,000 and generally used to assist veterans with the accommodations necessary to allow for their disability throughout their homes. However, the SAH grant is up to $50,000 and is generally used to create a wheelchair-accessible home. The goal of these programs is to provide a barrier-free environment, which provides the veteran a level of independent living that they would not have otherwise enjoyed. Last year, some 525 veterans benefited through these grant programs. These grants receive priority through the VA claims processing. Once eligibility has been established, someone will contact the veteran within 30 days to discuss the benefit. If they are not ready to use the benefit, they will be contacted within a year to see if the veteran is ready to begin the home adaptation process. In a speech before the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Keith Pedigo, chairman of the Loan Guaranty Program of the Veterans Administration reported, "Until the enactment of Public Law 109-233 in June 2006, grant recipients could only receive their grant benefit from VA one time, regardless of the grant amount used. Now, eligible veterans or active duty service members may receive up to a total of three such grants, with the aggregate amount limited to the maximum amounts allowable by law." He went on to report that the new law established a grant program that, unlike other programs, assists veterans in adapting the home of a family member to meet the veteran’s special needs. These programs provide a service that is essential to a special group of veterans. Grant recipients receive personalized service throughout the process of constructing or modifying their homes. Pedigo ended his report by saying, "We are reallocating resources and streamlining our program requirements to ensure these veterans continue to receive the high quality, personalized service that they deserve."
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