Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant

Do you already own your own home and plan to

make or have already made changes to it to

accommodate a qualifying VA service-connected

disability?

Do you plan to build or purchase a new home and

need it to make sure it is adapted to accommodate

a qualifying VA service-connected disability?

The SAH grant is a grant of the

Department of Veterans

Affairs (VA) Veterans Benefits

Administration (VBA) Loan

Guaranty Service and is

designed to assist permanently

and totally disabled Veterans

with service-connected

impaired mobility and certain

service-connected severe burn

injuries.

The SAH grant may be used to:

(a) construct a specially adapted

home on land yet to be

purchased,

(b)construct a home on land

already owned if suitable for SAH,

suitable for SAH, or

(d) purchase or apply the grant

against an unpaid principal

mortgage balance on a home that

is already adapted.

If you qualify for an SAH grant,

as of fiscal year 2020, you can

get up to $98,492 that can be

used up to 6 times every 10-

years from the date you

qualify for the grant. The SAH

amount is set by law but may

be adjusted upward annually

based on a cost-of-

construction index.

If you use the SAH grant you may

also qualify for Veterans

Mortgage Life Insurance.

What is a Specially

Adapted Housing (SAH)

Grant?

Has the VBA granted you a PERMANENT AND TOTAL DISABILITY

RATING due to your service-connected disabilities, and are the one of

the following disabilities/combinations of disabilities?

The loss or loss of use of one lower extremity

AND the loss or loss of use of one upper

extremity

Certain severe burns to include full thickness or

subdermal burns that have resulted in contractures

with limitation of motion of two or more extremities

or of at least one extremity and the trunk

The disability was incurred on or after

September 11, 2001 AND

is due to the loss or loss of use of

one lower extremity

The loss or loss of use of one lower extremity

AND the residuals of organic disease or injury

which affects the functions of balance and

propulsion

The loss or loss of use of BOTH

lower extremities

Blindness in both eyes, with central visual acuity (CVA)

of 20/200* or less in the better eye, with the use of a

standard correcting lens

*CVA of 20/200 or less exists when an eye has limitation in the

fields of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field

subtends an angle no greater than 20

°.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

rated 100% disabling under

38 C.F.R. § 4.124a

Disabilities that causes, or so affects the functions

of balance or propulsion, so as to preclude

locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches,

canes, or a wheelchair due to:

The loss or loss of use of both upper extremities such

as to prevent use of the arms

at or above the elbows.

WHAT IS A PERMANENT AND TOTAL DISABILITY RATING?

A PERMANENT AND TOTAL DISABILITY RATING (P&T) is a special VBA status where

a Veteran’s service-connected disabilities that combined to a 100% (using VA math)

have been medically deemed unlikely to improve. You will know you have a P&T

rating when you have been granted entitlement to Survivors' and Dependents'

Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) benefits (DEA).

WHAT IS AN ORGANIC DISEASE OR INJURY?

An ORGANIC DISEASE OR INJURY is the term used to describe any health condition

in which there is physically an observable and measurable disease process, such as

inflammation or tissue damage that can be validated and quantified through the

standardized biological measures known as biomarkers.

WHAT IS LOSS OF USE?

LOSS OF USE occurs when a part of the body would function equally as well as an

amputation with use of a suitable prosthesis. Amputation is not required in order

to experience loss of use.

WHAT DOES PRECLUDE LOCOMOTION MEAN?

PRECLUDES LOCOMOTION means there is a necessity for regular and constant use

of a wheelchair, braces, crutches, or canes to move although occasional movement

by other methods may be possible.

I QUALIFY TO RECEIVE AN SAH GRANT BASED ON THE PROVISION FOR

INJURIES SUSTAINED AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, SO WHY AM I NOT

RECEVING IT?

Only 120 Veterans can qualify for the SAH grant based on the loss of one lower

extremity after September 11, 2001 per year. If you qualify for, but do not receive,

a grant in the current fiscal year because the cap has already been reached, you

may be able to use this benefit in future years. The eligibility for future years

depends on whether Congress continues to give VBA the authority to offer these

grants and VBA does not go beyond the new fiscal year cap.

SAH and the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program (VR&E)

The SAH program also manages home adaptations on behalf of the VR&E program.

VR&E may provide home adaptations to individuals who are not currently able to

work because of the effects of their service-connected disabilities, or who require

adaptations to achieve a vocational goal. The benefits are limited to those

required to improve independence at home and/or in the community. To learn

more see here.

Home adaptations up to the maximum SAH grant amount may be provided as part

of an approved rehabilitation plan on a case-by-case basis.

HOW DO I APPLY?

Veterans may apply for the SAH grant by completing a VA Form 26-4555, Veterans

Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation

Grant and submitting it to their local VA Regional Loan Center.

There are 8 Regional Loan Centers (RLCs) located throughout the U.S. and grants

are assigned based on geographic region. For more information please visit VA’s

RLC website.

HOW IS ELIGIBILITY DETERMINED?

Eligibility for the SAH grant is established once a rating decision establishing

entitlement is issued by your local VA Regional Office and the VA Form 26-4555 is

completed.

I HAVE MY VA RATING DECISION AND FILED MY VA FORM 26-4555

GRANT APPLICATION, WHAT COMES NEXT?

Once eligibility is established, an SAH Agent will contact you for an initial interview

where you will learn about the benefits of the program and program requirements.

The SAH Agent will also assess your exterior surroundings, interior living conditions,

and overall physical condition and maneuverability. The SAH Agent will also

complete a FEASIBILITY STUDY. If the SAH Agent finds you meet the feasibility

requirements you will receive CONDITIONAL APPROVAL. This is NOT final approval,

but you may be authorized to pay for PRE-CONSTRUCTION COSTS.

WHAT IS A FEASIBILITY STUDY?

Your SAH Agent will look at three factors to determine if it is reasonably feasible

for you to reside in the proposed housing unit in the proposed locality, and it must

be determined that you have not exceeded the dollar limitations for the SAH grant.

• MEDICAL FEASIBILITY: can you safely live in the housing unit after adaptations

have been made

• FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY: can you financially afford to own and maintain the

home based on your current and anticipated income

• PROPERTY SUITABILITY: is the location suitable to be adapted to meet your

needs, including VA’s minimum property requirements and recommended

adaptations.

HOW DO I GET FINAL APPROVAL?

FINAL APPROVAL requires that you have or can provide evidence that you will

acquire an OWNERSHIP INTEREST in the housing unit, have solicited bids from

THREE BUILDIERS of your choosing to perform the work, and can provide

CONTRACTS, PLANS, and SPECIFICATIONS to complete the grant approval process.