Home Renovation Grants for Veterans and Their Families

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If you're a veteran or a member of a veteran's family, you may be eligible for home renovation grants to help make your living space safer and more accessible.

The Department of Veterans Affairs offers a Home Improvement and Structural Alteration (HISA) grant to help veterans with service-connected disabilities make necessary home modifications.

The HISA grant can be used for a wide range of improvements, including installing ramps, widening doorways, and modifying bathrooms and kitchens.

Eligible veterans can receive up to $6,800 for these improvements, which can be a huge help in making their home more accessible and safe.

VA Loan Options

VA loan options can be a great way for veterans to finance home renovations, but it's essential to understand the different types of loans available.

There are multiple options for VA borrowers to pay for home improvements, including a VA renovation loan that allows you to buy or refinance a home and roll the cost of improvements into your mortgage.

Broaden your view: Va Home Renovation Loan

Credit: youtube.com, WOW $109,986 Housing Grants from the VA

A VA renovation loan may be difficult to find, even among lenders that specialize in VA loans, and you're obligated to use a VA-approved contractor, which limits your options.

To qualify for a VA renovation loan, the home will also have to pass a VA appraisal and inspection, and if the loan is a refinance, you'll have to have owned the home for at least one year.

Here are some lenders that offer VA renovation loans:

VA Loan

A VA loan is a great option for veterans and active-duty military personnel looking to purchase or refinance a home. You can use a VA loan to buy or refinance a home and roll the cost of improvements into your mortgage.

There are multiple options for VA borrowers to pay for home improvements, including a VA renovation loan. This loan allows you to buy or refinance a home and roll the cost of improvements into your mortgage. The maximum loan amount will be determined by the expected value of the home after repairs are completed.

Credit: youtube.com, VA Loan Secrets: What Veterans MUST Know about Using Multiple VA Loans (updated 2023)

With a VA renovation loan, you have greater flexibility when shopping for a fixer-upper. You're not limited to homes that meet the VA's minimum property requirements, and you can use the loan to bring the home up to the standards of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

However, this kind of loan can be difficult to find, and you're obligated to use a VA-approved contractor. Not all projects are allowed, and the loan must be used to improve livability and safety.

Here are some lenders that offer VA renovation loans:

  • Guaranteed Rate
  • Network Capital
  • Flagstar Bank
  • PenFed Credit Union
  • Navy Federal Credit Union
  • Wintrust

Alternatively, you can finance the cost of energy efficiency improvements by adding an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) to your VA purchase or refinance loan. This loan is typically capped at $6,000.

Here are some lenders that offer this loan:

  • NBKC Bank
  • Network Capital
  • Veterans United

Specially Adapted

If you're a disabled veteran or service member, you may be eligible for a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant. This grant can help you adapt your home to meet your special needs, and it's available to those who have a qualifying service-connected disability.

Credit: youtube.com, VA Specially Adaptive Housing Grants: Expanded Eligibility

The SAH grant provides up to 50% of the veteran's cost of an adapted house, land, and allowable expenses, but may not exceed the current maximum grant amount of $70,465. This grant can be used to help build, buy, or adapt an existing home, or to reduce the debt owed on a home that's already adapted.

To qualify for the SAH grant, you must have a service-connected disability that meets one of the following criteria:

  • Loss or loss of use of both legs that prevents movement without the aid of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair
  • Blindness in both eyes, with 5/200 visual acuity or less, plus loss or loss of use of one leg
  • Loss or loss of use of one leg, together with residuals of organic disease or injury, or the loss or loss of use of one arm; these losses must affect balance or forward motion so much that they prevent movement without the aid of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair
  • The loss or loss of use of both arms, preventing use of the arms at or above the elbows
  • Severe burn injuries

The SAH grant can be used up to three times, as long as the total grants don't exceed the current limit.

Grants for Veterans

If you're a veteran looking to make some changes to your home, you're in luck. There are several grants available to help you do just that.

One of the most significant grants is the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant, which can provide up to $14,093 to adapt your home to meet your needs. To qualify, you or a family member must own the home and have a qualifying service-connected disability.

Credit: youtube.com, How to Get Veteran Grants for Small Business, Degree, Farm, Home

You can use the SHA grant to buy, build, or change your permanent home, and it's available to be used up to three times as long as the total grants don't exceed the current limit.

Here are some examples of qualifying disabilities for the SHA grant:

  • Loss or loss of use of both hands
  • Certain severe burns
  • Certain respiratory or breathing injuries

You can also use the SHA grant to adapt features that were already in your home when you purchased it, up to the maximum grant amount.

If you need to make temporary changes to your home, you may be eligible for a Temporary Residence Adaptations (TRA) grant, which is limited to a maximum amount of $5,523.

Here's a summary of the key points to keep in mind:

It's worth noting that the VA also offers a Home Improvements and Structural Alterations grant, which can provide up to $6,800 for eligible veterans with a service-connected disability rated at 50 percent or more. This grant is available to help make medically necessary improvements and structural alterations to your home.

Grant Details

Credit: youtube.com, Veteran's house is remodeled thanks to Veterans Home Improvement Program

You can receive up to $23,444 for FY 2024 if you qualify for an SHA grant.

The maximum amount allowed for SHA grants is currently $23,444, so you can plan accordingly.

If you qualify for an SHA grant, you can also get up to $8,415 through the TRA grant program for FY 2024.

The TRA grant program offers up to $47,130 for FY 2024 if you qualify for an SAH grant.

You can receive a total of up to $47,130 through the TRA grant program for FY 2024, which is a significant amount to help with your home renovation needs.

Eligibility and Funding

To qualify for a Special Home Adaptation Grant (SHA), you must own your home or have a family member who owns it, and you must have a qualifying service-connected disability.

You can get up to $23,444 for FY 2024 with an SHA grant.

To qualify for a Specially Adapted Housing Grant (SAH), you must own your home and have a service-connected disability.

Credit: youtube.com, How to Get Veteran Grants for Small Business, Degree, Farm, Home

The borrowing limit for a SAH grant is $117,014 for 2024.

If you qualify for an SHA grant, you can get up to $8,415 through the TRA grant program for FY 2024.

If you qualify for an SAH grant, you can get up to $47,130 through the TRA grant program for FY 2024.

Eligible veterans or service members may receive a VA grant for the actual cost to adapt a house or for the appraised market value of necessary adapted features already in a house, up to the maximum grant amount of $14,093.

Special Housing Adaptations grants may be used up to three times, as long as the total grants don't exceed the current limit.

Temporary Residence Adaptations grants are limited up to a maximum amount of $5,523 and are counted as one of the three total uses of the Special Housing Adaptation grant.

The lifetime benefit for Veterans Health Administration Home Improvements and Structural Alterations grants is $6,800 for eligible veterans with a service-connected disability rated at 50 percent or more, or $2,000 for eligible veterans with non-service-connected disabilities.

Here's a summary of the funding limits for different types of grants:

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the VA pay for a new shower?

The VA offers grants for walk-in showers, also known as roll-in showers, through various programs, including the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant and the Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant. To learn more about eligibility and application requirements, click here.

What is an sah grant with the VA?

The Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant is a VA benefit for veterans or servicemembers with permanent and total service-connected disabilities that severely impact mobility, such as losing both lower extremities. This grant helps fund home modifications or construction to improve accessibility and quality of life.

Roger Molenaar

Senior Writer

Roger Molenaar is a writer who loves to explore the world and write about his experiences. He has been traveling for years, having visited over 50 countries around the globe. His passion for learning about different cultures and meeting new people is evident in his writing, which often features insights into local customs and traditions.

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