How to apply for a VA HISA grant (Home Improvements and Structural Alterations) — up to $6,800 for medically needed home changes
The VA Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant (38 USC 1717; 38 CFR 17.3100–17.3130) helps pay for medically needed changes to your primary residence, such as entry ramps, roll-in showers and lowered counters. The lifetime limit is $6,800 if the change is for a service-connected disability, or for any disability if you are rated 50% or more; it is $2,000 for other disabilities. You apply through the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service at your VA health care facility, and VA pays you — with an optional 50% advance.
What you'll need
- A prescription written or approved by a VA physician, with the diagnosis and medical justification
- VA Form 10-0103 — Veterans Application for Assistance in Acquiring Home Improvements and Structural Alterations
- A written itemized estimate (labor, materials, permits, inspections)
- A color photo of the area before the work
- If you do not own the home: a signed statement from the owner authorizing the work
Step-by-step
Step 1: Check which lifetime limit applies to you
HISA has two lifetime limits (38 CFR 17.3105). $6,800 applies if the change is for a service-connected disability, or for any disability if you have a service-connected rating of 50% or more. $2,000 applies to other disabilities, for veterans eligible for VA health care. If you first received HISA before May 5, 2010, the limits were $4,100 and $1,200. The limit is a lifetime total — you can use HISA more than once until you reach it. The home must be your primary residence.
Step 2: Ask your VA provider for a prescription
The prescription must be written or approved by a VA physician and include the diagnosis and the medical reason for the change (38 CFR 17.3120). Contact the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) at your VA health care facility — they handle HISA and can tell you what your facility needs.
Step 3: Put the application package together
Complete VA Form 10-0103. Add one written itemized estimate of costs (labor, materials, permits and inspections), a color photograph of the area before the work, and — if you rent or someone else owns the home — a signed statement from the owner authorizing the work. Submit the package to PSAS at your VA health care facility.
Step 4: Approval and the optional advance
VA reviews the complete package and sends you its decision. HISA pays you, the veteran — not the contractor. If you ask, VA can advance 50% of the approved amount after approval (38 CFR 17.3130), which helps pay the contractor up front. Wait for approval before you commit to the work.
Step 5: Finish the work and request the final payment within 60 days
Within 60 days of approval (or of receiving an advance), send VA: a statement that the work is complete, a color photo of the finished work, and documentation of the itemized actual costs. VA pays the lesser of the approved amount or your actual costs, minus any advance (38 CFR 17.3130).
Critical tips
- Covered examples from VA: access into and out of the home, roll-in showers, lowering counters and sinks, and permanent ramps. Not covered: walkways to outbuildings, spas or hot tubs, exterior decking, and new construction.
- HISA is separate from the larger Specially Adapted Housing grants for severe service-connected disabilities — ask PSAS or your CVSO which program fits.
- Keep copies of your estimate, photos and receipts — you need them for the final payment.
- A county veterans service officer can help you put the package together for free. Find one at warriorsfund.org/find-cvso.
- In crisis: dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255.
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