How to Get an HISA Grant for Home Modifications

A Home Improvements and Structural Alterations grant, called HISA, is money the Department of Veterans Affairs pays to veterans to modify their homes to fit a disability. The program covers ramps, wider doorways, walk-in showers, grab bars, lower kitchen counters, accessible entrances, and many other changes. The HISA grant is separate from the VA's larger Specially Adapted Housing or Special Housing Adaptation grants, which are bigger and for veterans with the most severe service-connected conditions. HISA is open to many more veterans and runs through your local VA medical center, not through Washington.

As of May 2026, the HISA grant pays up to $6,800 lifetime for a veteran with a service-connected disability and up to $2,000 lifetime for a veteran with a non-service-connected disability that affects mobility, vision, or daily function. These dollar amounts are set by federal law and are reviewed every few years. The grant is paid as a one-time benefit. But you can request changes for several different rooms over time as long as the total stays under your limit. For example, a service-connected veteran might use $3,500 of the $6,800 for a bathroom remodel one year, then $3,000 for a wheelchair ramp two years later.

HISA covers physical changes that improve access for the disabled veteran. Examples include installing wheelchair ramps, widening doorways for wheelchairs or walkers, installing roll-in showers, adding grab bars and handrails, lowering counters and sinks, raising or lowering electrical outlets, installing accessible toilets, and creating accessible entrances. HISA does not pay for general home repairs like roof leaks or new flooring unless the work directly serves a disability need. HISA does not pay for medical equipment like stairlifts, ceiling lifts, or hospital beds. Those go through the VA prosthetics department under different programs.

The HISA process is faster than most VA benefits. Many requests are approved within 30 to 60 days from a complete application, and the VA pays the contractor directly through the local VA medical center. You do not have to pay out of pocket and wait for reimbursement, though some veterans choose that route. The work must be done by a licensed contractor. You cannot get paid for doing the work yourself or for materials only. Free help with the application is available from your VA medical center's social work department and from accredited Veterans Service Officers at the American Legion, VFW, DAV, or your county Veterans Affairs office.