VA HISA Grant 2026: $6,800 Limit, Eligibility, How to Apply

VA HISA Grant at a Glance: $6,800 or $2,000 for Life

According to VA's Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service HISA page (opens in a new tab), the lifetime HISA amount is $6,800 or $2,000, and which one you get depends on the disability the project addresses and your service-connected rating.

Three rules about the limit are worth knowing before you plan a project:

• It's a lifetime total, not a one-time grant. You can spread it across several projects until it's used up.
• Unused approved money comes back to you. If a project costs less than VA approved, the difference is credited back to your remaining lifetime balance, per 38 CFR 17.3130 (opens in a new tab).
• You can move up a tier. A veteran who used the $2,000 benefit and later gets a new service connection or a higher rating can apply for the $6,800 limit, minus what was already used.

Who Qualifies for HISA

Two groups are eligible under 38 CFR 17.3102 (opens in a new tab): veterans eligible for VA medical services under 38 U.S.C. 1710(a), and servicemembers being medically discharged for a permanent disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. For servicemembers, "being medically discharged" means a Physical Evaluation Board has found you unfit for duty and issued a discharge date.

That makes HISA far more reachable than VA's big housing grants. You don't need a specific severe disability, and you don't need a service-connected rating at all for the $2,000 tier. What you do need is a medical reason: VA's page says every HISA project has to be medically justified, and the prescription must show that your clinical needs support the change being prescribed.

If you aren't enrolled in VA health care yet, enrollment comes first. Our guide to grants for veterans covers enrollment, disability claims and the free help available from accredited representatives.

What HISA Pays For, and What It Won't

VA's HISA page lists 5 purposes the benefit can pay for at your primary residence:

The federal rules define "access to the home" as being able to get in and out and reach at least one bedroom and the essential facilities, which means one bathroom with a toilet and a shower or tub, one kitchen and one laundry area. Repairs to features HISA already altered can count too.

What HISA won't pay for, per VA's page: walkways to outbuildings, exterior decking, spas and hot tubs, home security systems, new construction, removable equipment such as portable ramps, porch lifts and stair glides, and routine maintenance like replacing a roof, furnace or air conditioner. If a contractor bundles any of these into a HISA estimate, expect VA to strike them.

HISA vs. SAH, SHA and TRA: 4 VA Home Grants Compared

According to VA's disability housing grants page (opens in a new tab), the fiscal year 2026 maximum is $126,526 for Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) and $25,350 for Special Home Adaptation (SHA). Those grants, plus the Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grant, are run by VA's Loan Guaranty Service, a different office from the medical center staff who handle HISA.

Sources: VA disability housing grants page (last updated November 18, 2025); VA PSAS HISA page; 38 CFR 17.3105.

Fiscal year 2027 numbers weren't out when Grantsights checked. The Federal Register notice (opens in a new tab) for fiscal year 2026 was published November 18, 2025 and raised SAH amounts 3.87%, effective back to October 1, 2025. A Federal Register search on November 12, 2026 found no fiscal year 2027 notice yet, so the table above shows the most recent published limits. VA's housing page says you can receive up to the current maximum for the last year you use an SAH or SHA grant.

Which one to pursue: if your disability is on the SAH or SHA list, apply for that grant, because it's many times larger. HISA is the realistic choice for everyone else, and for smaller medical changes. Our guide to home repair grants for low-income homeowners covers USDA and local programs for repairs HISA excludes, like a failing roof or furnace.

How to Apply for HISA: 5 Documents and 6 Steps

A complete HISA application has 5 parts under 38 CFR 17.3120 (opens in a new tab), and VA can close an application that's missing one:

1. A prescription written or approved by a VA physician, with your name, address and phone number, a description of the change and the area of the home, and the diagnosis and medical justification. VA can request it on your behalf.
2. VA Form 10-0103 (opens in a new tab), the Veterans Application for Assistance in Acquiring Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (revised February 2025). This is where you ask for an advance payment if you want one.
3. A signed statement from the property owner authorizing the work, notarized if you aren't the owner.
4. An itemized written estimate covering labor, materials, permits and inspections.
5. A color photo of the area before any work.

The steps, in order:

1. Talk with your VA primary care provider or a VA therapist about the change you need. If they agree it's medically justified, they write or approve the prescription.
2. Contact the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service at your VA medical center. VA's facility locator lists them, and they can tell you how much of your lifetime HISA balance is left.
3. Get at least one itemized estimate from a licensed contractor. The estimate must include permits and inspections, because HISA covers those costs.
4. Submit the full package to PSAS and allow a site inspection if VA asks for one.
5. Wait for the written approval, which states the authorized amount and any advance.
6. Do the work, then send the final payment request with a photo of the finished work and itemized actual costs.

Timing and Payment: The 30-Day and 60-Day Clocks

VA's rules in 38 CFR 17.3125 (opens in a new tab) and 17.3130 set 6 deadlines, some for VA and some for you:

VA pays you, not your contractor. The final payment is the lesser of the approved amount or your actual cost, minus any advance. If the work costs less than the advance, you owe VA the difference. If you take an advance and miss the 60-day final request, VA sends a reminder, and after 30 more days without an update it can start collecting the advance back.

Here's how the money moves on a typical project. This table is illustrative, not data.

Grantsights Analysis: The HISA Cap Has Lost About 35% of Its Buying Power

Grantsights analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index data (opens in a new tab) found that consumer prices rose about 54.7% between May 2010, when the current $6,800 and $2,000 limits took effect, and October 2026 (CPI-U of 218.178 versus 337.511). The HISA limits haven't moved in that time.

Two findings follow from that math:

1. The same $6,800 buys roughly 35% less work than it did in 2010. That's a general price measure, and construction costs can move faster. The SAH grant, by contrast, is raised each year by a construction cost index; fiscal year 2026 alone added 3.87%.
2. HISA is now about 5.4% of the SAH maximum. For a roll-in shower plus a ramp, the $6,800 limit may cover only part of the job, so price the project before you assume HISA will pay for all of it.

What's proposed, not law: S. 1644, the Autonomy for Disabled Veterans Act, introduced in the Senate on May 7, 2025 and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, would set the limit at $10,000 for veterans who first apply after enactment and raise it each fiscal year by a residential construction cost index, according to its introduced text on govinfo.gov (opens in a new tab). As of November 12, 2026, govinfo held only the introduced version, and VA's page and the current federal rules still showed $6,800 and $2,000. Don't plan on a higher amount until VA's own page changes.

What VA Doesn't Tell You About HISA

VA's pages are accurate, but they leave out the friction that trips people up:

• Starting work before approval is the most expensive mistake. VA approves a HISA project before construction, and the federal rules build the whole process around an approved estimate. Work done first risks not being paid at all.
• You're the one who pays the contractor. Because VA pays the veteran, a contractor who wants full payment up front puts the risk on you. The 50% advance helps, but agree on a payment schedule that lines up with VA's two payments.
• The 60-day window is short for a busy contractor. Book the contractor before you submit, so the clock doesn't run out while you wait for a start date.
• Underestimating permits and inspections is common. HISA covers them only if they're in the itemized estimate. Leaving them out shrinks what VA will approve.
• A "HISA contractor" isn't a VA endorsement. VA doesn't run an approved-contractor list on its HISA page. Anyone who says they're VA-certified for HISA, or asks you for your VA login, is a red flag.
• Your balance may be smaller than you think. If you used HISA years ago, ask PSAS for your remaining lifetime balance before you get estimates.

When HISA Isn't Enough

For many projects, HISA covers part of the bill and the rest has to come from somewhere else. A few options to check:

• The SAH or SHA grant, if your service-connected disability is on VA's list.
• Tax deductions. IRS Publication 502 (opens in a new tab) says changes made to accommodate a home to a disability, such as entrance ramps, widened doorways, bathroom modifications and lowered kitchen cabinets, usually don't increase the home's value, so their cost can be included in full as a medical expense. Only medical expenses above 7.5% of adjusted gross income are deductible, and only if you itemize. Ask a tax professional before counting on it.
• Local and state home repair programs, which often fund accessibility work for older or low-income homeowners regardless of veteran status.
• Disability programs outside VA, covered in our guide to disability grants for individuals.

If you also need an accessible vehicle, our guide to wheelchair van grants covers VA's automobile allowance, adaptive equipment payments and the programs outside VA.

For non-VA help, Grantsights' free eligibility checker can sort out the official front doors: answer "Individual," then choose "Personal financial help," and it lists the federal benefit finder and official rent, utility and food assistance, closes with the FTC's grant-scam advice and mentions 211 for local help. It doesn't handle VA benefits, so HISA itself still goes through your VA medical center.

HISA Grant Scams

HISA has no application fee, and you don't need to pay anyone to file VA Form 10-0103. The warning signs are simple: in its warning about government grant scams (opens in a new tab), the Federal Trade Commission says an agency will never demand money from you to get a grant, and won't reach out by phone, text, email or social media to offer one. Avoid anyone who does.

Be wary of:

• Contractors or "grant consultants" who charge a fee to "unlock" a VA home grant
• Requests for gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency
• Anyone asking for your VA account sign-in details or your Social Security number to "check" your HISA balance
• Pressure to sign a contract and start work before VA approves the project

The only place to check your balance or apply is your VA medical center's prosthetics office.

FAQ: VA HISA Grant

How much is the VA HISA grant in 2026?

$6,800 for life if the work addresses a service-connected disability, a disability treated as if service connected, or any disability when you have a single service-connected rating of 50% or more. Other enrolled veterans get $2,000. Veterans who first applied before May 5, 2010 have limits of $4,100 or $1,200. The amounts aren't indexed to inflation.

Who is eligible for a HISA grant?

Veterans eligible for VA medical care under 38 U.S.C. 1710(a), and servicemembers being medically discharged for a permanent line-of-duty disability. You don't need a rating for the $2,000 tier, but a VA physician has to prescribe or approve the project.

What can a HISA grant pay for?

Permanent, medically needed changes: ramps, roll-in showers, lowered sinks and counters, better entry paths, and electrical or plumbing work for home medical equipment. It won't pay for decks, hot tubs, security systems, portable ramps, porch lifts, stair glides, new construction or routine repairs.

How long does it take to get a HISA grant?

VA has 30 days after a complete application to inspect or waive inspection, and 30 days to decide. An advance arrives within 30 days of approval. You then have 60 days to finish and request final payment.

Does VA pay the contractor directly for HISA work?

No. VA pays you: an optional 50% advance, then a final payment of the lesser of the approved amount or actual cost, minus the advance. You pay the contractor, so match your contract to the approved estimate.

Can renters get a HISA grant?

Yes, with a signed, notarized statement from the property owner authorizing the work. The home must be your primary residence.

Sources

1. VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) (opens in a new tab), last updated February 12, 2025.
2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 38 CFR 17.3102, Eligibility (opens in a new tab), 17.3105, HISA benefit lifetime limits (opens in a new tab), 17.3120, Application (opens in a new tab), 17.3125, Approving applications (opens in a new tab) and 17.3130, Payment procedures (opens in a new tab).
3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, About VA Form 10-0103 (opens in a new tab), form revised February 2025.
4. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Disability housing grants for Veterans (opens in a new tab), last updated November 18, 2025.
5. Federal Register, Loan Guaranty: Assistance to Eligible Individuals in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing; Cost-of-Construction Index for Fiscal Year 2026 (opens in a new tab), November 18, 2025.
6. U.S. Government Publishing Office, S. 1644, Autonomy for Disabled Veterans Act, introduced May 7, 2025 (opens in a new tab).
7. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items, series CUUR0000SA0 (opens in a new tab), May 2010 and October 2026 values.
8. IRS, Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses (opens in a new tab), for tax year 2025 returns, section on capital expenses.
9. Federal Trade Commission, Government Grant Scams (opens in a new tab).