Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) and Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grants
VA's housing grants help veterans and service members with certain severe service-connected disabilities build, buy or change a home so they can live in it more independently. There are two main grants, Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) and Special Housing Adaptation (SHA), with different eligibility lists. This guide covers housing only. The annual payment for clothing damaged by a prosthetic device or skin medication is a separate benefit, covered in the VA clothing allowance guide.
The rules below come from 38 U.S.C. 2101, 2101A and 2102 as printed in the 2024 edition of the United States Code on govinfo.gov, 38 CFR 3.809 and 3.809a as published on eCFR (current through October 26, 2026), and VA's disability housing grants page on VA.gov, all read on October 28, 2026.
Specially Adapted Housing (SAH)
A veteran is eligible for an SAH certificate when entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability rated as one of the following (38 CFR 3.809(b)):
| SAH qualifying disability | Rating required |
|---|---|
| Loss or loss of use of both lower extremities, such as to preclude locomotion without braces, crutches, canes or a wheelchair | Permanent and total |
| Blindness in both eyes, with central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with a standard correcting lens (or a visual field of 20 degrees or less) | Permanent |
| Loss or loss of use of one lower extremity together with residuals of organic disease or injury that so affect balance or propulsion as to preclude locomotion without braces, crutches, canes or a wheelchair | Permanent and total |
| Loss or loss of use of one lower extremity together with loss or loss of use of one upper extremity, with the same effect on balance or propulsion | Permanent and total |
| Loss or loss of use of both upper extremities such as to preclude use of the arms at or above the elbow | Permanent and total |
| 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 | Permanent and total |
VA also treats the SAH requirement as met for service-connected amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) rated 100 percent under diagnostic code 8017 (3.809(d)). "Preclude locomotion" means needing a wheelchair, braces, crutches or canes regularly and constantly as your normal way of getting around, even if you can occasionally move another way (3.809(c)).
The statute adds a route for veterans who served on or after September 11, 2001: a permanent service-connected disability incurred on or after that date, due to loss or loss of use of one or more lower extremities, that so affects balance or propulsion as to preclude ambulating without braces, crutches, canes or a wheelchair. VA may approve no more than 120 applications on this route in a fiscal year (38 U.S.C. 2101(a)(2)(A)(ii), (C) and (a)(4)).
Before approving SAH, VA must find that it is medically feasible for you to live in the proposed home and locality, that the home bears a proper relation to your present and anticipated income and expenses, and that it suits your needs (38 U.S.C. 2101(a)(3)).
Special Housing Adaptation (SHA)
SHA is for veterans who do not qualify for SAH and have not already received SAH assistance. VA must rate the disability as permanently and totally disabling, and it must (38 CFR 3.809a(c)):
| SHA qualifying disability |
|---|
| Include the anatomical loss or loss of use of both hands |
| Be due to deep partial thickness burns that have resulted in contractures with limitation of motion of two or more extremities, or of at least one extremity and the trunk |
| Be due to full thickness or subdermal burns that have resulted in contractures with limitation of motion of one or more extremities or the trunk |
| Be due to residuals of an inhalation injury, including but not limited to pulmonary fibrosis, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
Blindness, once an SHA ground, now appears on the SAH list instead (38 U.S.C. 2101, as amended in 2020). SHA assistance goes to a veteran who lives in, and reasonably intends to keep living in, a home owned by the veteran or a family member, or who will once it is built or bought (38 U.S.C. 2101(b)(3)). If you first qualify for SHA and later qualify for SAH, you can be issued an SAH certificate (3.809a(a)).
Service members on active duty
Both grants are also available to members of the Armed Forces on active duty whose disability was incurred or aggravated in line of duty and meets the same criteria (38 U.S.C. 2101A(a); 38 CFR 3.809(a) and 3.809a(b)).
Amounts and how many times you can use them
The statute caps the total assistance available under each grant and has VA raise those caps every October 1 by a residential construction cost index (38 U.S.C. 2102(d) and (e)). VA.gov posts the current maximums. No veteran may receive more than six grants of assistance under the housing chapter (2102(d)(3)), and VA.gov describes this as using your grant up to six times over your lifetime, taking as much or as little of the maximum as a project needs.
VA.gov also describes a Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grant for a veteran who qualifies for SAH or SHA and is living temporarily in a family member's home that needs changes.
How to apply
VA.gov says you can apply online, by mail or in person. Its handbook, A Guide for Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) and Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Projects, covers design options. For more on planning a project, read Home Modification Grants for Disabled Veterans: SAH and SHA. Veterans who qualify for SAH because of lost or impaired limbs or vision may also qualify for the automobile allowance and adaptive equipment and for Special Monthly Compensation.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between SAH and SHA?
They have different eligibility lists. SAH (38 CFR 3.809) covers severe losses of the legs or arms, blindness with 20/200 or less central acuity in the better eye, certain full thickness burns and service-connected ALS rated 100 percent. SHA (38 CFR 3.809a) covers loss or loss of use of both hands, certain burns and residuals of an inhalation injury, for veterans who do not qualify for SAH.
How many times can I use a housing grant?
No veteran may receive more than six grants of assistance under the housing chapter (38 U.S.C. 2102(d)(3)). VA.gov describes this as using your grant up to six times over your lifetime.
Is the clothing allowance part of these grants?
No. The clothing allowance under 38 CFR 3.810 is a separate annual payment for clothing damaged by a service-connected appliance or skin medication.
Can I get a grant while still on active duty?
Yes. 38 U.S.C. 2101A(a) extends the housing grants to members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty whose disability was incurred or aggravated in line of duty and meets the same criteria.