HISA sits in a quieter corner of VA benefits than the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) and Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grants. Because it is run by the Veterans Health Administration through the local VA medical center — not the Veterans Benefits Administration — many veterans never hear about it from a claims office. It is authorized by [src] and implemented in [src].
How much HISA may pay
HISA is a lifetime benefit, not an annual one. The amount depends on whether the medical need is service-connected.
- Up to $6,800 lifetime for veterans whose medical need is tied to a service-connected condition, or who have a service-connected condition rated 50% or higher.
- Up to $2,000 lifetime for veterans whose medical need is non-service-connected.
Exact dollar amounts can change when VA updates its rules. Before planning a project, verify the current cap on VA’s HISA benefit page or with the Prosthetics Service at your VA medical center.
What HISA can be used for
HISA may cover changes that a VA clinician determines are medically necessary to let a veteran enter, move through, and use the essential rooms of their home. Common covered modifications include:
- Exterior and interior ramps, platform lifts, and stair lifts
- Widening doorways and hallways for wheelchair access
- Bathroom modifications — roll-in showers, grab bars, raised toilets, accessible sinks
- Kitchen modifications that allow cooking and food preparation from a seated position
- Improving entrances to the home, including walkways and thresholds
- Plumbing or electrical changes required to operate medical equipment, such as dialysis or oxygen systems
HISA does not pay for cosmetic upgrades, routine repairs, or modifications a clinician has not prescribed as medically necessary. Driveway paving, new appliances, or a remodel unrelated to the medical need fall outside the grant.
HISA vs SAH vs SHA
Three VA grants help pay for home modifications. They differ in size, who administers them, and who qualifies.
- HISA (this page).Smaller dollar amount, medical-need triggered, administered by the VA medical center. Does not require a catastrophic mobility loss — a VA clinician’s prescription for a medically necessary modification is the threshold.
- SAH (Specially Adapted Housing). Significantly larger lifetime amount (commonly cited around $120,000, adjusted annually) for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities — loss or loss of use of both lower extremities, certain combinations of blindness and limb loss, severe burn injuries, and some conditions added under later statutes.
- SHA (Special Home Adaptation). A mid-sized lifetime grant (commonly cited around $24,000, adjusted annually) for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities that do not meet the SAH thresholds — for example, blindness in both eyes with 5/200 visual acuity or less, or severe respiratory or burn conditions.
Eligibility for HISA does not block SAH or SHA, and the grants can sometimes be used together on different parts of a project. For the bigger grants and the eligibility walkthrough, see our SAH and SHA eligibility check.
How to apply
HISA runs through the VA medical center, not the VA Regional Office. The application path looks like this:
- Talk with your VA primary care provider. Describe the barriers at home — thresholds, bathroom access, reaching essential rooms. The clinician documents the medical need and writes a prescription.
- Your VA provider submits the request.The prescription and the proposed modification go to the medical center’s Prosthetics Service (sometimes called the HISA coordinator), along with a contractor estimate.
- The VA medical center authorizes the grant. HISA authorization comes from VHA under [src], not from the VA Form 10-0103 application used for SAH and SHA.
If a VA contractor tells you to file VA Form 10-0103 for HISA, that is the wrong form — 10-0103 is the SAH and SHA application handled by VBA. HISA is prescribed and authorized by VA medical staff.
Who qualifies
HISA is available to veterans who:
- Are enrolled in VA health care
- Have a medical need for the modification documented by a VA provider
- Need a modification that is medically necessary — safety, mobility, or medical-equipment support — not cosmetic
A service-connected rating is not required, but it affects the lifetime cap. Veterans with a service-connected basis may qualify for the higher $6,800 ceiling; non-service-connected veterans are capped at $2,000. Both paths require enrollment in VA health care.
Tax and legal considerations
VA grants paid directly for home modifications are generally not treated as taxable income to the veteran. HISA is paid by VA under its medical-benefits authority, not as compensation.
Renters can use HISA, but rental properties raise two extra steps: the landlord must consent to the modification in writing, and any removal or restoration obligations in the lease still apply. Several states have fair-housing and accessibility laws that require landlords to permit reasonable accessibility modifications at the tenant’s expense — a local CVSO or legal-aid clinic can say whether those apply in your state.
Where to start
The fastest first step is a conversation at your next VA primary care visit. Describe the specific barrier — the step you can no longer clear, the shower you cannot safely use, the doorway that will not fit a wheelchair — and ask the provider to document the medical need and refer the case to Prosthetics Service. If you do not yet have a VA primary care team, enroll in VA health care first; HISA and most of these home-health benefits are downstream of enrollment.
A County Veterans Service Officer can also help navigate the medical center process, pull together contractor estimates, and coordinate HISA with SAH or SHA when a veteran may qualify for more than one grant[src]. VA’s home adaptations guide is the authoritative starting point for the current program rules.