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Step-By-Step Guide to Applying for the HISA Grant
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To apply for the Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant, veterans must follow a specific process, as the HISA grant is administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Here’s a step-by-step guide on how veterans can apply for the grant:
Ready for the form itself? Read VA Form 10-0103: where to send it, what goes in the packet, and how long a HISA grant takes.
1. Check that you are eligible
You must be eligible for VA health care. If you are not enrolled yet, do that first.
The grant is for a disability that is service-connected or not. The amount you can get depends on which (see step 6).
It pays for medically needed changes to your primary home, such as a permanent wheelchair ramp, a widened doorway, or a roll-in shower in an accessible bathroom.
It does not pay for elevators, stairlifts, porch lifts, portable or modular ramps, walk-in or jetted tubs, or routine repairs. See who is eligible for the HISA grant for more.
2. Get a prescription from your VA doctor
Your VA physician has to write, or approve, a prescription for the home change. It names your diagnosis, describes the work, and explains why it is medically necessary. Everything you want paid for has to be on it, so ask your doctor to include every part of the job, for example the doorway as well as the shower.
3. Put the packet together
The federal rules list five things a complete application needs:
The prescription from step 2.
VA Form 10-0103, signed. Check the box asking for an advance payment.
A signed statement from the property owner allowing the work, notarized if you are not the owner.
A written, itemized estimate for labor, materials, permits, and inspections. Some prosthetics offices ask for more than one.
A color photo of the area before any work is done.
A contractor provides the estimate and the photo. LiveWell writes both after a free in-home assessment.
4. Send it to the prosthetics office
The packet goes to the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service ("prosthetics") at the VA medical center where you get care, in person, by mail, or by fax, depending on that office. Our VA Form 10-0103 guide has the Houston, San Antonio, and Austin addresses.
5. Wait for approval before any work starts
The prosthetics office reviews the packet and your eligibility. The VA does not publish a turnaround time, and a packet missing anything comes back to you. Do not start the work until the approval is in writing.
6. Know how much you can get
HISA is a lifetime amount, not a yearly one:
Up to $6,800 for a service-connected condition, or for any condition if you have a service-connected rating of 50 percent or more.
Up to $2,000 for other veterans enrolled in VA health care.
Anything you used on an earlier HISA project counts against the total.
7. Have the work done
You choose the contractor. Use one who is licensed, bonded, or insured, and who pulls the permits the job needs.
8. How the VA pays
The VA pays you, the veteran, not the contractor. If you asked for an advance on the form, the VA pays half of the approved amount within 30 days of approval. When the work is done, you send a statement that it is finished, a photo of the completed work, and the itemized actual costs, within 60 days of approval or of the advance, and the VA pays the rest. If the job costs less than approved, the difference stays on your lifetime balance.
Bigger projects
Veterans with certain serious service-connected disabilities may also qualify for a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) or Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant, which are much larger and run through VA benefits. The VA says HISA and SAH can be used at the same time, as long as they do not pay for the same work. Our post on grants available to veterans covers them.
Sources
More on the HISA grant
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