August 7, 2026
The VA HISA Grant: What It Covers and How to Apply
By Coastal Concepts Construction · 4 min read
A plain guide to the VA Home Improvements and Structural Alterations grant for Wilmington area veterans: the FY2026 dollar limits, what it will and will not pay for, the five steps of the application, and where a contractor actually fits in.
If you are a veteran and getting through your own bathroom has become the hardest part of the day, there is a VA benefit built for exactly that. It is called HISA, short for Home Improvements and Structural Alterations, and it pays for medically necessary changes to your home.
It is also one of the more misunderstood VA benefits. Here is what it actually does.
What HISA pays
HISA is a lifetime benefit, not an annual one, and the amount depends on how your disability is classified.
Up to $6,800 if the modification addresses a service connected condition. Veterans with a service connected rating of 50 percent or higher can also use the $6,800 figure for conditions that are not service connected.
Up to $2,000 for everyone else with a qualifying medical need.
You do not need a service connected disability to use HISA at all. That surprises people. What you need is a VA physician who will prescribe the modification as medically necessary.
What it covers
HISA is scoped tightly to access and medical necessity:
- Roll in and walk in showers, and the bathroom fixtures that make the room usable from a wheelchair
- Widened doorways and hallways
- Permanent ramping that improves access to the driveway or a permanent walkway
- Lowered kitchen and bathroom counters and sinks
- Improvements to the entrances and exits of the home
- Plumbing or electrical work needed because medical equipment is being installed
What it does not cover
This is the list that saves the most wasted effort:
- Exterior decking
- Walkways to buildings other than the home
- Spas and hot tubs
- Portable ramps and stair glides
- Home security systems
- New construction
- Routine maintenance, including roof or furnace replacement
The decking exclusion catches people out here on the coast, where a raised deck often is the way into the house. A permanent ramp that improves access to the home is treated differently and can qualify. If you want both, have them quoted separately so the grant paperwork stays clean.
How to apply, step by step
1. Start with your VA physician. Nothing moves without a prescription stating the medical justification. The social work office or the prosthetics department at your VA medical center is the right first call, and they do this all day.
2. Fill out VA Form 10-0103. The full name is the Veterans Application for Assistance in Acquiring Home Improvement and Structural Alterations. The current fillable version is on the VA site here, and we keep a link to it on our veteran grants page. If you rent, you also need written authorization from the property owner.
3. Get an itemized estimate. VA wants a line item cost breakdown, not a single bottom line number. You also need a color photograph of the area being modified. A contractor who has done this before will hand you both without being asked twice.
4. Submit and wait for VA to decide. Your packet goes to VA, and VA approves it, denies it, or comes back with questions.
5. Then the work happens. Once the approval is in hand, the job gets scheduled and built to the scope VA signed off on.
The bigger grants: SAH and SHA
HISA is the smallest of three programs. If your needs are larger, ask about these.
SAH, Specially Adapted Housing, has a maximum of $126,526 for fiscal year 2026 and can be used up to six times over a lifetime. It is for veterans with severe service connected disabilities who need a home they can move through independently.
SHA, Special Home Adaptation, tops out at $25,350 for fiscal year 2026 and is typically used to adapt a home you or a family member already own.
Both figures are re-set by VA most years based on construction costs. Fiscal year 2026 runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, so check the current number before you plan around it.
One warning about contractors
You will see companies in this market advertise themselves as VA approved or VA authorized for grant work. VA does not run a contractor approval program for HISA, SAH or SHA. There is no such list to be on.
What you should actually check: that the contractor holds a real state license and carries insurance, that they have done accessibility work before, and that they will produce the itemized estimate and photographs VA requires. If a contractor tells you they are VA approved, ask to see the credential. There is not one.
Where we fit
Coastal Concepts Construction is veteran owned and has been a licensed North Carolina general contractor since 2007. We build the work these grants fund every week: accessible bathrooms, permanent ramps, widened doorways, aging in place modifications. We write the estimate in the format VA expects, take the photographs, and build to the approved scope.
We are a contractor, not a VA office. We cannot tell you whether you qualify or how much you will be awarded, and anyone who says they can is guessing. What we can do is walk your home, tell you honestly what the work involves, and give you paperwork that will not get bounced.
If you are somewhere in this process and want a second set of eyes on the construction side, call us.
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Common questions
Do I need a service connected disability to get a HISA grant?
No. HISA is available to veterans with non service connected disabilities as well, at a lower maximum of $2,000. The requirement is a VA physician's prescription showing the modification is medically necessary. Veterans with a service connected rating of 50 percent or higher can access the higher $6,800 figure even for non service connected conditions.
Will HISA pay to build a deck or a ramp?
HISA specifically excludes exterior decking. Permanent ramping that improves access to the home or driveway is treated separately and can qualify. If a project includes both, have the ramp quoted separately from the deck so the grant paperwork is clean.
How much is the HISA grant in 2026?
Up to $6,800 lifetime for service connected conditions, or for any condition if the veteran has a service connected rating of at least 50 percent. Up to $2,000 otherwise. These are lifetime maximums, not annual amounts.
Is there such a thing as a VA approved contractor for HISA?
No. VA does not operate an approval, authorization or endorsement program for contractors doing HISA, SAH or SHA work. Companies advertising themselves that way cannot produce a credential to back it. What matters is state licensing, insurance, relevant experience, and the ability to produce the itemized estimate and photographs VA requires.
What paperwork does VA need from my contractor?
An itemized cost estimate broken out by line item, not a single total, plus a color photograph of the area to be modified. Those go into your packet along with VA Form 10-0103 and your physician's prescription. If you rent, add written authorization from the property owner.
