Castagnera on Risk Management in Higher Education… and more: Housing for wounded vets

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Housing for wounded vets

Injuries incurred by service members are covered by the Veteran Administration. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Colleagues and Fellow Veterans:

Are you a Veteran with a severe service-connected disability that affects your mobility? Do you know someone who is? If you answered “Yes” to either question, then you or someone you know may be eligible for the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant program that is administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The SAH program helps certain severely-disabled Veterans and Servicemembers purchase or construct an adapted home, or modify an existing home, to create a barrier-free-living environment. VA offers two grant programs: the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant and the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant.

The SAH grant can be used to purchase or modify a home so that it provides a barrier-free living environment that affords Veterans a higher level of independent living. Veterans and Servicemembers with certain service-connected disabilities may be entitled to a grant up to the current maximum of $67,555.

The SHA grant can be used to increase the mobility of eligible Veterans and Servicemembers throughout their home. Veterans and Servicemembers with specific service-connected disabilities may be entitled to this type of grant, up to the current maximum of $13,511.

In addition to these two grant types, a temporary residential grant may be available to SAH/SHA eligible Veterans and Servicemembers who are or will be temporarily residing in a home owned by a family member. The maximum amount available to adapt a family member’s home for the SAH grant is $29,657 and for the SHA grant it is $5,295. All grant amounts are indexed annually based on cost of construction, and the grant amounts will never decrease.

VA has staff located nationwide to assist individuals in applying for and receiving these grants. You can find more detailed information about qualifying disabilities here: http://benefits.va.gov/homeloans/adaptedhousing.asp, and you can find contact information for an SAH Agent in your area here: http://www.benefits.va.gov/HOMELOANS/contact_agents.asp.

Each Veteran’s housing/living needs are as unique as their physical disabilities. The SAH program provides hands-on, personalized, customized service to severely-disabled Veterans seeking home adaptations.

If you have any questions, please email sahinfo.vbaco@va.gov.

V/R

Curtis L. Coy
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity
Veterans Benefits Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Please Remember:

· If you would like to review prior messages sent through this listserv, click http://benefits.va.gov/vow/economic_opportunity.htm.

· If you would like to research, find, access, and, in time, manage your VA benefits and personal information please visit and/or register at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal.

· If you are seeking employment in the federal government, particularly the VA, our VA for Vets high-tech tools and resources can help. Visit online at http://vaforvets.va.gov/Pages/default.aspx or call 1-855-824-8387.

If you would like to contact us about your VA education benefits:

· You can send us a secure email that will usually be answered within 48 hours. You can also search for answers to frequently asked questions and register to be notified of any updates to the information. This contact method is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can also be utilized worldwide. Click here to enter the "Ask A Question" site or here to review our frequently asked questions.

· You can call 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551). This line only accepts calls from 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM central time Monday – Friday, though you are able to schedule a call back from a Customer Service Representative.