Learn About Grants for Veterans

If you are a veteran, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has many programs designed to provide assistance.

Benefits, loans and education programs are a few of the services available to U.S. vets and several grant programs are available as well.

If you have a service-connected disability, you may qualify for a grant that provides funds to make improvements and changes to your home.

Both the Specially Adapted Housing grant and the Special Housing Adaptation grant allow you to live more independently by installing ramps or handrails within your home.

If you are a veteran with a service-related disability temporarily living in a family member’s home, you may qualify for the Temporary Residence Adaptation grant.

As well as grants for veterans with disabilities, specific grant programs exist to help vets living in highly rural areas.

Select grants can be used by states to establish or improve veteran cemeteries. Find out more about these grant programs in the following helpful overview.

Learn About the Specially Adapted Housing Grant

If you are a service member who has a service-related disability, you may be eligible for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Specially Adapted Housing grant.

The funds from this award allow you to buy a home, build a home or change your existing home for the purpose of living more independently.

Use the grant to make changes like widening doorways and installing ramps. Conversely, you could use the grant to build or purchase a home that is purpose-built for residents with disabilities.

To be eligible for the Specially Adapted Housing grant, you must meet certain criteria.

You must own your home or be about to own your home and you must have a qualifying service-related disability. Qualifying disabilities include:

Particular severe burns.
The loss of more than one of your limbs or the loss of use of more than one limb.
Blindness in both of your eyes in combination with the loss of one of your legs or the loss of use of one of your legs.
The loss or loss of use of one of your lower legs in combination with the lasting effects of a natural injury or disease.
The loss or loss of use of either one or both of your feet or legs since September 11, 2001.

With regards to the last disability on the list, only 30 eligible veterans and service members can receive the grant each fiscal year.

If you qualify but the cap has been reached, meaning you do not receive the grant, you may be able to receive the award in the following year or in a subsequent year.

Laws are updated each year to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs does not exceed the annual cap.

Eligible veterans receive up to three grants through the Specially Adapted Housing program.

The maximum total amount you receive from the three grants is $85,645. Apply for the program through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Learn About the Special Housing Adaptation Grant

Like the Specially Adapted Housing grant, this grant program allows you to make changes to your permanent home, to buy a new home or to build a new home that offers a more independent way of living.

You may be eligible for three grants from the program. The maximum total amount you receive for the three grants is $17,130.

To be eligible, you must plan to live in the property for an extended period. In addition, you or a member of your family must own the home or be about to own the home.

You must have a service-related disability as well. Qualifying disabilities include:

The loss or loss of use of both of your hands.
Blindness in both of your eyes.
Particular severe burns.
Specific breathing or respiratory problems.

Learn About the Temporary Residence Adaptation Grant

If you are a veteran with a service-related disability temporarily living in a family member’s home, you may qualify for the Temporary Residence Adaptation grant.

This allows you to make improvements to the property you are living in to abet your needs and live more independently.

To be eligible for this grant, you must qualify for the Specially Adapted Housing grant or the Special Housing Adaptation grant.

If you are eligible for the SAH grant, you receive an award of up to $37,597 in 2019. If you qualify for the SHA grant, you receive up to $6,713 in 2019.

Apply for the Temporary Residence Adaptation grant through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Learn About Highly Rural Transportation Grants

This grant program helps veterans who live in highly rural areas to travel to health care facilities that are authorized by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The facilities do not have to specifically provide VA health care. With a Highly Rural Transportation grant, you can use transportation services to get to medical appointments easily and therefore maintain good health.

This program was introduced because many veterans throughout the country reside in highly rural areas and find it difficult to access health care facilities.

Highly Rural Transportation grants are available for counties that are populated by less than seven people per square mile. Apply for the grant when the Department of Veterans Affairs posts its Notice of Funding Availability.

Learn About the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program

Established by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1978, the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program provides gravesites for veterans in places where the Department of Veterans Affairs’ national cemeteries are unable to meet satisfactory burial requirements.

Territories, states and tribal governments that are federally-recognized can receive funding from the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program.

The grants can be used to establish, expand or improve cemeteries for veterans operated or owned by the state, territory or tribal government.

For approved projects, the Department of Veteran Affairs provides up to 100 percent of the costs.

When new cemeteries are being established, operating equipment is provided through the grant program.

Since the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program has been running, more than $816 million has been used to establish, improve, operate, maintain and expand 112 cemeteries in 48 territories and states.