VA HISA Grants & Home Ramps: A Veteran’s Guide to Safe Home Access

How Veterans Mobility Solutions Helps You Navigate the VA HISA Process

For many Veterans, safely entering and exiting the home can become one of the biggest daily challenges. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers a powerful but often under-used benefit that can help cover permanent home ramps and other accessibility improvements: the Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant, administered through the Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service (PSAS).

At Veterans Mobility Solutions, we work with Veterans and their families to design, estimate, and install medically-necessary home ramping solutions that align with VA HISA requirements—making the process smoother, faster, and less stressful.

What Is the VA HISA Benefit?

The Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) benefit provides lifetime funding for medically necessary modifications to a Veteran or Servicemember’s primary residence. These improvements must be prescribed or approved by a VA clinician and are intended to support safe, independent living.

HISA Covers Improvements That Help With:

• Entering or exiting the home (including permanent wheelchair ramps)

• Access to essential bathroom facilities (e.g., roll-in showers)

• Accessibility to kitchen or bathroom sinks and counters (lowering counters/sinks)

• Improving entrance paths or driveways in the immediate area of the home to facilitate access through permanent ramping

• Plumbing or electrical upgrades required due to home medical equipment

Permanent home ramps are one of the most common and effective HISA-approved improvements, especially for Veterans using wheelchairs, power chairs, scooters, walkers, or who have balance limitations.

What HISA Will Not Pay For

It’s just as important to understand what the HISA grant excludes. HISA does not cover:

• Walkways to exterior buildings

• Spa, hot tub, or Jacuzzi installations

• Exterior decking

• New home construction

• Home security systems

• Removable or portable ramps

• Porch lifts or stair glides

• Routine home maintenance (roofs, furnaces, AC units, etc.)

Key takeaway: HISA is designed for permanent, medically-justified structural alterations, not temporary equipment or general home upgrades.

HISA Benefit Amounts (Lifetime Maximums)

HISA is a lifetime benefit, meaning once the maximum is used, no additional HISA funds are available.

Up to $6,800 may be approved to:

• Address a service-connected disability

• Address a compensable disability treated “as if” service-connected (under 38 USC 1710(a)(2)(c))

• Address a non-service-connected disability if the Veteran has a service-connected disability rated at least 50%

Up to $2,000 may be approved to:

• Address disabilities not covered under the categories above

All projects must be medically justified, regardless of service-connection status.

Applying for a HISA Grant: What You’ll Need

To apply for HISA, Veterans must submit a complete application package. Missing items are the #1 cause of delays.

Required HISA Application Items:

1. VA Prescription or Approval from a VA physician that includes:

   • Veteran’s name, address, and phone number

   • Description of the project (area of the home, type of modification, alternatives considered)

   • Diagnosis and medical justification explaining why the modification is clinically appropriate

2. VA Form 10-0103
   Veterans Application for Assistance in Acquiring Home Improvement and Structural Alterations

3. For Renters Only:

   • Signed and notarized authorization from the property owner

4. Written Itemized Cost Estimate

   • Labor

   • Materials

   • Permits

   • Inspections

5. Color Photograph of the Unimproved Area

🔍 VA site inspections may be required before approval or payment.

How Veterans Mobility Solutions Helps

This is where we come in.

At Veterans Mobility Solutions, we specialize in VA-compliant permanent ramp systems and understand exactly what PSAS teams look for in HISA submissions.

We help Veterans by:

• Conducting home access assessments

• Designing ADA-compliant permanent ramp solutions

• Providing clear, itemized estimates tailored for HISA applications

• Supplying before-and-after documentation

• Coordinating with Veterans so their submission aligns with VHA Directive 1173.14(1)

Our goal is simple: reduce friction, avoid denials, and help Veterans regain safe, independent access to their homes.

Official VA resource click here