Grants Expanded For Severely

[Berta]

Recent VA News Releases

To view and download VA news release, please visit the following

Internet address:

http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel

(from VA Media email 1-4-08)

"New VA Rules for Specially Adapted Housing Grants

Program Aids Most Seriously Injured

WASHINGTON (January 4, 2008) - A change in the law that allows certain

seriously injured veterans and servicemembers to receive multiple grants

for constructing or modifying homes has resulted in many new grants, the

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today.

Before the change, eligible veterans and servicemembers could receive

special adaptive housing grants of $10,000 or $50,000 from VA only once.

Now they may use the benefit up to three times, so long as the total

grants stay within specified limits outlined in the law.

"Veterans seriously disabled during their military service have earned

this benefit," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake.

"This change ensures that every eligible veteran and servicemember has

the chance to use the maximum amount afforded to them by our grateful

nation."

In order to ensure all previous recipients are aware of this

opportunity, VA has mailed more than 16,000 letters to eligible

veterans, reaching out to those who used only a portion of their grant

or who decided not to use the grant even after initially qualifying.

The response over the past year has been dramatic, with more than 4,600

applications received thus far. Of these, approximately 3,900 veterans

have been determined eligible under the new law, and more than 200

grants already awarded.

VA has averaged about 1,000 adaptive housing grant applications per year

during the past 10 years. Since the program began in 1948, it has

provided more than $650 million in grants to about 34,000 seriously

disabled veterans.

To ensure veterans' and servicemembers' needs are met and grant money is

spent properly, VA works closely throughout the entire process with

contractors and architects to design, construct and modify homes that

meet the individuals' housing accessibility needs.

Eligible for the benefit are those with specific service-connected

disabilities entitling them to VA compensation for a "permanent and

total disability." They may receive a grant to construct an adapted

home or to modify an existing one to meet their special needs.

VA has three types of adapted housing grants available. The Specially

Adapted Housing grant (SAH), currently limited to $50,000, is generally

used to create a wheelchair-accessible home for those who may require

such assistance for activities of daily living.

VA's Home Loan Guaranty program and the Native American Direct Loan

program may also be used with the SAH benefit to purchase an adaptive

home.

The Special Housing Adaptations (SHA) grant, currently limited to

$10,000, is generally used to assist veterans with mobility throughout

their homes due to blindness in both eyes, or the anatomical loss or

loss of use of both hands or extremities below the elbow.

A third type established by the new law, the Temporary Residence

Adaptation (TRA) grant, is available to eligible veterans and seriously

injured active duty servicemembers who are temporarily living or intend

to temporarily live in a home owned by a family member.

While the SAH and SHA grants require ownership and title to a house, in

creating TRA Congress recognized the need to allow veterans and active

duty members who may not yet own homes to have access to the adaptive

housing grant program.

Under TRA, veterans and servicemembers eligible under the SAH program

would be permitted to use up to $14,000, and those eligible under the

SHA program would be allowed to use up to $2,000 of the maximum grant

amounts. Each grant would count as one of the three grants allowed

under the new program.

"The goal of all three grant programs is to provide a barrier-free

living environment that offers the country's most severely injured

veterans or servicemembers a level of independent living," added Peake.

Other VA adaptive housing benefits are currently available through

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service's "Independent Living"

program, the Insurance Service's Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance

program, and the Veterans Health Administration's Home Improvement and

Structural Alterations grant.

For more information about grants and other adaptive housing programs,

contact a local VA regional office at 1-800-827-1000 or local veteran

service organization. Additional program information and grant

applications (VAF-26-4555) can be found at

http://www.homeloans.va.gov/sah.htm."

[Pete53]

Nice Post

[sixthscents]

Theres a bill right now to incres the 50K to 60K.... I'd say it has a good chance.