This is a common problem: many nonprofit and government-funded home-repair programs (including some HUD-funded and USDA-funded programs, and many local charities) use income eligibility tests based on federal poverty guidelines or area median income, and VA disability compensation is counted as income for those calculations. Because 100 percent service-connected compensation is a fixed, relatively high monthly payment, many veterans who are otherwise low-asset or cash-poor end up screened out of income-based repair programs even though they cannot afford repairs.
There are VA-specific programs that do not use the same income tests. The Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant, administered through your local VA medical center, helps cover home modifications related to a service-connected or, in some cases, non-service-connected condition, and eligibility is tied to medical need rather than income. If your disabilities involve loss of use of limbs, blindness, or certain other severe impairments, look into Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) or Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grants under 38 CFR 3.809 and 3.809a, which are based on the nature of the service-connected disability, not household income.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →Outside the VA system, USDA Rural Development's Section 504 Home Repair program (loans and grants for very-low-income homeowners) uses its own income limits that are calculated differently than some charity thresholds, so it is worth applying even if you were turned down elsewhere. Your state's Department of Veterans Affairs or a county Veteran Service Officer (VSO) often maintains a list of state-specific or locally funded repair programs, some of which have no income cap at all for service-connected veterans. National organizations worth contacting directly include Rebuilding Together, The Home Depot Foundation's veteran housing grants, and Operation Homefront, since their local affiliates sometimes have discretion to waive standard income limits for veterans with documented service-connected disability. VFW and American Legion posts also sometimes have emergency or home-repair assistance funds through their national service programs.
As a concrete next step, contact your local VA medical center's HISA coordinator and your county or state Veteran Service Officer this week, since both can identify programs that evaluate eligibility based on disability status rather than income, and can also refer you to lesser-known local charities that specifically serve veterans.
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