The VA HISA Grant and Walk-In Tubs: What the Program Is and How Veterans Apply
HISA stands for Home Improvements and Structural Alterations, a VA health care benefit that provides medically necessary improvements and structural alterations to a veteran's primary residence, administered through the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service at VA medical centers. Some Ella customers have used HISA toward their walk-in tub, but Ella's Bubbles is not partnered with the VA and does not process VA paperwork: the veteran applies, the VA decides, and if funds are granted the veteran is welcome to use them for the purchase. The team's part is to supply the written proposal and product documents the application asks for. This guide explains what the program is, who it serves and what a complete application contains.
What HISA Is and Who Administers It
According to the VA's own program page, HISA provides medically necessary improvements and structural alterations to a veteran's or service member's primary residence for purposes that include allowing entrance to or exit from the home, use of essential lavatory and sanitary facilities (the VA gives roll-in showers as an example), accessibility to kitchen or bathroom sinks or counters, permanent ramping, and plumbing or electrical improvements made necessary by home medical equipment. The benefit is managed by the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) at your local VA medical center, not by the Veterans Benefits Administration, which runs the separate SAH and SHA housing grants.
Service-Connected and Non-Service-Connected Eligibility Exists; the VA Decides
The VA page describes a lifetime HISA benefit with two tiers. One tier applies to projects that address a service-connected disability, a compensable disability treated as if service-connected, or a non-service-connected disability when the veteran holds a service-connected rating at or above the threshold the VA sets. The other tier applies to disabilities not covered by the first. The VA states that all HISA projects must be medically justified for the disability in question and directs veterans to contact their local PSAS to learn their available lifetime benefit. This page states no amounts, because the VA publishes the current figures and they can change; the link at the end of this article goes to that page.
What the Application Involves
The VA lists a complete HISA application package as follows.
| Item | What the VA asks for | Who provides it |
|---|---|---|
| Prescription | Written or approved by a VA physician, with the veteran's name, address and phone, a description of the project and the area of the home, the type of modification and alternatives, the items requiring installation, and the diagnosis with medical justification showing clinical appropriateness | Your VA physician |
| VA Form 10-0103 | Veterans Application for Assistance in Acquiring Home Improvement and Structural Alterations, completed and signed; request advance payment on the form if applying for it | You |
| Owner authorization (renters) | A signed and notarized statement from the owner authorizing the alteration | Your landlord |
| Itemized estimate | A written itemized estimate of costs for labor, materials, permits and inspections | Your installer for labor; your Ella dealer or the team for the tub proposal |
| Photograph | A color photograph of the unimproved area | You |
The VA notes that a site inspection may be warranted. Your PSAS office will tell you where to submit the package and how advance payment works if you request it.
How a Walk-In Tub Fits a Home Improvement for Medical Care
A walk-in tub is a bathing fixture, and the VA lists use of essential lavatory and sanitary facilities among HISA's purposes, with roll-in showers as its example. The same page also lists items HISA will not pay for, including spa, hot tub or Jacuzzi installations, walkways to exterior buildings, exterior decking and new construction. Whether a particular walk-in tub, with or without hydrotherapy, is treated as a sanitary facility improvement or as a spa-type tub is a judgment the VA physician and PSAS make on the medical justification in your prescription. The prescription describes the medical need, and the proposal describes the tub exactly as configured, including accessibility features such as its low step-in threshold, built-in seat, grab bars and door. Nothing here predicts the VA's answer; the VA decides.
Documents Ella Can Supply
- ☐ A written proposal for the exact model, options and delivery address, from your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850
- ☐ The spec sheet for the model, also available from its product page under "Download Specifications"
- ☐ Product documentation such as the warranty page and the accessibility facts in accessibility and wheelchair answers
- ☐ After purchase, your invoice and receipts, which you keep with the VA correspondence
The guide to written proposals explains what the proposal contains. Labor is always separate from the tub, so your installer's estimate is its own document; see finding a licensed installer.
No Dollar Amounts Here
The VA publishes the current lifetime HISA benefit tiers on its program page and can adjust them. Any figure you see printed elsewhere may be out of date, so please read the VA page and confirm your own available benefit with your PSAS office before you plan a purchase around it.
Related Guides
The overview of Medicare, insurance and VA coverage covers the purchase-first, reimburse-after pattern, and the article on veteran and senior discounts explains Ella's own veteran recognition, which is separate from any VA benefit and is applied to your order at the time of purchase. If VA funds are not available, the lending partners on ellasbubbles.com/financing/ are described in financing your walk-in tub.
Read the official guidance: VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA).
Common Questions
What is the VA HISA benefit?
Have veterans used HISA for an Ella walk-in tub?
Do I need to be service-connected to apply?
Which form do I use for HISA?
Does HISA exclude walk-in tubs?
Will Ella's Bubbles submit my HISA application?
Is HISA the same as the SAH or SHA grant?
Still need help? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and the team will be glad to assist.
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