Financial Resources for Home Modifications

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First off, what are home modifications? Home modifications are changes you make to your home to help you stay safe while taking care of yourself. The bathroom is the #1 place where home modifications take place because it’s the easiest room to get injured!

Home modifications can be expensive. Before you fork over your own dollars, check out your options for funding sources.

Medicare

Medicaid Waivers for home modifications

Grant funding for home modifications

Loans for home modifications

Tax Credits for home modifications

Long Term Care Insurance for home modifications

Life Insurance Loans for home modifications

home modification grants for Veterans

Low Cost and Free home modification organizations in kansas city

Medicare does not cover home modifications. Medicare part B will pay 80% of the cost to rent equipment like bedside commodes and hospital beds.

Medicaid Waivers for home modifications in Kansas:

Each person served on a waiver may receive up to $7,500 in funds for assistive services including home modifications. Contact your case manager for more details.

Here are some of the categories:

Frail Elderly

Intellectual/ Developmentally Disabled

Technology Assisted

Physical Disability

Traumatic Brain Injury

Medicaid Waivers for home modifications in Missouri:

The Missouri Children with Developmental Disabilities Model Waiver program (also known as the Lopez Waiver)

Partnership for Hope waiver

Comprehensive Waiver

Kansas Grant Funding for Home Modifications:

For very low income home owners in rural areas, please go here to learn about the Single Family Housing Repair Loan and Grants. This is associated with Section 504 Home Repair Program.

For Kansas organizations and developers to create affordable housing, go here.

Missouri Grant Funding for Home Modifications:

If you are a home owner, renter, or landlord with a low to moderate income, you can request home repairs or simple modifications through your area agency on aging, which is financed by the Housing and Urban Development HOME Program and Community Development Block Grants. In Kansas City, MO, go HERE to request help to fix repairs and install accessible features.

1) Secured loans

Use your savings as collateral for a low interest loan that builds credit.

2) Certificate deposit (CD) secured loans

Use your CD as collateral for a low interest loan with variable rates and terms.

3) Personal loan

No need for collateral! This type of loan often has a fixed rate. Call your financial institution to learn the terms. 

4) Home equity line of credit

Similar to a revolving line of credit, you use these funds when you need them. This is good if you have ongoing home modification projects.

5) Home equity loan

This type of loan is good for a one time home modification project. It typically has a fixed rate.

6) The Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) Section 203(k)

Helps you buy a home or remodel an existing home. For less extensive remodeling or improvements, the FHA also has a Streamlined 203(k) Mortgage program. Another option from the FHA is the Title 1 Home Improvement Loan program, which you can combine with a 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage.

7) Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program

Loans for low to moderate-income households in rural areas.

8) K-LOAN:

Phone:  620-421-6554, Toll-Free: 1-866-465-2826

K-Loan is an alternative finance program offered through Assistive Technology for Kansans (ATK), the statewide assistive technology program. K-Loan was established and is directed by persons with disabilities. It is a consumer-run program designed to provide persons with disabilities and their families with access to financial resources toward acquiring assistive technology through education, saving and borrowing.

The low interest loans are designed to help individuals obtain a variety of equipment that can be used at home, school or on the job. Funds can be used to help with the purchase of assistive technology equipment ranging from hearing aids to mobility devices. Personnel can help identify alternate funding sources.

9) FUNDING FOR ASSITIVE TECHNOLOGY IN MISSOURI- SHOW ME LOANS

Phone: 816-655-6702 or 1-800-647-8557

Show Me Loans offers low-interest loans to Missourians with a disability. You can apply for a loan for the following:

1. The General Loan

   Enables Missourians an option to buy assistive technology equipment and devices, home access improvements or vehicle access modifications for persons with disabilities in Missouri. This includes modifications to your vehicle.

2. The Workability Loan

   For the purchase of equipment needed by someone with a disability to work from home or a remote site away from an office. Eligible equipment includes, but are not limited to: computers, printers and related peripherals, software, fax machines and scanners, office machines, tools, office furniture, telecommunication devices, home modifications needed to create an accessible home office, assistive technology that will enable an individual with a disability to work more independently or productively (Example: hearing aids), maintenance agreements and extended warranties for the equipment, etc.

Kansas Disabled Access Tax Credit

Personal residences located in Kansas are covered. A percentage of the cost of the home modifications, based on adjusted gross income, may be allowed as a credit or a limit of $9,000, whichever is less. The tax credit cannot exceed the taxpayer's income tax liability.

Missouri Residential Dwelling Accessibility Tax Credit

This tax credit is for people with disabilities who have an income of $30,000 or less a year. You can be credited up to $2,500 for modifying your entryway (i.e. garage, front door, back door, side door) to make it easier to enter and exit your home. 

There are two main types of long-term care insurance. Let’s look at each and how it applies to home modifications:

1) Stand-alone policy

Covers the expenses that aren’t taken care of by either Medicare or Medicaid. This includes assisted living, nursing homes, and at-home care. If you don’t end up needing care, you don’t get any benefits from the insurance.

2) Life insurance with an accelerated death benefit rider

Allows you to receive benefits if you end up needing care while any unused benefits will be paid to your beneficiaries. This type of policy is more flexible but tends to have higher premiums.

Hey, you put money into your life insurance policy for years and years. Now it’s time to use that money for you!

You can borrow money from your life insurance policy to pay for home modifications. Of course, the amount of money depends on the type of policy you have. Go HERE to read about the good and bad from borrowing from your life insurance policy.

If you’re a veteran or working with home modifications for a veteran, you have some additional funding option to check out. These are some great programs and definitely worth the hassle of investigating.

Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant

SAH grants help Veterans with certain service-connected disabilities live independently in a barrier-free environment. SAH grants can be used in one of the following ways:

• Construct a specially adapted home on land to be acquired

• Build a home on land already owned if it is suitable for specially adapted housing

• Remodel an existing home if it can be made suitable for specially adapted housing

• Apply the grant against the unpaid principal mortgage balance of an adapted home already acquired without the assistance of a VA grant

Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grant

SHA grants help Veterans with certain service-connected disabilities adapt or purchase a home to accommodate the disability. You can use SHA grants in one of the following ways:

• Adapt an existing home the Veteran or a family member already owns in which the Veteran lives

• Adapt a home the Veteran or family member intends to purchase in which the Veteran will live

• Help a Veteran purchase a home already adapted in which the Veteran will live

Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant

A temporary grant may be available to SAH/SHA eligible Veterans and Service members who are or will be temporarily residing in a home owned by a family member.

• The TRA grant will not be deducted from the total grant funds available to a Veteran or Service member

• The TRA grant will be deducted from one of the three usages available to the Veteran or Service member

The maximum amount available to adapt a family member's home for the SAH grant is $35,593 and for the SHA grant is $6,355

Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) Grant

A HISA grant is available to veterans who have received a medical determination indicating that changes at home are needed for the lifetime ability to access a bathroom for sanitation purposes. A veteran may receive both a HISA grant and either a SHA or SAH grant.

You can apply for a HISA grant by completed VA Form 10-0103, Veterans Application for Assistance in Acquiring Home Improvement and Structural Alterations, and submitting it to your local VA medical center.

The HISA program is available for both service-connected veterans and non service-connected veterans. 

• Home improvement benefits up to $6,800 may be provided to service-connected veterans.

• Home improvement benefits up to $2,000 be provided to nonservice-connected veterans.

1) Rebuilding Together: Safe at Home

Local program provides safety modifications for homeowners who want to improve accessibility, reduce falls, and increase independence in the home. Safe at Home projects are completed throughout the year with a fee for service based on a client’s individual financial ability utilizing a standardized sliding co-pay scale.

Examples of safety modifications include installing equipment like grab bars in the bathroom and handrails next to stairs.

If you’re in Clay and Platte Counties, go HERE for more information.

If you’re in Shawnee, KS, go HERE for more information.

2) Metro Lutheran Ministry Minor Home Repair

Provides safety and security repair services to help low-income seniors and disabled individuals live safely in their own home and maintain their independence. Repairs are made by a team of skilled volunteers and materials are purchased with donations. 

Examples of minor home repairs include:

• Wheelchair ramps

• Installation of safety lights, locks, railings, grab bars, smoke detectors

• Repair of broken steps, doors, floors or retaining walls

• Basic weatherization

 3) The Minor Home Repair program

Serves homeowners in areas of Kansas City, Missouri (south of the river) and areas of Kansas City, Kansas. 

Those wishing to receive Minor Home Repair services must: 

A. Own the home, 

B. Have a household income of 150% of the Federal Poverty Line or below,

C. Be elderly and/or disabled. 

4) Shepherd’s Center of Kansas City, KS

Completes small home repairs like replacing a sink faucet or the furnace filter.

5) Habitat for Humanity

Rehabilitates houses for families in need for Missouri and Kansas residents.

6) Thrift Stores, religious organizations, & Family and Friends

When people need equipment on the cheap, I always recommend checking out thrift stores, asking churches/temples/mosques, and talking to family and friends.

When my mother-in-law broke her ankle, she didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a transfer tub bench. I told her that she may get lucky finding one at a thrift store.

Lo and behold, she found a brand new tub transfer bench with the tags still on for $25. That’s a savings of at least $75 for a brand new one from a box store!

When you’re borrowing or buying preowned equipment, make sure that the equipment is thoroughly cleaned and in good working condition before using it. Bleach is your friend, especially with commodes!

Listen, I know that money is the biggest barrier to making changes to your bathroom. But I also know that you want to live safely and comfortably in your home. That’s why I’m here to support you along your journey :)

Please contact me with any questions about financial resources.

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Let’s keep your a$$ out of a nursing home!