by Terry Moakley
VetsFirst Board of Directors Chair

Almost 43 years ago while serving in the United States Marine Corps, I dove into a river and fractured my neck at the sixth cervical vertebrae. I was face down in the water unable to move anything for what seemed like an eternity. Then, buddies from my platoon pulled me up the river bank to safety.

After a total of 19 months of acute care at a military hospital and rehab at a VA Spinal Cord Injury Center, I was discharged to my parent’s home as a “quadriplegic work-in-progress.” I had some self-care skills, enough to return to the local university to work on a degree that was paid in full through the VA Vocational Rehabilitation program. It was, as it turns out, a great investment since I worked from 1972 through 2008.

I started working the same year I was married. I remember thinking many times long before the wedding, “where will we live?” Again, I turned to the VA and gathered information about their Specially Adapted Housing grant. It was determined that I was eligible for this program and my options, to me anyway, were either to build a wheelchair-accessible home from scratch or to purchase an existing accessible home that was up for sale.

I found that existing wheelchair-accessible home in an ad in United Spinal Association’s newsletter. It was located 15 minutes from my parent’s home. We purchased it using the Specially Adapted Housing grant as a more-than-adequate down payment. Our monthly mortgage payment was manageable, but this, too, was thanks in large part to the equity investment made in my behalf by the VA Specially Adapted Housing grant.

For most of my “wheelchair life,” I have lived in only two houses. I lived in my first home until 1980 when I moved to my brand new, somewhat larger current home. The real value to me has not been the appreciation of the value of these houses but having a home where I could function at my maximum ability, and from which I could come and go easily so that I was able to be a productive, employed disabled veteran for 36 years. Having a wheelchair-accessible home has played a large part in my life of fulfillment.

The VA Specially Adapted Housing grant helps many seriously disabled veterans obtain a suitable home so that they can complete their long road back to community and productivity.

This grant helped me immensely. Congress, grow this important benefit so that today’s newest seriously disabled veterans can own the home that they need to experience success in their lives.

Just the Facts:
As of October 1, 2009, the Specially Adapted Housing maximum allowable grant is $63,780. VetsFirst strongly supports H.R. 1169, which would provide a significant increase in not only this housing grant program but also the Special Home Adaptation grant program and the grant to purchase an automobile. Under this proposed legislation, the maximum allowable Specially Adapted Housing grant would be increased to $180,000. The legislation is currently being considered by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.