WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today the awarding of $599,802 in Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology (SAHAT) Grants to eligible individuals, researchers and organizations to develop new technology that may enhance Veterans’ and service members’ ability to live in a specially adapted home.
The program was authorized by Congress to design assistive technology to expand home modification options for Veterans who apply for VA’s Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) benefit. Grants of up to $200,000 are issued to selected grantees.
“We are honored to award funding for the 2017 grant cycle. We are very excited to see how the finished assistive technology projects will enhance the residential lives of our Veterans with severe disabilities,” said Curtis L. Coy, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity. “These new technologies provide innovative solutions to help program participants live more independently within their homes.”
VA issued the SAHAT Grant program Notice of Funding Availability in January via www.grants.gov and the Federal Register. To foster competition and best serve the needs of Veterans and service members, VA did not limit the type of entity or individual eligible to apply. There was no restriction on the number of grants that could be awarded within the $1 million funding limit.
VA administers the SAH benefit to help Veterans and service members with service-connected disabilities purchase or modify a home. Typical adaptations include ramps, wider halls and doors, or wheelchair accessible bathrooms. New technology from the SAHAT Grants will be added to the list of home modification options as they become available.
SAHAT Grants have been awarded to the following:
| Grant Awardee | Technology | Funding Amount | Location |
| My’deas, LLC | Assistive Technology that Facilitates Independent Living for Veterans with Disabilities | $200,000 | Woburn, MA |
| Prehensile Technologies | RoboTable: A Robotic Overbed Table for Independently Accessing Mobile Devices from Bed | 199,802 | West Lafayette, IN |
| University of Pittsburgh | IoT-Enabled Home Safety Assistance for People with Cognitive Impairments | 200,000 | Pittsburgh, PA |
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Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
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