A certificate of eligibility for assistance in acquiring necessary special home adaptations, or, on or after October 28, 1986, for assistance in acquiring a residence already adapted with necessary special features, under 38 U.S.C. 2101(b) or 2101A(a) may be issued to a veteran who served after April 20, 1898, or to a member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who is eligible for the benefit under this section on or after December 16, 2003, if the following requirements are met:
(a)
The member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty or veteran is not entitled to a certificate of eligibility for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing under § 3.809 nor had the member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty or veteran previously received assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing under 38 U.S.C. 2101(a).A member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty or veteran who first establishes entitlement under this section and who later becomes eligible for a certificate of eligibility under § 3.809 may be issued a certificate of eligibility under § 3.809.
(b)
A member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty must have a disability rated as permanent and total that was incurred or aggravated in line of duty in active military, naval, or air service. A veteran must be entitled to compensation under chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code, for a disability rated as permanent and total. In either case, the disability must:
(1)
Include the anatomical loss or loss of use of both hands, or
(i)
Blindness in both eyes with 5/200 visual acuity or less, or
(ii)
Deep partial thickness burns that have resulted in contractures with limitation of motion of two or more extremities or of at least one extremity and the trunk, or
(iii)
Full thickness or subdermal burns that have resulted in contracture(s) with limitation of motion of one or more extremities or the trunk, or
(iv)
Residuals of an inhalation injury (including, but not limited to, pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Code of Federal Regulations
(Authority:
38 U.S.C. 1151(c)(1), 2101, 2101A, 2104
)
Code of Federal Regulations
[46 FR 47543, Sept. 29, 1981, as amended at 53 FR 23237, June 21, 1988; 75 FR, 57861, Sept. 23, 2010]