Three main entities within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are directly or indirectly involved with funding home modifications: the Administration on Aging, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Social Security Administration.
A. The Administration on Aging serves as advocate for the elderly and principal agency for implementing the Older Americans Act by developing programs to promote the economic welfare and personal independence of older people. The administration also provides advice and assistance to promote the development of state-administered, community-based social services for older people.
Administration on Aging
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
330 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
(800) 677-1116 (Eldercare Locator - to find services for an older person in his or her locality)
(202) 619-7501 (AoA's National Aging Information Center -- for technical information and public inquiries)
FAX: (202) 260-1012
Website: http://www.aoa.gov/
B. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is located in Baltimore, Maryland. The telephone number for Medicare Beneficiary Publications is 301- 966-7843. The Social Security Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, also publishes Medicare information.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
7500 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21244
800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) for general information
Website: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/
C. Social Security Administration (SSA)
Office of Public Inquiries
6401 Security Blvd.
Room 4-C-5 Annex
Baltimore, MD 21235-6401
www.ssa.gov
You may call 1-800-722-1213 from 7AM to 7PM. If you have a touch-tone phone, recorded information and services are available 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays.
Deaf and hearing impaired individuals may also try the "TTY" number, 1-800- 325-0778, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development
Housing Programs
14th and Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
202-447-5177
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/
Rural Development sponsors the Rural Rental Housing Program that provides loans for building rental units in rural communities and accessible modifications such as grab bars and widened doorways to accommodate persons who use wheelchairs. Rural Development also administers Rural Housing Preservation Grants, which provide communities with funds for rehabilitating single-family housing owned or occupied by low-income persons or families, and offers the Congregate Housing Program, in conjunction with the Administration on Aging, which provides housing assistance and services to people with disabilities and the elderly.
USDA Rural Development also has regional and local offices that serve all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
While the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has many related programs to home modification, two offices are most directly involved: the Federal Housing Administration and the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
Elderly and Assisted Housing
Housing for the Elderly and Handicapped People
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
HUD Building, 451 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20410
202-708-0720 (Elderly and Assisted Housing)
202-709-2730 (Housing for the Elderly and Handicapped People)
These offices of the FHA provide rental assistance, moderate rehabilitation, housing programs, and direct loans for housing people with disabilities (direct loans are linked with rental assistance).
Home Mod Loan Insurance: http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/hsgabout.cfm
HOME program: http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/affordablehousing/
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Monitors compliance with the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 which provides for equal opportunity housing for people with disabilities. This office also sponsors a toll-free hotline for housing discrimination complaints : 1-800- 424-8590; TDD 1-800-543-8294. In Washington, D.C. call 202-708-3500; TDD 202-708-2826.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
HUD Building, 451 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20410
202-708-4252 or 202-708-2878
http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/index.cfm
There are ten (10) regional office of HUD and numerous field offices in cities throughout the United States.
• U. S. Treasury Department
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
U. S. Treasury Department
1111 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20224
1-800-829-1040 toll-free taxpayer information
http://www.irs.gov
Publications: http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html?portlet=3
Administers and enforces internal revenue laws and provides information booklets and forms for income tax deductions and credits. The IRS has seven (7) regional offices and numerous local offices throughout the United States.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
The Veterans Benefits Administration administers all nonmedical benefit programs for veterans, their dependents, and survivors. The Loan Guarantee Service guarantees private institutional financing of home loan for veterans and provides veterans with disabilities direct loans and grants for accessible housing. The VA has offices serving each state and Puerto Rico.
Veterans Benefits Administration
Loan Guaranty Service
810 Vermont Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20420
202-233-2332 (Loan Guaranty Service)
202-233-2741(General Information for VA)
1-800-669-8477 (Insurance hotline for benefits information)
Website: http://www.va.gov/
Home services: http://www.homeloans.va.gov/ |
