A. Subject to the availability of funds, the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs shall develop a special housing grant program, not to exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) per veteran, for the purpose of bearing the costs not borne by the federal government for a specifically designed home for disabled veterans. To qualify for a special housing grant, all of the following shall be met:
1. The veteran shall be approved for the federal grant under the United States Department of Veterans Affairs' Specially Adapted Housing program;
2. The veteran shall have been a resident of the state before entering active service with the armed forces;
3. The veteran shall be physically residing in the state at the time the federal grant is approved, as well as at the time the application for the grant and receipt of the state grant are made;
4. The veteran's home shall be used for the purpose of establishing permanent, and not temporary, residency in the state;
5. The home the veteran is remodeling or purchasing shall be in the state;
6. The veteran shall formally apply for the grant by completing the form designated by the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs;
7. The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs shall verify statements to establish that the veteran meets the eligibility requirements for the grant; and
8. The application shall be approved by the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs.
B. In no event shall the state pay a qualified veteran a share greater than the federal government toward the purchase or remodeling of such home.
C. The state grant shall be disbursed to the veteran in the care of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs regional office to be placed in escrow. This disbursement shall be made only when the federal grant has been approved and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs is ready to complete the escrow agreement and authorize the construction, purchase or remodeling of the specially designed home for the disabled veteran.
D. The special housing grant shall be made to a veteran only once.
E. Each awarded special housing grant shall be paid from the Oklahoma Veteran Housing Program Revolving Fund to the extent funds are available.
F. The veteran may also apply for the special housing grant if he or she has previously exhausted his or her United States Department of Veterans Affairs' Specially Adopted Housing program benefits.
Added by Laws 2015, c. 185, § 3, eff. July 1, 2015.
NOTE: Editorially renumbered from § 412 of Title 63 for consistency in numbering.