How Coloradans Pay for a Walk-In Tub

Medicare

As a rule, Original Medicare will not cover a walk-in tub or a bathroom remodel. Its equipment benefit is limited to durable medical equipment, which Medicare.gov defines by a short list of tests: the item withstands repeated use, serves a medical purpose, is generally of no use to a healthy person, is used at home, and has an expected life of three years or more. The examples Medicare publishes are things like walkers, commode chairs and hospital beds. Walk-in tubs are not among them. Medicare also does not pay for custodial care, such as help with bathing, when that is the only care a person needs.

A number of Medicare Advantage plans add extra benefits, and a few include home safety items. These vary widely by plan and year. If you have an Advantage plan, call the number on your card and ask specifically about bathroom safety benefits.

Free help in the Denver metro: DRCOG's State Health Insurance Assistance Program offers unbiased Medicare counseling. In Boulder County, the county's Area Agency on Aging offers Medicare counseling appointments. Neither sells insurance.

VA HISA grant for veterans

HISA, short for Home Improvements and Structural Alterations, is a VA benefit that can pay toward changes a veteran's doctor says are medically needed in the home the veteran lives in, and bathroom access work can qualify. Eligible veterans may qualify; the VA decides. What the VA's prosthetics office publishes about it:

• $6,800 lifetime maximum when the need stems from a service-connected disability, and also for veterans rated 50 percent or higher service-connected whose need is not service-connected.
• Up to $2,000 is available for other eligible veterans enrolled in VA health care.
• The improvement must be prescribed as medically necessary by a VA or VA-authorized provider.
• Veterans apply using VA Form 10-0103, generally through the Prosthetics department at their VA medical center. Bids from contractors are usually part of the application, and work should not start before approval.

For Denver-metro veterans, the starting point is the Prosthetics office at your VA medical center or your VA primary care team. Veterans who need more extensive home adaptations should also ask about VA's separate Specially Adapted Housing grants.

Colorado Medicaid: the Home Modification benefit

Colorado's Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) runs a Home Modification benefit for members enrolled in certain Home and Community-Based Services waivers. HCPF lists a $14,000 maximum for the benefit under the Brain Injury, Community Mental Health Supports, Elderly, Blind and Disabled, and Complementary and Integrative Health waivers. A separate combined limit applies under the Children's Extensive Support and Supported Living Services waivers.

A 2024 waiver amendment approved by CMS changed how that $14,000 limit is counted for several waivers, from a lifetime total to a per-waiver-period limit. Because the details depend on your waiver, confirm with your case manager.

Home modifications under these waivers must relate to the member's disability and are arranged through the member's case management agency, not purchased first and reimbursed. If you or a family member are on a waiver, your case manager is the person to ask. If you are not, DRCOG's Aging and Disability Resource Center can explain how waiver eligibility works.

Nonprofit home repair and modification

Brothers Redevelopment, a Denver nonprofit, runs a Home Modification and Repair program for low- and fixed-income homeowners aged 60 and older and people with disabilities in the Denver metro. Its published services include roll-in and step-in shower conversions, grab bars, handheld showers, ramps and door widening. The organization says it strives to provide services at no cost to clients, subject to funding and eligibility. Demand is high, so expect a waiting period.

Other local groups, including Habitat for Humanity affiliates and faith-based volunteer programs, run repair programs in parts of the metro. Your county's Area Agency on Aging keeps current referral lists.

Your local Area Agency on Aging

Area Agencies on Aging do not usually pay for a walk-in tub directly, but they are the best single phone call for finding what does exist. They fund and coordinate services under the federal Older Americans Act and can connect you with options counseling, caregiver support and local programs.

See our Denver-metro senior resources page for city-level programs.

Taxes: can it be a medical deduction?

The IRS covers this in Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses. In short:

• If an improvement's main purpose is medical care, its cost can be included as a medical expense, minus any increase in the value of your home it causes.
• Changes that adapt a home for a disability usually add little or no resale value, so their full cost can often be counted. The IRS's examples include modifying bathrooms, adding railings and support bars, and widening doorways.
• Only the portion tied to medical need counts; architectural or aesthetic extras do not.
• Medical expenses are itemized on Schedule A, and only the amount above a threshold of your adjusted gross income is deductible.

Whether a walk-in tub qualifies, and how much, depends on your circumstances. A letter from the bather's doctor explaining the medical reason is useful documentation. Before you count on any deduction, consult a tax professional.

Putting it together

1. Veteran? Talk to your VA Prosthetics office about HISA before getting quotes signed.
2. On a Medicaid waiver? Ask your case manager about the Home Modification benefit.
3. Lower or fixed income, 60+? Call DRCOG at 303-480-6700 (or Boulder County AAA at 303-441-1617) and ask about home modification and repair referrals, including Brothers Redevelopment.
4. Medicare Advantage? Ask your plan about supplemental home safety benefits.
5. Paying yourself? Ask a tax professional about Publication 502, and get an itemized quote so the medical portion is clear.

Last reviewed 2026-10-10.