Family members and caregivers can stay free at a Fisher House near the hospital. Stays cover a veteran or service member's inpatient care, and at some sites extended outpatient treatment, at a VA or military medical center.
Who Can Stay at a Fisher House
Family members, caregivers, and loved ones of veterans and service members receiving care at a medical center that has a Fisher House qualify to stay at a Fisher House. The rooms are provided without any charge to the guest. Each medical center commander or director sets specific eligibility, priorities, and selection criteria, which means exact rules vary between locations.
Some facilities also lodge outpatient veterans under specific conditions. For instance, the Hines VA allows outpatient veterans to stay if an accompanying person stays with them. If you provide ongoing support to a veteran at home, you may also explore the VA caregiver program for that separate stipend program.
How to Get a Fisher House Room
Securing a room at a VA-managed Fisher House requires an official referral from the veteran's medical team rather than direct booking.
- Ask the veteran's social worker or a member of their treatment team to initiate the lodging request.
- The medical team submits an electronic referral, known as an electronic consult, through the hospital system.
- The Fisher House staff reviews the referral and confirms a room based on the patient's eligibility and current house availability.
- Arrange backup lodging in advance, because an electronic referral serves as a request rather than a guaranteed reservation, and the Hines and Augusta houses do not accept walk-ins.
For houses located at military installations run by the Army, Navy, or Air Force, families reserve lodging by contacting the house manager directly. You can find contact information for each site on the current houses page maintained by the foundation. At VA facilities, the referral comes from the veteran's VA health care team.
Fisher House Rules at Four VA Medical Centers
On November 10, 2026, Rank and Pay compared the published Fisher House pages of the Dayton, Augusta, North Texas, and Hines VA medical centers and found distance rules ranging from 35 to 50 miles.
| VA Medical Center | Distance Rule | Care the Stay Covers | How to Get a Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton VA Medical Center | 35 miles or more | Hospitalization or extended episodic outpatient treatment | Electronic referral submitted by the veteran's care team |
| Augusta VA (Charlie Norwood) | 50 miles or more | Inpatient hospital care | Referral from the veteran's assigned social worker, or VA provider if none is assigned |
| VA North Texas (Dallas) | 50 miles or 2 hours or more | Hospitalization or long-term medical care | Electronic referral submitted by the veteran's treatment team |
| Hines VA (Edward Hines, Jr.) | 50 miles or more (or a 2-hour commute) | Inpatient stays, plus outpatient veterans with a companion | Electronic consult entered by a VA health provider |
No single national distance rule applies, so ask the veteran's social worker for your medical center's cutoff or find the house on Fisher House Foundation's current houses page.
What a Stay Costs and Includes
There is never a charge to stay at a Fisher House, according to public statements from both VA and Fisher House Foundation. Each guest family receives a private bedroom suite equipped with its own private bathroom. At the Hines VA, each family receives one private suite with a maximum occupancy of four people, and any children under 18 must stay with a parent or legal guardian.
Guests share common spaces, including a fully equipped kitchen, laundry facilities, a dining area, and living rooms. Meals are not provided at facilities like Dayton and North Texas, so guests cook in the shared kitchen. Pets are strictly prohibited across facilities, though certified, trained service animals and assistance dogs are accommodated with prior approval.
These facilities are constructed by Fisher House Foundation, a nonprofit entity, and gifted to VA or the Department of Defense. Under 38 U.S.C. 1708, VA can furnish temporary residential lodging to veterans who travel a significant distance for medical care, as well as their accompanying family members. While that statute authorizes the Secretary to establish lodging charges, VA and Fisher House Foundation maintain that rooms remain completely cost-free.
When the Fisher House Is Full
The Hotels for Heroes program supplies hotel rooms to families of wounded, injured, and ill service members undergoing care at authorized medical centers when no room is open at the house. This assistance targets significant medical events and emergencies rather than general visits during ongoing outpatient care. Veterans become eligible only when the request originates from a Fisher House manager at a facility that would normally lodge them but has reached full capacity. The manager places the family on an internal waiting list and coordinates temporary hotel accommodations until a suite opens.
Transportation assistance is also available through the Hero Miles program, which Fisher House Foundation has operated since 2005. The program uses donated airline tickets to book round-trip flights for wounded, injured, and ill service members, as well as family members and close friends traveling to support them during treatment. Fisher House Foundation also sponsors scholarship programs for military children and spouses, and our guide to veteran scholarships lists other education aid.
Who This Does Not Fit
Fisher House lodging does not fit every medical travel situation, and local rules enforce strict boundaries.
- Families living inside the facility distance threshold, such as those within 35 miles of Dayton or 50 miles of Augusta, do not qualify for a room.
- Routine, local outpatient appointments do not qualify for Fisher House lodging.
- Guests must be able to care for themselves at Dayton, and North Texas also accepts a guest who brings a caregiver, because VA provides no nursing care at the house.
If your situation falls outside these criteria, ask the hospital social worker to point to other local options. Our findings would change if a specific VA medical center adjusted its distance boundary, if VA exercised statutory authority under 38 U.S.C. 1708 to charge lodging fees, or if Fisher House Foundation revised referral rules for Hotels for Heroes.
Our Takeaway
Fisher Houses provide free, private temporary lodging for family members, caregivers, and qualifying outpatient veterans receiving hospital care far from home. Our review of Dayton, Augusta, North Texas, and Hines VA medical center policies shows that local distance thresholds span from 35 to 50 miles, and every stay requires an electronic referral from the care team. Exceptions apply to families living within the geographic cutoffs, guests who cannot care for themselves and have no caregiver with them, and general outpatient visits. Request an electronic referral from the patient's social worker as soon as a hospital admission is scheduled, and keep a backup hotel plan in case all suites are occupied. For details on additional medical and financial protections for your household, read our guide to VA benefits for dependents.
This is general information, not legal or benefits advice. Rank and Pay is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or Fisher House Foundation.