Our Central Air went out last summer. We'd been suffering through 100+ degree days with high humidity, and after installing a used A/C in the family room for us, my friends contacted our Center on Aging and discovered there was a program through them that could help us. We had to avow we were going to stay in the house for at least the next year, verify our income level and ages. But the upshot is they got us a whole new HVAC (is that what it's called?) and we didn't have to pay anything... not for the unit, nor for the labor or installation. They even hauled the old one away for us. I think it was a state benefit for older people, administered through Council on Aging. But that could be an alternative for you to check, if the VA doesn't have anything that fits...
And let me tell you, that Stair Lift is a life saver! We had one at the house where we lived before buying our current home. I loved it! It made getting upstairs so much easier, especially when you had a basket of laundry, etc...
Good luck!