Veteran Loan Certificate of Eligibility Guide

Serving Our Veteran Brother and Sisters

A Veteran loan is an incredible benefit offered to men and women of the armed forces who meet certain eligibility criteria. Not only are the benefits exclusive to veterans, they provide opportunities that you can’t get with other loans, like the ability to refinance your home up to 100% of its worth, no down payments on a home purchase, and more!

But to take advantage of the benefits offered by a Veteran loan, you have to prove you are eligible. In order to do that, you must meet certain guidelines.

To qualify for a Veteran loan, you must have one of the following requirements:

Served 181 days during peacetime (Active Duty)
Served 90 days during war time (Active Duty)
Served 6 years in the Reserves or National Guard
Surviving spouse of a service member who was killed in the line of duty

But in addition to meeting one of the above criteria, you must request a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from the Veterans Administration. The Certificate of Eligibility, (COE) or Form 26-1880, proves to your lender that you, on behalf of the government, are qualified to receive the loan.

This form will ask you for information about your current living situation and your dates of military service. It is recommended that you provide your proof of service form along with the COE. This is the DD Form 214 (that you can obtain online if you do not have a copy). For veterans who entered service after September 7, 1980 and were discharged after serving fewer than 2 years, proof of service is required.

You can print out a request for your Certificate of Eligibility (see link below) online and submit it to the VA for approval; however, it’s important to note that it could take up to 6 weeks before you hear back from them.

Fortunately, we have a list of Veteran loan approved lenders, that can request this certificate for you. Call or email us to locate your VA-approved lender, and take advantage of today’s incredibly low 30-year fixed rates on Veteran Loans.

We have also made the form available for you here so you can familiarize yourself with the eligibility request form.

Download VA Form 26 1880 SEP 2011 here

The VA online fillable form is available at VA Fillable Online Form

Once you have filled out your form, submit it and your DD-214 to the Regional Eligibility Center. In Arizona that address is as follows:

Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Regional Loan Center
3333 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85012-2402
888-869-0194

Our personal recommendation is that hand carry the documents to the department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and get your documents time stamped. Keep a copy of your records and have assurance that it will be handled in the most expeditious manner possible. Having said that it may take up to six weeks for a response.

That means you need to get this done prior to starting your home hunting process. When you have the eligibility document in hand give us a call and we’ll help you with the rest of the process. We’ll make it as easy as possible for you to get into a house you can call home.

5 VA Loan Myths Dispelled

Dismiss VA home loan myths about the federally-backed, zero down loan program.

Myth #1 – VA purchase loans are not for short-sale or foreclosed real estate
Myth #2 – Surviving spouses don’t qualify for VA mortgages
Myth #3 – Military members deployed overseas can’t get a VA-guaranteed loan.
Myth #4 – All realtors are good VA home loan advisors
Myth #5 – VA loans take forever to close

For the facts on these dispelling these myths read more . . .

New VA Rules for Specially Adapted Housing Grants

VA provides grants to Service members and Veterans with certain permanent and total service-connected disabilities to help purchase or construct an adapted home, or modify an existing home to accommodate a disability.

Two grant programs exist:

the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant and,
the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant.

For the information and eligibility for these programs read more . . .

Re-Finance a VA Loan with No Fees

Save money and increase your net disposable income by re-financing your current VA loan if it is current more than four percent (4%). It’s not hard and the administration process is easy. Find out more at Re-Finance a VA Loan with No Fees.

If your not finding what you need here please feel free to contact Jeff Daley for more information and help. As a combat veteran, I have been where you were and traveled this road. I am pleased to be able to share my knowledge with my brother and sister veterans.

Article: Veteran Loan