General VA Eligibility Requirements Include:
- Suitable credit
- Sufficient income
- Valid Certificate of Eligibility
- The home obtained must be for your occupancy
Eligibility Requirements for VA Home Loans:
Requirements to qualify for a COE can be found below; you must also have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
| Status | Qualifying Wartime & Peacetime Periods | Qualifying Active Duty Dates | Minimum Active Duty Service Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran | WWII | 9/16/1940 – 7/25/1947 | 90 total days |
| Veteran | Post-WWII | 7/26/1947 – 6/26/1950 | 181 continuous days |
| Veteran | Korean War | 6/27/1950 – 1/31/1955 | 90 total days |
| Veteran | Post-Korean War | 2/1/1955 – 8/4/1964 | 181 continuous days |
| Veteran | Vietnam War | 8/5/1964 – 5/7/1975 *For Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam, the beginning date is 2/28/1961 | 90 total days |
| Veteran | Post-Vietnam War | 5/8/1975 – 9/7/1980 *The ending date for officers is 10/16/1981 | 181 continuous days |
| Veteran | 24-month rule | 9/8/1980 – 8/1/1990 *The beginning date for officers is 10/17/1981 | 24 continuous months, OR The full period (at least 181 days) for which you were called or ordered to active duty |
| Veteran | Gulf War | 8/2/1990 – Present | 24 continuous months, OR The full period (at least 90 days) for which you were called or ordered to active duty |
| Currently On Active Duty | Any | Any | 90 continuous days |
| National Guard & Reserve Member | Gulf War | 8/2/1990 – Present | 90 days of active service |
| National Guard & Reserve Member | Six years of service in the Selected Reserve or National Guard, AND Were discharged honorably, OR Were placed on the retired list, OR Were transferred to the Standby Reserve or an element of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve after service characterized as honorable, OR Continue to serve in the Selected Reserve. |
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| * | If you do not meet the minimum service requirements, you may still be eligible if you were discharged due to (1) hardship, (2) the convenience of the government, (3) reduction-in-force, (4) certain medical conditions, or (5) a service-connected disability. |
Spouses:
A Veteran’s spouse is eligible to apply for a home loan if one of the following conditions is true:
- Unremarried spouse of a Veteran who died while in service or from a service-connected disability
- Spouse of a Servicemember missing in action or a prisoner of war
- A surviving spouse who remarries on or after attaining age 57 and on or after December 16, 2003 (Note: a surviving spouse who remarried before December 16, 2003, and on or after attaining age 57, must have applied no later than December 15, 2004, to establish home loan eligibility. VA must deny applications from surviving spouses who remarried before December 6, 2003, that are received after December 15, 2004.)
- Surviving Spouses of certain totally disabled veterans whose disability may not have been the cause of death
Other Eligible Beneficiaries
Eligibility may still exist if one of the following categories is true:
- Certain U.S. citizens who served in the armed forces of a government allied with the United States in World War II
- Individuals with service as members in certain organizations, such as Public Health Service officers, cadets at the United States Military, Air Force, or Coast Guard Academy, midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy, officers of National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and merchant seaman with World War II service.