To meet the VA’s eligibility requirement, current service members must serve a minimum of 90 days with no break in service time.
The VA requires 6 years of active reserve duty (one weekend drill a month and two weeks a year of training) or 90 days of nontraining active duty under Title 10 or 32.
The surviving spouse needs to receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits for the service member who died in the line of duty or whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease. If so, you may be eligible for a VA loan.
Service requirements depend on when, how long you served, and your character of service.
• At least 24 continuous months, or
• The full period (at least 181 days) for which you were called to active duty, or
• At least 181 days if you were discharged for a hardship, or a reduction in force, or
• Less than 181 days if you were discharged for a service-connected disability
Honorable, Retirement, Hardship, or Reduction in Force are all acceptable types of discharges for Eligibility.
Other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharges, are typically not eligible for the VA home loan program and require a discharge upgrade.
The information provided on this page summarizes the VA eligibility requirements. We encourage every service member and veteran to request a Certificate of Eligibility, even if there’s any doubt about the eligibility requirements listed above. There’s no charge or commitment from the VA or our bank if a COE request is approved or denied.
Other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharges, are typically not eligible for the VA home loan program and require a discharge upgrade.