HOME BENEFITS

[Darksaga]

Disclaimer: I am not a service officer for any organization and I am NOT employed by the VA. This information is intended as an aid for fellow veterans and service members. Please verify all information with the VA or a veterans service organization.

HOME BENEFITS

VA does not directly loan money, but it guarantees the lender against loss if the borrower fails to repay the loan. VA loan guarantees are made to service members, veterans, reservists, and unmarried surviving spouses to purchase, construct, repair, or improve a dwelling that the veteran will own and occupy as his or her home. This includes the purchase of a townhouse or condominium unit in a project that has been approved by VA. Loans may also be made to refinance an existing loan on a home that the veteran owns and occupies. Except for manufactured (mobile) homes, a down payment is generally not required if the purchase price is less than the reasonable value of the property.

Eligibility

·Eligibility for a VA-guaranteed loan varies according to the length of time on active duty after September 16, 1940.

· You must be a satisfactory credit risk and have enough income to support yourself and your family after you make the mortgage payments, pay the costs of home ownership, and pay other obligations. You must agree to live in the property.

To get a certificate of eligibility for a home loan, complete VA Form 26-1880, Request for a Certificate of Eligibility for VA Home Loan Benefits, and mail it, with a copy of your latest discharge or separation papers, to the VA Eligibility Center nearest to you. If you are still on active duty, you will need to provide a Statement of Service. (See instructions on the reverse side of VA Form 26-1880.)

Los Angeles Eligibility Center
P.O. Box 240097
Los Angeles, CA 90024

VA Loan Eligibility Center
P.O. Box 20729
Winston-Salem, NC 27120

If you were separated from active duty after January 1, 1950, you must submit a copy of your DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.

For a $43,000 Grant. VA may approve a grant of not more than 50 percent of the cost of building, buying or remodeling adapted homes or paying indebtedness on those homes already acquired, up to a maximum of $43,000. To be eligible for this grant, veterans must be entitled to compensation for a permanent service-connected disability due to:

· Loss or loss of use of both lower extremities, so the veterans must use braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair to get around; or
· Disability that includes; (a) blindness in both eyes, having only light perception, plus (b) loss or loss of use of one lower extremity; or

· Loss or loss of use of one lower extremity together with: (a) an effect of organic disease or injury, or (b) the loss or loss of use of one upper extremity which so affects the functions of balance or walking so the veterans must use canes, crutches, or a wheelchair to get around.

For an $8,250 Grant. VA may approve a grant up to a maximum of $8,250 for necessary adaptations to a service-disabled veteran’s residence. The grant also may be used to assist veterans in acquiring a residence that already has been adapted with special features for the veteran’s disability. To be eligible for these grants, veterans must be entitled to compensation for a permanent service-connected disability due to: (1) blindness in both eyes with 5/200 visual acuity or less or (2) loss or loss of use of both hands.

Related Home Benefits Topics

· Guarantee amount
· Occupancy requirement
· Closing costs
· Financing, interest rates, and terms
· Release from liability
· Direct home loans for Native Americans (on trust land)
· Acquired (repossessed) houses
· Safeguards for veterans

For more information about the related home benefits topics or the Loan Guarantee Program, please call the toll-free number, 1-800-827-1000, or visit the website at www.homeloans.va.gov

[CAL]

Also, if you live in Texas, check out the Texas Land Board. Sometimes it works out better than a VA loan.

http://www.glo.state.tx.us/vlb/