Do You Qualify for a VA Loan if You Are the Widow of a Veteran

By Ronald Kimmons

One of the benefits that the Department of Veterans Affairs offers is related to home mortgage loans. The VA office helps veterans apply for home loans by guaranteeing these loans to its lenders. A spouse of a deceased veteran may also be eligible to use a VA loan if she meets the requirements.

As a widow of a deceased veteran, you may be able to qualify for a VA loan based on your spouse's service to his country. A VA loan helps you qualify for a home loan easier than if you were to apply for this type of loan by yourself. You can qualify for this loan if your spouse died while he was serving. You may also qualify to receive this benefit if your spouse was honorably discharged from service and he died due to a disability caused due to his service as a military man.

To be eligible to receive the VA home loan benefits as a spouse, you must be considered an unmarried widow of a veteran. However, if you remarried after turning 57, and on or after Dec. 16, 2003, you may still be eligible for these benefits. Your children are not eligible for these benefits. If you and your spouse applied for a VA home loan before he died and you obtained it, you can apply for a VA guaranteed interest rate reduction refinance loan after your husband's death.

To apply for the VA home loan as a surviving spouse, you must contact the Winston-Salem eligibility center. You must also have a Certificate of Eligibility, which shows that you are an eligible spouse to apply for a VA home loan. You can apply for this certificate by filing the VA Form 26-1817. Usually, you must provide proof of your spouse's military service. However, if you are receiving other benefits as a surviving spouse, such as Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), you do not need to send any documents for proof of military service. If you need to obtain proof of your spouse's military service, you can ask the VA office for a copy of your spouse's DD Form 214. As a surviving spouse, you are required to apply by mail. Online applications are not accepted.

Mail applications to:

VA Loan Eligibility Center

PO Box 20729

Winston-Salem, NC 27120

A VA home loan helps you facilitate the loan application process and increases your possibilities of being approved. These loans are provided by private lenders who are enrolled in the VA home loan program. You can apply for a loan for a home, condominium or manufactured home. In any of these cases, the VA office guarantees up to $417,000 of the total value of the loan. You can also use the VA home loan to refinance your existing home loan. This benefit helps increase your possibility of approval because the VA office protects the lender against loss up to the limit amount if you do not pay it back.

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