Check Your VA Loan Eligibility

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VA Home Loans For Surviving Spouses  

To get a VA-backed home loan as the surviving spouse of a Veteran, you’ll need a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to show your lender that you qualify for this benefit.

You may be able to get a COE if you’re the spouse of a Veteran, and at least one of the descriptions below is true for them. 

At least one of these must be true. The Veteran:

Is missing in action, or  
Is a prisoner of war (POW), or
Died while in service or from a service-connected disability and you didn’t remarry, or
Died while in service or from a service-connected disability and you didn’t remarry before you were 57 years old or before December 16, 2003, or  
Had been totally disabled and then died, but their disability may not have been the cause of death (in certain situations)  

Note: A surviving spouse who remarried before December 16, 2003, and on or after their 57th birthday, must have applied no later than December 15, 2004, to establish home loan eligibility. We’ll have to deny applications we received after December 15, 2004, from surviving spouses who remarried before December 16, 2003.

How To Obtain A COE

How you obtain a COE depends on whether or not you’re receiving Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC).

If you’re receiving DIC benefits

You’ll need to fill out a Request for Determination of Loan Guaranty Eligibility—Unmarried Surviving Spouses (VA Form 26-1817). 

Download VA Form 26-1817 (PDF)

You’ll also need the Veteran’s DD214 (or other separation papers) if available. 

Get military service records online

Submit the form and discharge or separation papers to:

Your lender for processing online, or
The VA regional loan center that serves your state 

If you’re not receiving DIC benefits

You’ll first need to fill out an Application for DIC, Survivors Pension and/or Accrued Benefits (VA Form 21P-534EZ). 

Download VA Form 21P-534EZ (PDF)

You’ll also need:

The Veteran’s DD214 (or other separation papers) if available, and  
A copy of your marriage license,
The Veteran’s death certificate

Get military service records online

Submit the form and documents to the VA pension management center that serves your state. 

Find a VA pension management center

Request a VA home loan quote.

Last updated September 23, 2020