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In order to obtain a VA home loan, you must first fill out VA Form 26-1880, the request for your Certificate of Eligibility. This certificate is issued only through the Winston-Salem Eligibility Center, and is the first step towards applying for your loan. Veterans, active duty, guard or reserve, and military spouses potentially qualify for this certificate. Keep in mind that the Certificate of Eligibility, while necessary, only allows an eligible individual to apply for a home loan; it does not guarantee a loan approval.

Eligibility for the Certificate is based on an individual's (or a spouse's) military service. Congress establishes eligibility with strict guidelines. Here are five common categories of those who normally qualify for a Certificate of Eligibility:

Active Duty

Personnel presently serving on active duty are eligible after having served on continued status for at least 90 days.

Selected Guard and Reserve

Individuals who are not otherwise already eligible as a result of prior active service who have completed at least 6 years in the Reserves or National Guard, or have been discharged because of a service-connected disability are eligible if they have been discharged honorably; have been placed on the retired list; have been transferred to the Ready or Selected Reserves; continue to serve in the Selected Reserves; or for Reservists and National Guard members who were activated on or after August 2, 1990, served at least 90 days and were discharged honorably are also eligible.

Active Wartime Service

A veteran is eligible if they served in World War II, the Korean Conflict, or Vietnam (August 1964 to May 1975). Those who served in the Persian Gulf War including Iraq and Afghanistan (August 1990 to present) are also eligible if they served at least 2 years, or the full period for which they were called to active duty.

Peactime Service

A peacetime veteran is defined as such if active service fell entirely within any of the following periods:

• July 26, 1947 to June 26, 1950
• February 1, 1955 to August 4, 1964

These veterans are eligible if they served at least 181 days of continuous active duty and been discharged or released under honorable conditions. If they served less than 181 days, they may be eligible if discharged because of a service-connected disability recognized by the VA. Or,

• May 8, 1975 to September 7, 1980 (if enlisted), or
• May 8, 1975 to October 16, 1981 (if officer)

Veterans whose entire active service was between these dates must have been on active duty for 24 continuous months or the full period (at least 181 days) for which they were ordered; discharged with less than 181 days of service for a service-connected disability; honorably discharged or by authority of 10 USC 1173 (Hardship) or 10 USC 1171 (Early out), or released due to an involuntary reduction in force, certain medical conditions, or, in some instances for the convenience of the Government.

Other Types of Service

Eligibility is extended, or may be extended to other individuals with certain specific types of service:

• Un-remarried spouses of veterans who died as a result of service or connected disability
• Spouse of a servicemember missing in action or a prisoner or war
• U.S. citizens who served in an allied armed force in WWII
• Members of Public Health Service, cadets at military service academies, officers of National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, merchant seaman with WW II service, and others.

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