Can the Child of a Veteran Get a VA Loan?
Clarify VA loan eligibility for veterans, service members, and their families. Understand who qualifies for this key benefit and explore related housing assistance options.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program offers a benefit for eligible service members, veterans, and certain surviving spouses to achieve homeownership. It offers favorable terms, such as no down payment and competitive interest rates. A common question is whether this benefit extends to the children of veterans. This article clarifies VA home loan eligibility and explores related housing assistance.
Eligibility for Children of Veterans
Generally, children of veterans are not eligible for VA home loans based solely on their parent’s military service. The VA home loan is primarily for those who have directly served or are qualifying surviving spouses. While a child may reside in a home purchased with a VA loan by an eligible borrower, they cannot obtain the loan through their parent’s service.
In rare circumstances, a child might qualify. If a child has served in the military and meets the VA’s service requirements independently, they may be eligible for their own VA loan. Similarly, a child who is also a qualifying surviving spouse of an eligible veteran could apply.
Who Qualifies for a VA Loan
VA home loan eligibility is based on service requirements for active-duty members, veterans, National Guard, Reservists, and certain surviving spouses. Active-duty members typically need 90 continuous days of service. Veterans generally require 90 days of active service during wartime or 181 days during peacetime; post-9/11 veterans often need 90 days.
National Guard and Reserves members can qualify with six years of creditable service, or 90 days of active duty under Title 10 orders. Discharges must generally be honorable. Certain surviving spouses of veterans who died in service, from a service-connected disability, or were missing in action or prisoners of war, may also be eligible.
VA Loan Entitlement Explained
The VA loan program uses “entitlement,” a promise from the Department of Veterans Affairs to guarantee a portion of the loan to the lender. This entitlement is earned through military service and represents the amount the VA would repay a lender if the borrower defaults. For most eligible borrowers, this allows home purchase without a down payment up to specific loan limits.
Entitlement is a personal benefit tied directly to the service member’s or veteran’s military record. It is not inheritable and cannot be transferred to children or other family members. Entitlement can be restored and reused multiple times, but its use is strictly limited to the eligible individual. A child could indirectly benefit through a VA loan assumption, where they assume an existing VA loan, but this does not grant them their own entitlement.
Other Housing Assistance for Veterans’ Families
While direct VA home loan eligibility typically does not extend to children of veterans, other housing assistance is available to veterans and their families. Programs like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) combine housing vouchers with supportive services for veterans experiencing homelessness. Another initiative, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), provides case management and financial aid to very low-income veteran families to prevent homelessness or re-house them.
Non-profit organizations also offer housing support, including financial counseling, home repairs, or mortgage-free homes for eligible veterans and their families. State and local veteran affairs offices often have programs or resources to assist veterans’ families with housing needs, including rental assistance or home modification grants for service-connected disabilities. These alternative avenues offer support for families navigating housing challenges.