JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
VA Home Loans
Are you interested in a VA Home Loan? You can start your research for you VA Home Loan at www.va.gov. Click on "Veterans Services" and then click on "Benefits Booklet" and next click on "Chapter 5: Home Loan Guaranty." This chapter is full of information for your basic background research on VA Home Loans. For another approach at researching your VA Home Loan go to www.va.gov and again click on "Veterans Services" and scroll down to Home Loans. On the Home Loans page you will find links to a wealth of information on VA Home Loans. Be sure to look for the link to "Am I eligible for a VA Home Loan". This area will guide you to who is eligible for a VA-Backed Home Loan.
The next area to visit and maybe this should be the first area to visit is the link to Certificate of Eligibility-Veteran Registration Instruction. If you follow these instructions carefully you can get your Certificate of Eligibility on line and print it on your home computer.
You can also get your Certificate of Eligibility using VA Form 26-1880 thru the U.S. Mail. Download the VA Form 26-1880 from the web page http://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/, scroll down to the VA Form 26-1880 link, fill in the form print it or just print the form (several copies) and fill it out and send it to the address on the instruction sheet. Be sure to read all of the instructions.
The following information is for Veterans in the Greater Washington-Baltimore area.
If you do not have access to a computer you may call the Winston-Salem Eligibility Center at 1-888-244-6711 and follow the instructions given over the phone. Another method is also available, write to: Department of Veterans Affairs, Winston-Salem Eligibility Center, P.O. Box 20729, Winston-Salem, NC 27120 and request a VA Form 26-1880. Please read the instructions, fill out the form, copy the form for your records and mail it to the address above. Be sure to read Section D Proof of Military Service on the instruction sheet and include your DD Form 214. Copies of your DD 214 are okay to submit.
Unmarried surviving spouses of eligible veterans seeking determination of basic eligibility for VA Loan Guaranty benefits are NOT required to complete VA Form 26-1880 but are required to complete VA Form 26-1817, Request for Determination of Loan Guaranty Eligibility-Unmarried Surviving Spouse. If you are an unmarried surviving spouse of an eligible veteran and need a VA Form 26-1817 and you have access to a computer go to: www.va.gov and in the upper right side of the web page enter VA Form 26-1817 in the search block. Call 1-888-244-6711 if you do not have access to a computer.
The Retiree Activities Office is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. You may visit our office in room A-200A, 1535 Command Dr., call us at 301-981-2726 or e-mail us at rao@andrews.af.mil.
We recommend you call the office prior to visiting us to ensure someone is on duty. We have a Web site at http://www.andrews.af.mil click on ''Retirees" on the right side of the page. There you will find a wealth of information that is of interest to you.
Back copies of all "Retiree Activities Corner" articles are available on-line. Go to our Retirees webpage and follow the instructions under the heading "Newspaper Column".