Expands VA Home Loan Eligibility for Certain National Guard Members in Kentucky

 Expands VA Home Loan Eligibility for Certain National Guard Members in Kentucky

VA announced they are expanding eligibility for Kentucky VA home loan benefits for certain members of the Kentucky Army and Air National Guard to include current and former National Guard members, regardless of service dates, who meet the requirements outlined below effective for COE applications received on or after 01/05/2021.

Because VA is retroactively expanding these eligibility requirements applicants who may have been previously denied VA home loan benefits and now meet the requirements below for eligibility are encouraged to reapply.

To be eligible the member must have performed not less than 90 cumulative dates of full-time National Guard duty, of which, at least 30 of those days must have been consecutive.

Full-time National Guard duty:

• includes training or other duty in the member’s status as a member of the National Guard for which the member is entitled to pay from the United States or for which the member has waived pay from the United States.
• does not include inactive duty, such as monthly drills. It also does not include basic or initial training.

Processing delays can be avoided when submitting a COE application (VA Form 26-1880) by listing in block 9c any active duty time served and by providing copies of one or more of the following documents as evidence of the active duty time served:

• DD Form 214, Report of Separation: showing active duty dates, types of discharge, and the authority under which the applicant was called to serve.
• DD Form 220, Report of Active Service: with an order for the same period.
• For National Guard members still servicing on active duty: a current Statement of Service which identifies the National Guard member by name and social security number and provides:
  • the date of entry for the current active duty period, and
  • the duration of any time lost (or a statement noting there has been no lost time).
  • Note: the Statement of Service should also specify the authority under which the National Guard member was called to serve. Generally, this is a document written on military letterhead and signed by the Commanding Officer.
• NGB 23 Form, National Guard Bureau Retirement Credits Record or a copy of the retirement points statement: showing one or more periods in which the National Guard member served on active duty.
• Any other documents to support the activation may be submitted.