VA home loan eligibility is not a lender policy. It is set by Congress in Title 38, with specific service lengths for each path. Here are the main paths as the statute writes them, so you can see where you likely stand before you ask for your certificate.
90 days or more of active duty during World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam era, or the Persian Gulf War.
More than 180 days of service after July 25, 1947, with a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable, or more than 180 days on active duty and still serving.
Discharged or released from active duty for a service-connected disability, regardless of length.
At least 6 years in the Selected Reserve with an honorable discharge, retirement, transfer or continued service, or less than 6 years if discharged for a service-connected disability. Full-time National Guard duty of at least 90 cumulative days including 30 consecutive days also qualifies.
A separate law, 38 U.S.C. 5303A, applies to anyone who first enlisted in a regular component after September 7, 1980, or entered active duty after October 16, 1981 without a prior 24 months of service. For them, a period of service counts only if they completed 24 continuous months, or the full period they were called or ordered to serve, whichever is shorter.
The statute lists exceptions, including early-out and hardship discharges under 10 U.S.C. 1171 and 1173, and discharges for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. That is why two people with the same number of days can get different answers.
The surviving spouse of a Veteran who died from a service-connected disability, including death in service, is treated as a Veteran for home loans, as are certain surviving spouses of Veterans rated totally disabled for a set period before death.
The spouse of a service member listed as missing in action or captured for more than 90 days is eligible for one home loan.
By statute, an honorable discharge is deemed a certificate of eligibility to apply. Anyone without a discharge certificate, or with another discharge, may apply to VA for one.
Eligibility is only the first question. How much you can borrow without a down payment depends on your entitlement, and the fee you pay is set by law too, covered at the VA funding fee. What a lender may charge you at closing is on closing costs and fees.
The law: 38 U.S.C. 3702(a)(2) and (c), 3701(b)(2)-(7), and 5303A(b). Not legal advice; VA decides eligibility. Not a commitment to lend.
A short call checks your eligibility, what your service qualifies you for, and what the law lets a lender charge you, before you commit to anything.