Qualifications and Eligibility

To obtain a VA loan, an individual must first prove they have met the specific service requirements set by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This includes minimum time served during war or peacetime. Proof of this status is established through a document called a Certificate of Eligibility (COE), which shows the amount of entitlement available to the veteran. For real estate students and licensees, it is critical to remember that you should never attempt to determine a client's specific eligibility yourself; this is the responsibility of the VA-approved lender, who has access to the necessary military databases.