VA Loan Eligibility Expanded for National Guard
National Guard troops who have served at least 90 days of qualifying Title 32 active-duty service, including a stint of at least 30 consecutive days, may qualify for VA home loan benefits previously not offered to many in the National Guard.
This benefit is offered thanks to the Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, which extended VA loan benefits to Guard members.
Thousands of National Guard members logged qualifying service as part of the massive nationwide COVID-19 response. According to National Guard Bureau data report shared with Military Times, 47,100 Guard troops were on Title 32 orders for the pandemic response at the mission’s peak. Extending VA loan benefits to these troops and others with qualifying full-time duty makes sense.
In 2024, the VA modified this program to make it more permanent. Originally the National Guard VA loan option was set to expire, but a 2024 VA policy change has made this program operational until the policy is formally rescinded. At press time there seem to be no plans to do so.
>> You may be eligible for a zero-down VA home loan. Get a no-obligation, free consultation regarding your VA Loan eligibility.
What’s in the Legislation?
According to the legislation, the qualifying Title 32 service criteria consists of active-duty periods served within 316, 502, 503, 504, or 505 sections of the national federal law governing the use of active-duty forces.
At a minimum, one of the service periods must have also been for more than 30 days. Most of the National Guard coronavirus activation has been umbrellaed within Title 32 502(f) orders, with thousands of troops passing the 90-day window needed to qualify under the new law and thousands more recording at least 31 days or more.
Time periods served on orders for initial military training do not count even under the new law. Other training may count, so long as the orders were issued within the applicable sections of Title 32. The eligibility expansion also means those time periods consisting of annual training orders (AT)—most of which are within section 503 of Title 32—can count towards the VA loan if the guardsman or reservist has finished at least one order longer than 30 days.
Benefits Gap Continues to Close
In recent years, the benefits gap between active duty branches and their National Guard or reserve counterparts has drastically closed thanks to the realization that the mission has changed for the guardsmen and reservists. More and more members of the Guard and Reserve are being called to active-duty status regularly due to the strategic and domestic needs of the nation and its allies, often filling roles that at one time, only Active-Duty units could fulfill.
“VA is ready to ensure that members of the National Guard who qualify with expanded eligibility requirements will have access to their home loan benefits,” said Susan Carter, director of the VA’s office of media relations.
>> You may be eligible for a zero down VA home loan? For a no-obligation, free consultation regarding your VA Loan eligibility, please go here.
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About the author
Lori Waddell serves as Co-director of an emergency response COAD in Montana, a freelance writer, and an Air Force Key Spouse. She is passionate about empowering communities and individuals through knowledge and resources. She currently lives in Montana with her husband and two children.
