Written by Isaac F. Davis

For Surviving military spouses, obtaining a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for a VA home loan is a little different than for other VA borrowers.  Of course, getting a COE is a required first step in the VA home loan process for everybody.  Most VA borrowers can simply obtain a COE online through WebLGY, the VA’s automated services system or use VA Form 26-1880 to obtain COE by mail.

However, for surviving military spouses a different form is used.  Surviving spouses of veterans who died during service or of service-related reasons, are not in the WebLGY system.  Therefore, VA Form 26-1880 will not work for spouses.  VA Form 26-1817 is the only way for a surviving military spouse to obtain a COE.  That means, COEs for this group of VA borrowers can only be obtained through the mail.

VA Form 26-1817 is simple to fill out, and a surviving spouse can expect to receive his or her COE in the mail about two-weeks after submitting the form.  This is the expected turnaround time only if the veteran died during service or if the death after service has already been recorded to be service-connected by the VA.  If the veteran’s post-service death has not yet been determined to be service-related, then the process may take as long as three months.  

If a veteran’s post-service death has not yet been determined to be service-related, the surviving spouse should not wait to submit VA Form 26-1817.  As soon as a surviving spouse has decided to use his or her VA home loan benefits, VA Form 26-1817 must be filled out. The form takes just a few minutes to complete if the surviving military spouse has the right information on hand.  The following information is requested on VA Form 26-1817:

• Surviving spouse’s name and address
• Best phone number to reach surviving spouse by day
• Surviving spouse’s date of birth
• Surviving spouse’s branch of service, service number and dates of service (if applicable)
• First, middle and last name of deceased veteran
• Deceased veteran’s VA file number (beginning in XC-…)
• Location of VA claims file (if known)
• Deceased veteran’s service number (or Social Security Number (SSN))
• Deceased veteran’s service branch
• Date of veteran’s death
• Deceased veteran’s dates of military service
• Past VA home loan benefits usage information
• Regional VA office for past VA home loan benefits use
• Signature of surviving spouse and date

 

Most surviving spouses are able to provide the information requested on VA Form 26-1817 with little assistance.  Just in case there are question regarding the form, it is a good idea to work closely with a VA loan professional to assure the form is filled out correctly. Incomplete or erroneous information can cause delays.  Most commonly, surviving spouses accidentally enter the deceased veteran’s information where the form asks for surviving spouse information and vice versa.  As long as an applicant reads the form carefully before filling any portion of it out, this common mistake can be avoided. 

Potentially, surviving spouses filling out VA Form 26-1817 may get confused with the portion regarding past VA loan usage.  For each past VA home loan use, surviving spouses must also enter the VA Regional Office location that coincided with the loan.  If the surviving spouse is unsure about which office is nearest to the location of the home that was financed with a VA loan, a VA loan professional can help.  Also, a chart containing the Regional Loan Center for each state can be found online at http://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/rlcweb.asp.

Lastly, when a surviving military spouse applies for COE with VA Form 26-1817, he or she must provide proof of the deceased veteran’s service.

If the veteran died on active duty, and the surviving military spouse is already receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), this serves as proof enough.  If not receiving DIC yet, the surviving spouse should include copies of the following documents with the deceased veteran’s SSN on them:

DD Form 1300 (Report of Casualty)

Marriage Certificate

If a surviving military spouse of a veteran who died post-duty from a service-connected injury, already receiving DIC, should include a copy of the reward letter.  Those not receiving DIC yet, should include copies of the following documents with the deceased veteran’s Social Security number on each:

DD Form 214

death certificate

marriage certificate

Surviving military spouses of veterans who died on active duty or of a service-connected injury can use VA Form 21-534 (Request for DIC) along with the VA Form 26-1817.  If a surviving spouse qualifies for the VA home loan benefit, it is likely that he or she will also qualify for monthly DIC compensation.

Completed and signed forms should be sent to:

VA Loan Eligibility Center
PO Box 20729
Winston-Salem, NC 27120

It should be noted that a surviving military spouse can use VA Form 26-1880 to request restoration of entitlement.  For further information about VA Form 26-1817 or for help filling it out, talk with an experienced VA loan professional.