To fill out VA Form 26-1817, complete Part I with your personal information, your Dependency and Indemnity Compensation status, the veteran’s service and death details, any prior VA loan history, and the type of loan you’re seeking, then sign and submit it with supporting documents through your lender or by mail to the VA regional loan center for your state.1Veterans Affairs. Home Loans For Surviving Spouses The form is two pages. Only Part I is yours to complete; Part II is reserved for VA use. Once approved, the VA issues a Certificate of Eligibility that your lender uses to close a VA-backed mortgage.2Veterans Affairs. How To Request A VA Home Loan Certificate Of Eligibility
Confirm You Qualify Before You File
The form assumes you already fit one of the VA’s surviving-spouse categories. You qualify if you are the unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a service-connected cause, the unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran who was rated totally disabled for a qualifying period before death, or the spouse of a service member listed as missing in action or a prisoner of war for at least 90 days.3VA News. Surviving Spouses and VA Home Loans
Remarriage is the trap most applicants ask about. You can still qualify if you remarried on or after your 57th birthday and on or after December 16, 2003. A separate deadline closed on December 15, 2004 for spouses who had remarried before December 16, 2003 and after age 57; applications from that group filed after that date are denied.1Veterans Affairs. Home Loans For Surviving Spouses
Documents to Gather
What you attach depends on whether the VA already pays you Dependency and Indemnity Compensation:
- If you receive DIC: the completed VA Form 26-1817 and the veteran’s DD Form 214 or other separation papers, if available.1Veterans Affairs. Home Loans For Surviving Spouses
- If you do not receive DIC: the completed VA Form 26-1817, the veteran’s DD Form 214, and the veteran’s death certificate.1Veterans Affairs. Home Loans For Surviving Spouses
If you can’t locate the DD 214, you can request a copy from the National Personnel Records Center using Standard Form 180. The form’s instructions say “if available,” so a missing DD 214 alone won’t stop you from filing, but the VA will process the request faster if it’s in the packet.
Completing Part I, Field by Field
Download the current version (dated September 2022) from the VA’s forms library and work through Part I in order.4Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Form 26-1817 – Request for Determination of Loan Guaranty Eligibility – Unmarried Surviving Spouses
Your Information (Fields 1A–1E)
Enter your name, mailing address, Social Security number, date of birth, daytime phone, and email address. Use the name shown on your current legal identification. The VA uses the phone number and email to reach you if something is missing, so check both before signing.
DIC and File Number (Fields 2A–2B)
Field 2A asks whether you currently receive VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. Check yes or no. Field 2B asks for the VA file number or claim number from any prior VA claim. If you receive DIC, that number is on your award letter.
Veteran’s Service Details (Fields 3A–3C)
List the veteran’s branch of service, service number, and periods of active duty. Match these to the DD 214 exactly.
Veteran’s Identifying Information (Fields 4A–4E)
Enter the veteran’s full name, Social Security number, service number (if any), date of birth, and date of death. Every entry has to match official military records; a single wrong digit in the Social Security number can hold up processing.
Prior VA Loan History (Fields 5–13)
Field 5 asks whether you have ever used a VA direct, guaranteed, or insured loan. If yes, provide the property address, VA loan number, loan date, and whether you still own the property. The form has room for two prior loans in fields 6 through 13. This section lets the VA calculate remaining entitlement. If you’ve never used a VA loan, check “No” and move on.
Loan Purpose (Field 14)
Check the box for the type of loan you’re pursuing: purchase loan, cash-out refinance, interest rate reduction refinance, or a one-time restoration of entitlement. Restoration requires the prior VA loan to be paid in full.
Signature and Date (Fields 15A–15B)
Sign and date the form. Your signature certifies that everything you’ve entered is accurate. Leave Part II blank; the VA completes it.
Where to Send the Form
You have two ways to submit:1Veterans Affairs. Home Loans For Surviving Spouses
- Through your lender. Hand the completed form and documents to your mortgage lender, who submits it electronically through the VA’s system. This is the faster path and the one most applicants use once they’re working with a lender.
- By mail. Send the packet to the VA regional loan center that serves your state. Mailing addresses are printed on the form itself.
The form lists nine regional loan centers, each covering a group of states. Atlanta handles Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Cleveland covers Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Denver serves Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.4Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Form 26-1817 – Request for Determination of Loan Guaranty Eligibility – Unmarried Surviving Spouses Match your state to the correct center on the back of the form. Mailing to the wrong center can add weeks.
What Happens After You Submit
The VA reviews your form, checks the veteran’s service record, and confirms your eligibility. If you already receive DIC and you submit through a lender, a decision can come within days. Mail submissions and cases where the VA has to independently verify the cause of death or discharge status take longer, sometimes several weeks.
When approved, the VA issues a Certificate of Eligibility. The COE tells your lender the amount of guaranty available and the entitlement code that applies to you. It also reflects the surviving-spouse funding fee exemption, so your lender sees the waiver automatically and you don’t file anything separately for it.5Veterans Affairs. VA Funding Fee And Loan Closing Costs The VA sends its decision by mail or through its secure messaging system.
If the VA Denies Your Request
A denial isn’t the end of the road. Look at field 16B in Part II for the reason. Common denials involve an unverified service-connected cause of death, a discharge status issue, or a remarriage that falls outside the exception window.
You have three review options, none of which charges a fee:
- File a Supplemental Claim using VA Form 20-0995 if you have new evidence, such as a corrected death certificate, updated military records, or proof of DIC.6Veterans Affairs. Supplemental Claims
- Request a Higher-Level Review using VA Form 20-0996 if you believe the VA erred on the evidence it already had.
- Appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals using VA Form 10182.
A Veterans Service Organization such as the American Legion, VFW, or DAV can help you choose the right path and gather evidence at no cost.