Mortgage Navigator • VA Underwriting

VA Loans for Surviving Spouses

Some surviving spouses can qualify for the VA home-loan benefit in their own right.

COE required

An eligible surviving spouse must obtain a Certificate of Eligibility and still meet lender credit and income requirements.

Who may qualify?

Eligibility can include certain unremarried surviving spouses of Veterans who died in service or from a service-connected disability, spouses of Servicemembers missing in action or POWs, certain DIC recipients, and certain surviving spouses of totally disabled Veterans.

Remarriage rules are nuanced. VA identifies circumstances where remarriage on or after age 57 and on or after December 16, 2003 may preserve eligibility, with a special historical filing rule for earlier remarriages.

Official VA surviving-spouse guidance →

Official VA baseline

VA Pamphlet 26-7 — Chapter 4: Credit Underwriting · VA Home Loans

Educational summary. Lenders may impose overlays beyond VA's baseline.