One of the most common questions I hear from veterans and military families in San Antonio: "Do I qualify for a VA loan?"

The short answer, for most people who've served, is yes. But the eligibility rules have some nuances worth understanding — particularly around minimum service periods, National Guard and Reserve eligibility, and what happens when you want to use the benefit a second time.

Basic Service Requirements

Active-Duty Service Members

If you're currently on active duty, you qualify after 90 consecutive days of service. That's it. You can start the pre-approval process while still on active duty.

Veterans

The minimum service requirement for veterans depends on when you served:

Post-9/11: 90 days of active service (any time since August 2, 1990)
Gulf War: 24 months of continuous active duty, or 90 days under a specific call-up order
Vietnam/Post-Korea: 181 days of continuous service (or discharged with a service-connected disability)
WWII/Korean War: 90 days of active service

In all cases, you must have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. A general discharge (under honorable conditions) qualifies.

National Guard and Reserve Members

Guard and Reserve eligibility is where I see the most confusion:

6+ years of service in the Selected Reserve or National Guard, plus discharge under honorable conditions — or
90 days of active duty service under Title 10 orders (federal activation), or
Discharge due to service-connected disability

Note: State-level activations (Title 32) generally don't count toward VA eligibility unless the activation was for a federally recognized emergency.

Surviving Spouses

Unremarried surviving spouses of veterans who:

Died in service, or
Died from a service-connected disability, or
Were totally disabled for 10+ years before death

Spouses of POWs or MIAs missing 90+ days may also qualify.

The Certificate of Eligibility (COE)

The COE is the document that confirms you're eligible for a VA loan. You'll need one to get a VA-backed mortgage.

Good news: In most cases, I can pull your COE electronically through VA's system in minutes during the pre-approval process. You don't need to track down documents yourself.

If electronic retrieval doesn't work (typically because your service records haven't been fully processed), you can request a COE through VA.gov or by submitting VA Form 26-1880.

For veterans, the primary document used to establish eligibility is your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty). If you don't have yours, you can request it from the National Archives at archives.gov.

What is "Entitlement"?

This trips people up. VA entitlement is the amount VA guarantees on your loan. Full entitlement (available to most veterans with no active VA loans or who have paid off previous VA loans) means:

No down payment required
No loan limits for purposes of VA eligibility
No formula calculation needed

If you have a remaining entitlement (because you still have an active VA loan), the math gets a bit more complex, but you may still be able to purchase another property. I run through this calculation during pre-approval.

Using the VA Loan More Than Once

Yes, the VA loan benefit is reusable. Here are the main scenarios:

Scenario 1: You paid off your VA loan and sold the home. Your entitlement is fully restored. You can use the benefit again exactly as if it were your first time.

Scenario 2: You still have an active VA loan. You may have remaining entitlement available depending on the original loan amount and current conforming loan limits. Some veterans in San Antonio use the VA loan for their current home and still have enough entitlement for a second purchase.

Scenario 3: You defaulted on a VA loan. Entitlement tied to a default generally isn't restored, though there are exceptions. This is worth a direct conversation.

The Funding Fee Exemption

If you have a service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher, you're completely exempt from the VA funding fee. This saves you 2.15% of the loan amount upfront — on a $350,000 loan, that's $7,525.

Always confirm your disability rating before we apply, because the exemption must be documented and reflected in the loan paperwork.

How to Check Your Eligibility

Talk to me — I can pull your COE electronically and review your service history during a free pre-approval call. Most veterans have their eligibility confirmed within minutes.
VA.gov — You can request a COE online at va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/how-to-apply.
Call the VA directly — 1-800-827-1000.

Bottom Line

If you've served in the military, there's a good chance you qualify for a VA loan — and if you do, it's almost certainly your best home financing option. The only way to know for certain is to verify your specific service record and pull your COE.

That takes 10–15 minutes. If you're in San Antonio and thinking about buying a home, that conversation is worth having.

Trey Garza is a Licensed Texas Loan Officer and VA Loan Specialist at Efinity Mortgage in San Antonio. NMLS# 2700813. Equal Housing Opportunity.