Service Requirements
The minimum service to qualify for a VA loan depends on when you served. Here are the current rules by era.
Wartime service
90 days of active duty during a wartime period, discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
Wartime periods include WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Gulf War (Aug 2 1990 – present).
Peacetime service
181 continuous days of active duty during peacetime, discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
Or a shorter period if discharged for a service-connected disability.
National Guard & Reserve
6 years of service in the Selected Reserve or National Guard, or
90 cumulative days of active federal service (Title 10) with at least 30 consecutive.
The 2020 Johnny Isakson Act expanded eligibility for many Guard members whose active-federal-service periods were previously ambiguous.
Currently serving
Active duty: 90 continuous days.
Guard/Reserve on active federal orders: 90 days.
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