US Military Loans: What You Need to Know About

VA Loans

You can apply for a VA loan with no down payment if your loan request is $417, 000 or less. If you want a little more luxury a VA loan can cover a million dollars; however, you must pay 25 percent down on the amount over $417,000. Considering the value of homes in some areas of the country a loan could easily top the maximum. These larger loans are called Jumbo Loans.

Eligibility for VA Loan

You are eligible for VA loan benefits if you served on active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard and were honorably discharged. You will need a Certificate of Eligibility, VAform 26-1880. The lending agency may help you to obtain this form.

There are also rules about time in service and when you served. Under some circumstances you can qualify if your discharge was due to a service connected disability. For detailed information on eligibility information go to www.valoans.com/eligibility.cfm .

Put Your Credit in Order

As with all home loans, you must have a positive debt ratio. Therefore, if you want to buy a home and your credit isn't as perfect as you would prefer, you may want to start improving it. The maximum debt ratio is 41 percent, so start paying off credit. Staying with just one credit card for 6 months and paying off large items (such as a car) will help turn that ratio in your direction. You could also increase your income to improve your debt ratio, if that is possible in your situation.

Pioneer Military Lending

I was immediately impressed by this lender because they proudly announce the following credibility builder, 'Pioneer Military Lending offers a no-questions asked, no-cost 15-day guarantee. We encourage you to take your military loan to your chain of command, your financial advisor or other financial institution. If you can find a better alternative, or even if you decide that the money is no longer needed, the money can be returned within 15 days at no cost.' It might be informative to take them up on this if you are investigating financial solutions.

According to their site www.pioneermilitarylending.com they have been serving the military for 20 years. In their experience the traditional credit score is not particularly useful when evacuating the credit worthiness of military personnel. Consequently, they have developed a unique credit scoring system that takes the military life style into consideration.

Not all lending institutions are humanitarian in their practices. Pioneer calls these unscrupulous lenders predatory. Their definition of predatory is 'predatory lending is a 'practice,'... Predatory lending can be defined as triple-digit annual percentage rates or practices that generate excessive fees, or deliberate deception to conceal the nature of the transaction from unsophisticated borrowers.'

They specialize in loans from $500 to $10,000. Pioneer advertizes competitive interest rates, fixed payments and the absence of hidden fees.

Other Loans Listed as Military or Armed Forces Loans

I looked at a number of websites for military loans, bad credit military loans, pay advance loans and I found one common factor that disturbs me… none listed their interest rates. I emailed two of the lenders asking for the interest rate and did not receive a reply.

It is important to know that the Veterans Administration is not affiliated with these lenders. The Veterans Administration guarantees VA loans. Therefore, there is a difference. Do not assume a relationship unless you have indisputable evidence.

Though it appears to be easy to apply online, by phone or fax and they have lovely military pictures on their sites --- know what you are getting and how much it will cost before applying.

Also, be aware that you have rights as a member of the armed forces. The Talent-Nelson amendment imposed restrictions on certain types of consumer lending. The most significant restriction is a 36 percent APR cap on loans to Service members and their dependents, protecting military families from excessive APR rates. I am pleased to see this safeguard. However, 36 percent is still very high.

Do You Qualify for Veteran's Benefits?

VA Disability Compensation Disability

 Compensation is a benefit paid to a veteran because of injuries or diseases that happened while on active duty, or were made worse by active military service. It is also paid to certain veterans disabled from VA health care.While there is no required minimum active duty service to qualify as a "veteran" for this benefit, one must have a disability that the VA determines happened while on active duty, or was made worse by active military service. One must also have a discharge that the VA determines was under other than dishonorable conditions.The amount of basic benefit paid ranges from $112 to $2,393 per month, depending on how disabled you are. Note: You may be paid additional amounts, in certain instances, if:you have very severe disabilities or loss of limb(s) you have a spouse, child(ren), or dependent parent(s) you have a seriously disabled spouse For complete information, see the VA's Disability Compensation Web site.



VA Disability PensionDisability Pension is a benefit paid to wartime veterans with limited income who are no longer able to work.You may be eligible if:you were discharged from service under other than dishonorable conditions, AND you served 90 days or more of active duty with at least 1 day during a period of war time. However, 38 CFR 3.12a requires that anyone who enlists after 9/7/80 generally has to serve at least 24 months or the full period for which a person was called or ordered to active duty in order to receive any benefits based on that period of service. AND you are permanently and totally disabled, or are age 65 or older, AND your countable family income is below a yearly limit set by law

 VA Vocational Rehabilitation

Vocational Rehabilitation is a program which helps eligible disabled veterans get and keep lasting, suitable jobs. It also helps seriously disabled veterans achieve independence in daily living.The program offers a number of services to help each eligible disabled veteran reach his or her rehabilitation goal. These services include vocational and personal counseling, education and training, financial aid, job assistance, and, if needed, medical and dental treatment. Services generally last up to 48 months, but they can be extended in certain instances.Usually, you must first be awarded a monthly VA Disability Compensation payment. In some cases, you may be eligible if you aren't getting VA compensation (for example, you are awaiting discharge from the service because of a disability, OR you are entitled to VA compensation but have decided not to reduce your military retirement or disability pay).Eligibility is also based on you meeting the following conditions:You served on or after September 16, 1940 AND Your service-connected disabilities are rated at least 20% disabling by VA AND You need Vocational Rehabilitation to overcome an employment handicap AND It has been less than 12 years since VA notified you of your eligibility VA Medical CareThe Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides a broad spectrum of medical, surgical, and rehabilitative care to eligible veterans.VA provides a Medical Benefits Package, a standard enhanced health benefits plan available to all enrolled veterans. This plan emphasizes preventive and primary care, and offers a full range of outpatient and inpatient services within VA health care system.The character of discharge you received from the military can be a factor. It is not an issue if you received:An honorable discharge A general discharge A discharge under honorable conditions If you have a different character of discharge, you may still be eligible for care. As with other VA benefits programs, the VA will determine if your specific discharge was under conditions considered to be other than "dishonorable."The length of your service may also matter. It depends on when you served. There’s no length of service requirement for:Former enlisted persons who started active duty before September 8, 1980, or Former officers who first entered active duty before October 17, 1981 All other veterans must have 24 months of continuous active duty military service or meet one of the exceptions described below.You do not have to meet the 24 continuous months of active duty service requirement if you:Were a reservist who was called to Active Duty and who completed the term for which you were called, and who was granted an other than dishonorable discharge, orWere a National Guard member who was called to Active Duty by federal executive order, and who completed the term for which you were called, and who was granted an other than dishonorable discharge, or Only request a benefit for or in connection with:a service-connected condition or disability; or treatment and/or counseling of sexual trauma that occurred while on active military service; or treatment of conditions related to ionizing radiation; or head or neck cancer related to nose or throat radium treatment while in the military. Were discharged or released from active duty for a hardship , or Were discharged with an “early out”; or Were discharged or released from active duty for a disability that began in the service or got worse because of the service; or
Have been determined by VA to have compensable service-connected conditions; or Were discharged for a reason other than disability, but you had a medical condition at the time thatWas disabling, and In the opinion of a doctor, would have justified a discharge for disability (in this last case, the disability must be documented in service records) However, even if you meet all of the above conditions, you may not be able to receive health care benefits from the VA. The number of veterans who can be enrolled in the health care program is determined by the amount of money Congress gives VA each year. Since funds are limited, VA set up priority groups to make sure that certain groups of veterans are able to be enrolled before others.For more information, see the VA's Health Care Web site.