a. Procedures (continued)

Step

Action

4

Submit the form and attachments to the appropriate VA Eligibility Center:

21.                ·   Los Angeles Eligibility Center, if you live in:  Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin or Wyoming.

22.                ·   Winston-Salem Eligibility Center, if you live in Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, or West Virginia.

Reference:  See Appendix A for the addresses of the Eligibility Centers.

b. Application for Unmarried Surviving Spouses

Certain unmarried spouses of veterans are eligible for the VA home loan benefit (see section 5 of this chapter).  If they are applying for the first time, they must complete VA Form 26-1817, Request for Determination of Loan Guaranty Eligibility-Unmarried Surviving Spouses, instead of VA Form 26-1880. 

They must complete VA Form 26-1817 and forward it to the appropriate VA Eligibility Center.

Note:  Eligibility determinations for unmarried surviving spouses may take considerably longer to process than others.

c. Previously Issued COE is Missing

If the veteran’s COE has been lost, stolen or destroyed, the veteran must follow the “Procedures” described in this section to obtain a duplicate (that is, submit a completed request form with required proof of military service).