VA Loan Information Center

Basic Restoration
Entitlement previously used in connection with a VA home loan may be restored under certain circumstances. Once restored, it can be used again for another VA loan. Restoration of previously used entitlement is possible if

• the property which secured the VA-guaranteed loan has been sold, and the loan has been paid in full, or
• an eligible veteran-transferee has agreed to assume the outstanding balance on a VA loan and substitute his or her entitlement for the same amount originally used on the loan. The assuming veteran must also meet occupancy, income, and credit requirements of the law.

Special Restoration Cases
In addition to the basic restoration criteria outlined above, a veteran may obtain restoration of the entitlement used on a prior VA loan under any of the following circumstances:

• the prior VA loan has been paid in full and the veteran has made application for a refinance loan to be secured by the same property which secured the prior VA loan. This includes refinancing situations in which the prior loan will be paid off at closing from a VA refinancing loan on the same property,

OR

• the prior VA loan has been paid in full, but the veteran has not disposed of the property securing the loan. The veteran may obtain restoration of the entitlement used on the prior loan in order to purchase a different property, one time only. Once such restoration is effected, the veteran’s Certificate of Eligibility will indicate the one-time restoration. It will also advise that any future restoration will require disposal of all property obtained with a VA loan. Once the one-time only restoration is used, it will not be possible to obtain restoration for a “cash-out” refinance described in the preceding section.