Reverse Mortgage for Veterans? (VA Reverse Mortgages)

May 6, 2019 By Michael G. Branson 12 comments

Question from our reader:

“We have a reverse mortgage, but we were never told that there was a reverse mortgage for veterans. We have quite a bit of equity in our home. Can we refinance our current reverse mortgage to a VA reverse mortgage?”

Hi Debbie,

FHA and VA don’t offer any loans. HUD through FHA insures loans and the VA guarantees loans (or at least a portion of the loan), but they still do not offer the loans – it is up to lenders to offer the loans and then have them insured or guaranteed by those entities.

Every few years I hear of a “reverse mortgage for veterans” and when I research it, there are multiple articles and plenty of information wherein people call their program a “Veteran’s Reverse Mortgage” or a “Kosher VA Reverse Mortgage” or some other such wording but I have yet to see an actual program that is a reverse mortgage loan under a separate set of guidelines, offered by lenders and guaranteed by the VA.

Being that I have received this question several times recently and I would never claim I have a corner on all knowledge (and my wife will vouch for that), I decided to look yet again when I received your request to see if there was any new information.

I first checked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. They talk about the lending programs available to US Veterans.

There is information available about Purchase and Cash out Refinance Loans, Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loans (aka IRRRL) and even Native American Direct Loans – but no VA guaranteed Reverse Mortgages.

When I type reverse mortgage in the search box, it takes me to a page on the index that is a warning issued by the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau in conjunction with the VA warning lenders and other advertisers to keep their advertising clean!

The notice from 2012 warns everyone that it is a crime to promise things that are not available and to mislead veterans and older Americans into thinking that there are programs that are not available.

The notice specifically names reverse mortgages and those who would mislead consumers into thinking that there was a government affiliation that did not exist.

I was 99.9% sure of what I would find before I check because also as a member of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association, we receive constant updates on programs as they become available.

Had there been a VA Reverse mortgage released recently or about to be, even though we are not currently a VA approved lender, I was confident that information would have reached us by now.

I think you have gotten the same thing a lot of borrowers have, some sort of notification wherein the term “VA Reverse Mortgage” or other similar language was used but then they go on to call the program a HECM – which is the acronym for a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, the HUD or FHA program, not a VA program.

Finally, I checked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s website directly and found the answer I was looking for.

This was on the official government consumer protection site regarding this exact issue: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/i-saw-an-ad-for-a-no-payment-reverse-mortgage-from-the-department-of-veterans-affairs-va-is-this-legitimate-en-1719/:

So Debbie, there you have it. I am sorry to say that the VA does not offer the program you seek so the answer to your question ultimately is no, you would not be able to refinance your current reverse mortgage with a “VA reverse mortgage”.

Furthermore, if you get an ad from someone saying they have such a program, I would suggest you toss it in the trash immediately because that’s probably where it belongs!

Top FAQs

Does the VA offer reverse mortgages?

Currently the VA does not offer any reverse mortgage loans.

Can you refinance a VA loan to a reverse mortgage?

Yes. A reverse mortgage loan can be used to pay off any type of existing mortgage on the property if there are enough funds to do so.

Can I sell my house if I have a reverse mortgage?

Yes. A reverse mortgage loan has no prepayment penalty so you can sell your home at any time and pay off the reverse mortgage.

Can you refinance a reverse mortgage to a VA loan?

Yes. Whether by a sale or a refinance, a reverse mortgage loan can be paid off at any time without penalty.

Also See:

Post Tags: va veteran

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About the Author, Michael G. Branson

Michael G. Branson (CEO All Reverse Mortgage Inc. and moderator of ARLO™) has 40 years of experience in the mortgage banking industry and has devoted the past 15 years to reverse mortgages exclusively. Michael G. Branson was part of the team that introduced the first fixed-rate jumbo reverse mortgage to market, which was sold to a private investor in 2007.

12 Comments on this Article

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Glenda I.
October 12th, 2019

How much money will you lose if you do a reverse mortgage for cash out of $480,000, then you end up selling it in less than 1 year. How much money does it cost in fees to get the loan and then all the fees that accrue for first year? When do you have to start paying the loan back? Are there any discounts for a 93 disabled navy vet of world war ll.?
Reply to Glenda
- ARLO™
  October 12th, 2019
  
  Hello Glenda,
  
  The reverse mortgage is not a good option for a 1-year loan and I would not recommend it as such. There are other less expensive loans if you think you will only need the loan for a period of 12 months such as a Home Equity Line of Credit.
  You pay the loan back after you no longer live in the property but all the fees including the HUD mortgage insurance are "front loaded" meaning you pay them at the start by adding them to the loan balance and if you are only planning on keeping the loan for a year, it is a very expensive loan for such a short time.
  There are no VA benefit reductions in the costs as it is an FHA loan and not a VA loan and I am not aware of a VA reverse mortgage option.
  Reply to ARLO
Jerome T.
September 4th, 2019

I have a VA loan! Can I get a reverse mortgage?
Reply to Jerome
- ARLO™
  September 4th, 2019
  
  Hello Jerome,
  
  You can pay off a VA loan with a reverse mortgage. The issue that usually makes this a bit tougher is that VA loans typically start at a higher loan to value so it would just depend on whether your equity position is high enough in the property to qualify under the terms of the reverse mortgage. But if so, there is no problem paying off a VA, FHA, conventional loan with a reverse mortgage if the numbers work.
  Reply to ARLO
Mary
August 19th, 2019

My spouse is a disabled veteran who is just recovering from a Kidney transplant. He is an amputee and blind in one eye and has limited vision in the other eye. He is still very weak, and he must use a wheelchair to move around. Can we ask for over the phone counseling (maybe thru SCIPE?) due to his current medical hardship?
Reply to Mary
- ARLO™
  August 19th, 2019
  
  Hello Mary,
  Unless you live in a state that requires face to face counseling, it can be done on the phone and most borrowers still opt for phone counseling due to proximity of the closest counselor and it not being convenient to meet in person anyway.
  Reply to ARLO
Eli
July 21st, 2019

My parent has a reverse mortgage. If I decide to keep the home after she passes, will I be able to use my VA loan to pay off the loan balance?
Reply to Eli
- ARLO™
  July 21st, 2019
  
  Hello Eli,
  
  I can't tell you what loans you would be eligible to receive but if you are eligible and qualify for a VA loan as a refinance on the property after the title is in your name, I see no reason why not.
  The reverse mortgage is due and payable, and the reverse mortgage has no requirements as to where you finance or where you get the money so it would just be a matter of your VA lender and their requirements on the new loan.
  Reply to ARLO
Joe Stegina
November 30th, 2018

great artical. am vet and we are considering a rev mortg. like where we live but soon will not be able to afford.
Reply to Joe
- ARLO™
  November 30th, 2018
  
  Thank you for the compliment Joe and thank you for your service! I wish you
  the best now, and in the future. If we can be of any help, please don't hesitate to call upon us.
  Reply to ARLO
Mark Alan Brown
November 5th, 2018

We have a paid -off home, but need to repair and update the home. Could a home-equity second mortgage be converted to a VA guaranteed loan?
Reply to Mark
- ARLO™
  November 5th, 2018
  
  Hello Mark,
  
  You would have to contact a VA loan company to request information about different VA options, but generally speaking, most loans cannot be converted from one loan type to another. If you want a VA loan, you can do a VA refinance. That loan would pay off the existing HELOC but there is no way of which I am aware to just convert the existing loan.
  Reply to ARLO

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Reverse Mortgage for Veterans? (VA Reverse Mortgages)

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