The Army National Guard is a part of the Army that steps in to help with domestic emergency situations. Whether it is crowd control during riots or assisting emergency responders during a natural disaster, the National Guard play a vital role in keeping citizens protected at home.
Members of the National Guard can be eligible for VA Loan benefits as members of the armed forces. Like other service members, they do need to meet certain time-in-service requirements. National Guard members who served between August 2, 1990, and the present day must have served at least 90 days while activated. Some members of the National Guard do serve in the Guard full-time. In these cases, they almost always meet the requirement after their first 90 days of time.
For those who served prior to August 2, 1990, that 90-day requirement still applies. You must have served those 90 days while on active duty assignment rather than training. If you have 90 days of active duty service, you must have at least 30 consecutive days. These are listed in your service record as part of a Title 32 activation. On your DD214, discharge paperwork, they will appear as 32 USC sections 316, 502, 503, 504, or 505 activations.
If you are no longer a member of the National Guard, you may still be eligible for VA Loan benefits. You must have served at least 6 years in the Guard and be honorably discharged or on the retired list. Because National Guard time accumulates differently, especially if you have a break in service when you are not activated, it is important to keep track of your own service record throughout your career. You can submit paperwork that shows updates or corrections that may not reflect, making it much easier to get your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) later when you want to use your VA Loan benefit.