Military and Veteran Education
From a Veteran family to yours: VA home loan help, benefits, crisis support and official resources, all in one place. We’re more than mortgages. We’re your battle buddy for life.
A Veteran family helping military families
We’re a Veteran family helping military families. We’ve lived the PCS moves, the deployments, the long nights apart, the transition out, the disability claims paperwork, caring for a loved one, and starting over in a brand new place. So we get it. This page is everything we wish someone had handed us, all in one spot. Save it, share it, and call us anytime. 💙
~Paul and Joyie
- Paul is a combat veteran, and Joyie served too. We know the military life from the inside.
- We know the moves. The packing and unpacking, new schools, new neighbors, and trying to make a new place feel like home again.
- Paul started his mortgage career in El Paso, helping fellow veterans and families buy homes.
- Then we came home. We moved back to DFW to be near family, and today we’re raising our five kids in Krum.
- We give back. We support local nonprofits, with a special focus on veterans.
VA Loan Education on Your Phone
Our VA loan app puts helpful tools in your pocket: a mortgage payment calculator, an affordability calculator and a VA entitlement calculator, plus educational videos that explain how your VA home loan benefit works.
Use it to learn at your own pace, then reach out anytime with questions. We’re happy to walk through your numbers with you.
On a phone, the link opens the app download. On a computer, it shows a code to scan with your phone’s camera.
The VA Loan Facts™ app is provided by VA Loan Educator. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. Calculator results are estimates only.
5 VA loan myths we hear all the time
You can use it again after you sell, and sometimes keep one home and buy another.
The VA backs part of the loan. That's why the right loan officer matters.
And many veterans with a disability rating don't pay the funding fee.
Lenders set their own minimums and look at your whole picture.
A pre-approval and an agent who knows VA loans make the difference.
Your VA Home Loan Playbook
Our free VA Home Loan Playbook walks you from your COE to closing day, with entitlement, PCS moves, checklists and a Texas page. Want to go deeper? We have a guide for every VA loan type.
- VA Home Loan Playbook: Should you buy at this duty station? An honest walk-through of tour length, BAH math, when to wait, and COE to keys.
- PCS Home Guide: Buy, rent, or wait — tour length, BAH math, remote buying, and what to do with your current home.
- Military Transition Home Guide: Timing a home purchase around ETS or retirement — income that counts, when to wait, and your VA benefit after service.
- VA Renovation Guide: Is a fixer-upper with VA renovation financing right for you — bids, draws, and when to walk away.
- VA One-Time Close Guide: Is one-time-close construction right for you — builder risk, draws, and when to wait.
- VA IRRRL Guide: Is an IRRRL worth it — break-even math, seasoning, and junk-mail red flags.
- VA Home Equity Guide: When tapping equity helps, when to wait, and the Texas rule — without over-leveraging your home.
Already closed? Ask Paul for the free “You Closed on Your VA Home! Now What?” guide.
Your VA loan questions, answered
Do I really need $0 down with a VA loan?
With full entitlement, the VA doesn’t require a down payment as long as the price isn’t above the appraised value. There’s no monthly mortgage insurance. Most borrowers pay a one-time funding fee unless they’re exempt.
How do I get my Certificate of Eligibility (COE)?
Request it on VA.gov, or let Paul pull it for you as part of your pre-approval.
Am I exempt from the VA funding fee?
Veterans who receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability are generally exempt, along with some surviving spouses and active-duty Purple Heart recipients. Your COE shows your status.
Can I use my VA loan more than once?
Yes. Your benefit is reusable, and in some cases you can have two VA loans at once using remaining entitlement.
Is there a VA loan limit?
Not if you have full entitlement. If part of your entitlement is in use, county limits affect how much you can borrow with $0 down.
Can Guard and Reserve members and surviving spouses use it?
Yes, if they meet the VA’s eligibility rules. Your COE confirms it.
Can I buy before I PCS or separate?
Often, yes. Timing and occupancy rules matter, so talk with Paul early.
Can I do a VA cash-out refinance in Texas?
You can use a VA refinance to pay off the existing liens on your Texas home, but you can’t receive cash at closing. Paul can walk you through other ways to use your equity.
Official benefits, health care and support
Straight from the source. Every link below goes to an official government site.
Crisis support (24/7)
Veterans Crisis Line: 988, press 1https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/
VA home loans and COE
VA: Home loanshttps://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/- VA: Request your COEhttps://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/how-to-request-coe/
- VA: Eligibilityhttps://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/eligibility/
- VA: Funding fee and closing costshttps://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/funding-fee-and-closing-costs/
- VA: Trouble making paymentshttps://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/trouble-making-payments/
Benefits and health care
- VA disability compensationhttps://www.va.gov/disability/
- VA health carehttps://www.va.gov/health-care/
- Find a VA locationhttps://www.va.gov/find-locations/
- Helpful VA phone numbershttps://www.va.gov/resources/helpful-va-phone-numbers/
Education and careers
- GI Bill and educationhttps://www.va.gov/education/
- Transfer your Post-9/11 GI Billhttps://www.va.gov/education/transfer-post-9-11-gi-bill-benefits/
- VA careers and employmenthttps://www.va.gov/careers-employment/
- DOL VETSDOL Veterans' Employment (VETS)https://www.dol.gov/agencies/vets
- DOL VETSDOL Transition Assistance Programhttps://www.dol.gov/agencies/vets/programs/tap
Housing help, families and records
- VA homeless programshttps://www.va.gov/homeless/
- Family and caregiver benefitshttps://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/
National Archives: military records (DD-214)https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records- VA: Get your military recordshttps://www.va.gov/records/get-military-service-records/
Active duty and PCS
Military OneSourcehttps://www.militaryonesource.mil/- Military OneSource: Moving and PCShttps://www.militaryonesource.mil/moving-pcs/
- Military OneSource: Installation directoryhttps://installations.militaryonesource.mil/
Texas
- TVCTexas Veterans Commissionhttps://www.tvc.texas.gov/
Texas Veterans Land Boardhttps://vlb.texas.gov/
Texas Comptroller: 100% disabled veteran FAQhttps://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/exemptions/disabledvet-100-faq.php- HHSTexas Veterans Mental Health Program (Military Veteran Peer Network)https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/mental-health-substance-use/mental-health-substance-use-resources/texas-veterans-mental-health-program
County veterans service offices
Denton County Veterans Serviceshttps://www.dentoncounty.gov/391/Veterans-Services
El Paso County Veterans Assistancehttps://www.epcounty.com/243/Veterans-Assistance
New Mexico, Alabama and Florida
New Mexico Dept. of Veterans Serviceshttps://www.dvs.nm.gov/
Alabama Dept. of Veterans Affairshttps://va.alabama.gov/
Alabama homestead exemptionshttps://www.revenue.alabama.gov/property-tax/homestead-exemptions/- FDVAFlorida Dept. of Veterans' Affairshttps://floridavets.org/
Florida property tax exemptionshttps://floridarevenue.com/property/Pages/Taxpayers_exemptions.aspx
Consumer protection
CFPB: Buying a househttps://www.consumerfinance.gov/owning-a-home/
USA.gov: Housing scamshttps://www.usa.gov/housing-scams
Official government sites only (.gov, .mil and official state and county agencies). Links checked November 2026.
Proud VettedVA Member
Proud VettedVA MemberWe’re proud members of Vetted VA, which calls itself “the most trusted VA loan education resource, built by veterans, for veterans.” It connects veterans with professionals who have been vetted and held accountable.
Vetted VA isn’t affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. See the Texas directory on vettedva.com.
Questions about your VA loan benefit?
Paul’s happy to help, no pressure. Call or text anytime, or book a time that works for you.
Paul Francisco, Mortgage Advisor · NMLS #1878399 · Go Rascal Inc., NMLS #2072896