There is no question that the VA loan program is an excellent benefit to veterans and service members looking to buy a home or refinance their existing one. It enables them to buy a home with no down payment, much lower interest rates and no mortgage insurance. However, many service members have questions about including their civilian spouses in the process of getting their VA loan. Here are the top three things that all spouses — and service members — should know about VA loan benefits. If your civilian spouse makes more but has a poor credit rating, that could hurt your chances of qualifying for a loan, regardless of your military standing.

Virginia Rules is an educational program designed to help instructors, parents and students understand the laws that apply to Virginia teens in their everyday lives. Learn what the law says about the relationship between teens and their parents, the authority, responsibilities, and liability of parents, how Virginia law defines Children in Need of Supervision and Children in Need of Services, and child abuse and neglect. Custody and control means you must obey your parents unless they ask you to break the law, and they must take care of you. Parents must provide you with necessary food, clothing, shelter, and medical care as well as supervision, discipline, protection, and education. They cannot desert or abandon you. When you turn 18, you are considered an adult. Your parents are no longer legally responsible, nor do they have legal control over you.

The goal of Child Protective Services CPS is to identify, assess, and provide services to children and families in an effort to protect children, preserve families, whenever possible, and prevent maltreatment. Reports of abuse and neglect of children under the age of 18 are investigated with the goal of protecting children from physical, mental, and medical neglect, and from sexual abuse and exploitation. We provide services to prevent and alleviate family crises. Child Protective Services is a federally mandated program and accepts reports of suspected child abuse and neglect.

It can make sense for prospective home buyers to want or need a co-borrower on their VA loan. But before you make the decision, make sure you understand how co-borrowing with a VA loan works. Imagine a veteran getting a loan with their brother, or a parent, or an unmarried significant other -- that's a joint VA loan. These kinds of scenarios are absolutely possible, but they look a bit different than a typical VA purchase loan. That's because the VA's guaranty extends only to the veteran's portion of the loan half in most cases.