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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIf your VA mortgage payment is no longer affordable, call your mortgage servicer today—before you miss a payment if possible—and ask for its loss-mitigation department. Explain what caused the hardship, how long it may last, and whether you could resume the normal payment or afford an added catch-up amount. Ask the servicer to review every available option and send proposed terms in writing.
You can also call the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at 877-827-3702 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time) and request a VA loan technician. VA counseling is available to a Veteran or surviving spouse even when the mortgage is not VA-guaranteed; borrowers with a VA-guaranteed loan may contact VA at any time. Do not ignore letters, notices or court papers, and do not pay an unknown company to “negotiate” for you.
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Take these steps before the next payment is due
- Call the servicer and identify the hardship. Use the phone number on your mortgage statement or the servicer’s official correspondence. State whether the problem is a job loss, reduced hours, illness, disability, death in the household, unexpected expenses or another event. Give an honest estimate of when income may recover.
- Ask for loss mitigation. Request the department that handles payment assistance, foreclosure prevention or loss mitigation—not just a routine payment representative. Ask what documents are required and where to send them.
- Describe what you can actually afford. Tell the servicer whether the regular payment is affordable now, whether the hardship is temporary, and whether you could pay anything extra each month toward missed amounts. These answers help the servicer evaluate a forbearance, repayment plan, modification or other alternative.
- Keep paying what you can only if the servicer instructs you to do so. A partial payment may not stop delinquency or foreclosure procedures unless the servicer agrees to a specific arrangement. Ask how any payment will be applied.
- Respond to every notice. Keep envelopes, letters, emails, portal messages and call notes. Write down the representative’s name, the date, the confirmation number and the next action promised.
- Request written terms before agreeing. The proposal should state the amount due immediately, the new monthly payment, when missed amounts are repaid, interest and fee treatment, escrow changes, the term of the loan and any trial-payment requirement.
VA’s borrower guidance puts the priority plainly: “If you’re having trouble making your mortgage payments, contact your loan servicer right away.” Its older Veterans Benefits Administration guidance similarly advises borrowers who cannot pay on time to notify the mortgage company and try to work out a satisfactory plan instead of ignoring the problem.
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Get help from a VA loan technician
Call 877-827-3702 and ask for a loan technician. VA lists telephone hours as Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, and also provides an online Loan Guaranty support portal. A technician can explain VA servicing rules, help you understand a servicer’s response and point you toward counseling resources. VA does not approve every requested workout, and a technician cannot promise a particular payment or prevent every foreclosure.
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For a VA-guaranteed loan, VA says it automatically assigns a technician to review the loan when it is 61 days past due. Do not wait for that assignment: contact the servicer and VA as soon as you know the next payment may be unaffordable. A Veteran or surviving spouse can ask VA for counseling even when the mortgage is not VA-guaranteed, although the mortgage company—not VA—decides what contractual relief is available on that loan.
Understand the main ways to keep the home
The options below are alternatives to discuss with the servicer, not guaranteed approvals. Eligibility depends on the loan, the hardship, payment history, income, property and the servicer’s review. Compare every offer using the same questions so a lower payment today does not create an unaffordable obligation later.
| Option | How it generally works | Questions to ask about cost and timing | Home retained? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special forbearance | The servicer gives additional time to address missed payments. VA says missed amounts are not simply added to the end of the loan. | When do payments resume? Is a lump sum, repayment plan or modification required afterward? What payment is due during the forbearance? | Usually, if the follow-up plan is completed. |
| Repayment plan | You resume the regular payment and add an agreed amount each month toward arrears. | How much is the added amount, for how many months, and what happens if income changes again? | Yes, while the plan is kept current. |
| Traditional VA loan modification | Missed payments and related legal costs may be added to the balance, followed by a new payment schedule. | What is the new principal, interest rate, term, total interest and monthly payment? Could the payment rise? | Yes, if approved and maintained. |
| 30-year modification | The mortgage is reset to 30 years when principal and interest would be lower than the current payment. | How much time remains before and after the reset, and what is the total amount repaid? | Yes, if the revised payment is sustained. |
| VA Partial Claim | After a required three-month trial plan, the servicer pays overdue amounts to bring the loan current and VA reimburses the servicer. The claim is repaid when the mortgage is paid off or the home is sold. | What trial payment is required? When will the claim be documented, and how will it affect payoff or sale proceeds? | Yes, while the primary loan remains current. |
| 40-year modification | The existing mortgage term is extended to 40 years, reducing the scheduled principal-and-interest payment in exchange for a longer repayment period. | What is the new payment, rate, balance and total interest over 40 years? | Yes, if approved and maintained. |
Special forbearance
Forbearance can create breathing room during a temporary income interruption, but it is not forgiveness. VA says a special forbearance does not add missed payments to the end of the loan, so you must learn how the arrears will be handled when the plan ends. Ask whether the servicer expects a lump-sum payment, a repayment plan or a modification and whether interest, escrow advances or legal fees continue to accrue.
Repayment plan
A repayment plan can work when your income has recovered and you can reliably add money to each monthly payment. Divide the total arrears by the proposed number of months and test that extra amount against your actual budget, including taxes, insurance, utilities, food, transportation and other debts. If the added payment would fail after one unexpected expense, tell the servicer before accepting it.
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Traditional, 30-year and 40-year modifications
A modification changes the loan’s payment structure. Adding arrears and legal costs to the balance can make the payment manageable, but it increases the amount owed. A 30-year reset may lower principal and interest compared with a shorter remaining term. A 40-year term can lower the scheduled payment further while extending repayment and usually increasing total interest. VA cautions that a traditional modification payment could be higher, particularly in a rising-rate environment. Compare the complete amortization and not just the first payment quoted by a representative.
What is different about the VA Partial Claim
VA launched the Partial Claim Program on June 15, 2026. A qualified borrower must complete a three-month trial payment plan. If the trial succeeds, the servicer pays the overdue amount needed to bring the mortgage current and VA reimburses the servicer. The borrower does not make monthly payments on that claim; it is repaid when the main mortgage is paid off or the home is sold.
Implementation is still a practical issue. VA says servicers have until November 28, 2026 to add Partial Claims to their systems. As of October 18, 2026, ask your servicer whether it can process the program now, what trial terms it uses and what documents it needs. A servicer’s inability to process the claim immediately does not eliminate other loss-mitigation discussions, and you should not stop making payments based on an expectation that a Partial Claim will be approved.
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Ask the servicer to provide each available proposal in writing, then compare it on these seven points:
- Cash required now: amount due to start the plan, including any escrow or legal charges.
- Sustainable monthly payment: principal, interest, taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance and any added arrears payment.
- Arrears treatment: whether missed amounts are paid monthly, capitalized, deferred into a claim or due in a lump sum.
- Interest and term: new rate, remaining term, extended term and projected total repayment.
- Trial requirements: number of payments, exact due dates and consequences of a failed trial.
- Home-retention conditions: documentation, occupancy rules or other requirements.
- Future VA entitlement: whether the arrangement or a later disposition could affect restoration of your VA home-loan benefit.
When a temporary plan may fit
If income should return soon and the regular payment will then be affordable, ask first about forbearance followed by a clearly affordable repayment schedule. Get the end date and post-forbearance payment in writing.
When a permanent change may be needed
If the payment became unaffordable because income or expenses changed permanently, a modification or Partial Claim discussion may be more realistic than a short pause. Include future taxes, insurance and maintenance in your budget; a principal-and-interest reduction does not eliminate those costs.
If keeping the home is not workable
Tell the servicer early if no retention plan produces a sustainable payment. VA lists three alternatives:
Extra time for a private sale
You may request additional time to sell the property at market value and pay the mortgage from the proceeds. Ask for the exact deadline, required listing activity and whether foreclosure steps are paused while the sale is pursued.
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Short sale
In a short sale, the servicer may accept sale proceeds below the mortgage balance as full payment under an approved agreement. Obtain written confirmation of how any remaining balance is treated, who pays transaction costs and whether you will owe taxes or other amounts. VA warns that a short sale could reduce or eliminate future VA home-loan benefit.
Deed in lieu of foreclosure
A deed in lieu transfers the property to the servicer instead of completing foreclosure. It can avoid some foreclosure steps, but it may affect future entitlement and can have credit, tax and relocation consequences. Do not sign a deed or release until you understand the written agreement and have had qualified housing or legal advice.
After foreclosure, a short sale or a deed in lieu, VA says restoring future entitlement may require repayment of the loss VA incurred. Ask VA and the servicer for the specific calculation that would apply to your loan; do not assume that surrendering the home automatically restores your benefit.
Do not rely on VASP as an open application program
VA’s VASP closeout FAQ says the program stopped accepting submissions on May 1, 2025. Mortgage support continues, but VASP is not an open application route. Current VA borrower guidance instead describes options such as forbearance, repayment plans, modifications and the 2026 Partial Claim Program.
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Documents and questions to prepare
Preparation can shorten the review and expose an unaffordable proposal before you accept it. Gather:
- Recent mortgage statements and every delinquency or foreclosure notice.
- Pay stubs, benefit statements, bank statements and other proof of income.
- A short written hardship explanation and the date it began.
- A monthly budget that separates essential expenses from debts that could be reduced.
- Information about expected income changes, insurance, property taxes and household members.
- Copies of prior workout agreements and proof of payments made under them.
Ask the servicer: “What is the exact amount needed to bring the loan current?” “What will my total monthly payment be, including escrow?” “When are deferred or missed amounts due?” “Will the interest rate, term, principal balance or fees change?” “What happens if I miss a trial payment?” and “How could this option affect my VA entitlement if I later sell or refinance?”
If foreclosure papers or a sale date have arrived
General guidance cannot determine deadlines under your state’s law. A notice of default, acceleration letter, summons, complaint, scheduled sale or eviction notice requires prompt, location-specific help. Call the servicer the same day, contact a HUD-approved housing counselor or another reputable public counseling resource, and consult a qualified attorney when legal rights or deadlines are unclear. Keep proof that you requested assistance and continue responding while the review is pending.
Recognize foreclosure-relief scams
Fraudulent operators may promise guaranteed approval, demand an upfront fee, tell you to stop contacting the servicer, ask you to sign over the deed or pressure you to send payments to an unfamiliar account. VA advises borrowers to work with trusted organizations and check any third-party offer with the servicer or VA before signing.
- Use the servicer’s number on your statement, not a number supplied in an unsolicited message.
- Never pay a stranger to obtain a government benefit that you can request directly.
- Do not sign a deed, power of attorney or “何” release without independent advice.
- Save the complete offer, email headers, texts and payment instructions if you suspect fraud.
- Verify proposed terms directly with VA at 877-827-3702 or with your servicer.
Other public counseling and assistance
VA directs borrowers to financial counseling through the Veterans Benefits Banking Program and to information about the Homeowner Assistance Fund. Availability and eligibility vary by location and household circumstances. A HUD-approved housing counselor, state housing agency or qualified attorney can help you review a proposed workout, sale agreement or deadline. These services supplement—not replace—your direct contact with the mortgage servicer.
The practical rule is simple: communicate early, document everything, compare written terms and choose only a payment you can sustain. If no retention option works, address a sale or deed-in-lieu discussion before foreclosure deadlines remove choices.
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