Vietnam Veteran David Chee is among the many Native American Veterans and service members who have dedicated their lives to military service. Chee proudly served with the Army’s 82nd Airborne, parachuting into the jungles of Vietnam. Chee now owns a home he purchased on Navajo tribal lands with the help of the VA Native American Direct Loan.
Despite historical challenges, Native Americans have served at the highest per capita representation in the military. For their sacrifice, VA offers benefits and programs that are specifically reserved for Native Americans.
One such benefit is VA’s Native American Direct Loan (NADL) program, which helps Native American Veterans buy, build or refinance a home on federal trust land. Through this program, Native American homebuyers can receive low interest rates for loans and limited closing costs, and they do not have to provide down payments or secure private mortgage insurance.
For Native Americans to apply for a NADL, their tribe must have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with VA. Since the program’s inception in 1992, VA has worked with tribal leaders to sign 114 MOUs. VA is committed to raising awareness of NADL’s benefits and reaching Tribal nations that are not yet participating.
VA worked with Chee and his wife, Anjelita, to overcome many obstacles, including helping them to get water and electric lines run to their new home in Anjelita’s tribal lands of Dilkon, Arizona.
“The NADL program opened the door for us to come home and spend our twilight years surrounded by our family on the tribal lands we love,” said Chee.
Veterans and service members who choose not to live on federal trust land can still access homebuying help through the VA-guaranteed home loan program. This program is open to all eligible Veterans and service members and extends some of the same benefits as the NADL program.
“The responsibility of providing the same benefits to our Native American Veterans and service members to help them secure the benefits they have earned is always a top priority,” said VA Loan Guaranty Service Executive Director John E. Bell, III. “I am honored to serve this nation’s Native American Veterans and service members, and one of the best ways is helping them secure homes and build generational wealth through homeownership.”
To learn more about VA’s Native American Direct Loan program, visit the NADL web site.
