Colorado Veterans Are Losing Homes Because of Big VA Mistake

Colorado veterans have served their country and deserve every benefit given. When the Veterans Administration messes up one of those benefits, why are our veterans paying the price?

When you hear a story like this, it will get you "fired up;" I know that I got fired up when I heard about it, as my brother is an ARMY veteran.

It's another example of the government not paying attention to what it's doing and things going completely wrong.

The Veterans Administration (VA) has come under fire for many years for how they have used taxpayer money to not help veterans in the way that they should - with respect and care.

This latest "scandal," for lack of a better word, will go down as one of the agency's biggest gaffs.

VA Mistake Costing Colorado Veterans Their Homes

It goes back to the COVID-19 pandemic. That pandemic affected the world in many ways, including halting the incomes of millions of people, including U.S. Veterans.

According to NPR, the VA, with the greatest of intentions, stepped up to help homeowners who had gotten their homes through a VA loan and said (in so many words), "We have your back."

Then, the VA went and screwed that whole thing up.

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The plan was that the VA would let homeowners pause their mortgage payments without any fees until they got back on their feet. That was the right thing to do, without question.

What Went Wrong with the VA Trying to Help?

The VA stopped that program in October 2022; there's nothing really wrong with that. The pandemic had started easing up, and things started getting back to normal.

However, instead of just not letting any more cases start, they stopped the whole thing completely. Many veterans, including Colorado veterans, were still on the "pause" at that time.

In typical "government fashion," they let things go back to normal; with that, the VA ended up telling all the veterans still in that "pause" program that they now owed all the mortgage payments that had been paused immediately.

Many of these veterans, including Colorado veterans, then had their homes go into foreclosure because they owed so much money that they just couldn't come up with it.

It's crazy, I know.

The VA Implemented a New 'Fix It' Plan - Not All Get 'Fixed'

While the VA and Congress worked to fix things, many veterans at risk of foreclosure got a loan modification.

Those loan modifications, while raising their mortgage payments by up to 200%, would also prevent them from getting any rescue from the VA.

According to NPR, the VA's rescue plan, which was needed because the VA was "dropping the ball," will only help those who did not get their mortgages modified.

What's just as frustrating is that if a veteran does qualify for this VA rescue, they get a whole new mortgage.. another 40-year mortgage. 40 years? Come on.

Maybe we can persuade them to do the right thing; you can contact your county's VA technicians here.