The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued a pause on foreclosures on VA-backed loans to veterans struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments, Military.com has reported.
VA officials said last week that the department will reach out to mortgage servicers to halt foreclosures and to extend a Covid-19 program that helps veteran borrowers who have been unable to recover financially from the pandemic.
The move comes after National Public Radio reported earlier this month that veterans who enrolled in the mortgage forbearance program approved by Congress early in the Covid-19 pandemic could lose their homes. The program allowed homeowners who lost income during the pandemic to skip mortgage payments.
NPR found that thousands of veterans who took forbearance were now at risk of losing their homes after the VA ended the Partial Claim Payment program, which allowed homeowners to catch up on missed payments.
Multiple Democrat senators wrote to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, including Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester of Montana, urging him to extend the relief program. Tester later released a statement praising the VA for the decision.
"I'm encouraged to see VA answering my call to quickly address this crisis facing our men and women who risked their lives serving this country and were facing foreclosure through no fault of their own," Tester said. "This pause will help ensure our veterans, service members, and their families can remain in their homes and get their payments back on track while VA works on a long-term solution."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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