Currently, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System is offering COVID-19 vaccine to Veterans already receiving care from the VA, based on CDC and VA risk criteria. If you’re eligible to get a vaccine, your VA health care team will contact you.

Veterans who are not enrolled or do not currently receive care at VA can visit VA’s Eligibility web page to learn more: Eligibility For VA Health Care | Veterans Affairs

During this initial phase of limited supply, VA facilities are offering vaccinations to the above categories of Veterans receiving care at VA. Additional information regarding walk up clinics, drive thru clinics, and off site vaccination sites, is located below.  Check this page periodically for updates. 

To Schedule a North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System Appointment for a COVID-19 Vaccine:

Call 352-548-6000 ext. 103755 to schedule an appointment.

The VA is experiencing a higher call volume than normal. You may be re-directed, or you may hear a busy signal. They are diligently working to resolve this issue. If they are unable to schedule you an appointment, they will document your interest in receiving the vaccine.

As additional vaccines become available, their team will reach out with scheduling options.

Duval County has partnered with the State of Florida to provide a streamlined platform for Florida residents searching for locations offering appointments to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Please check this site often as additional appointment timeslots and vaccine locations are updated on a regular basis.

The following populations of Florida Residents are currently eligible to schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine:

• Individuals 65 years of age and older
• Long-term facility residents and staff
• Healthcare personnel with direct patient contact
• Individuals deemed to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 by hospital providers

The following state supported vaccine locations are currently available in Duval County:

• Duval Regency Square Mall
• 9501 Arlington Expressway Jacksonville, FL 32225

If you would prefer to receive additional information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine in Duval County by phone, please call:

Toll Free 1-(866)-200-3762 TTY 1-(833)-476-1027

In Florida, you can schedule a vaccine appointment and get notifications about appointment openings in your area by visiting http://myvaccine.fl.gov or by calling  (866) 779-6121

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Sources:

1. https://myvaccine.fl.gov/site/Duval
2. https://docushare-web.apps.cf.humana.com/Marketing/docushare-app?file=4275037
3. https://floridahealthcovid19.gov

The promise of the GI Bill is that every Veteran deserves to have a place to call home.

The VA funding fee is a one-time payment that the Veteran, service member, or survivor pays on a VA-backed or VA direct home loan. This fee helps to lower the cost of the loan for U.S. taxpayers since the VA home loan program doesn’t require down payments or monthly mortgage insurance.

VA funding fee

If you’re using a VA home loan to buy, build, improve, or repair a home or to refinance a mortgage, you’ll need to pay the VA funding fee unless you meet certain requirements.

You won’t have to pay a VA funding fee if any of the below descriptions is true. You’re:

• Receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability, or
• Eligible to receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability, but you’re receiving retirement or active-duty pay instead, or
• The surviving spouse of a Veteran who died in service or from a service-connected disability, or who was totally disabled, and you’re receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), or
• A service member with a proposed or memorandum rating, before the loan closing date, saying you’re eligible to get compensation because of a pre-discharge claim, or
• A service member on active duty who before or on the loan closing date provides evidence of having received the Purple Heart

You may be eligible for a refund of the VA funding fee if you’re later awarded VA compensation for a service-connected disability. The effective date of your VA compensation must be retroactive to before the date of your loan closing. 

If you think you’re eligible for a refund, please call your VA regional loan center at 877-827-3702. They’re there Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.

Loan fees

VA doesn’t determine most of the details of your home loan. Your home loan lender will determine these details of your loan:

• Interest rate
• Discount points (fees you may pay to your lender at closing to get a lower interest rate on your loan)
• Other closing costs

These rates may vary from lender to lender. You should know that adding the VA funding fee and other loan costs to your loan could lead to you owing more money than the fair market value of the home. This could reduce the benefit of refinancing since your payment wouldn’t be as low as you may want it to be. It could also make it harder for you to get enough money out of the future sale of the home to pay off your loan balance.

Closing costs

The seller must pay these closing costs (sometimes called “seller’s concessions”):

• Commission for real estate professionals
• Brokerage fee
• Buyer broker fee
• Termite report (unless you’re using a refinancing loan)

You (the buyer) or the seller can negotiate who will pay other closing costs such as the:

• VA funding fee
• Loan origination fee
• Loan discount points or funds for temporary “buydowns”
• Credit report and payment of any credit balances or judgments
• VA appraisal fee
• Hazard insurance and real estate taxes
• State and local taxes
• Title insurance
• Recording fee

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References:

1. https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/funding-fee-and-closing-costs/

COLUMBIA, Mo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The nation’s largest VA purchase lender is continuing its expansion efforts in the St. Louis area. Veterans United Home Loans opened a corporate office in the area earlier this year and is looking to hire 75 new employees by the end of this year.

Veterans United is passionate about supporting Veterans and being a good community partner. These principles represent the core foundation of what the company stands for.

Veterans United Foundation announced it is donating $500,000 toward the purchase of the land for the new Veterans Community Project tiny house campus in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood in St. Louis. The campus will house Veterans experiencing homelessness and will include a Veterans Outreach Center for walk-in support services.

“Veterans United Foundation is excited to help Veterans Community Project get its start in St. Louis,” said Dr. Amanda Andrade, chief people officer at Veterans United Home Loans. “We look forward to the great work VCP will do helping Veterans get back on their feet in the community, just as they have across the state in Kansas City. With our expanding presence in St Louis, we are excited that we get to continue our work with VCP, and we would love to encourage other companies to partner with this great organization too.”

Veterans United believes in the promise of the GI Bill that every Veteran deserves to have a place to call home. The campus will be a pivotal step in eliminating Veterans’ homelessness and provide the services that they need. More than 300 Veterans experience homelessness in the St. Louis region. Studies show that this population is twice as likely to become homeless as the larger population.

“The investment from the Veterans United Foundation helps make the dream of bringing Veterans Community Project to St. Louis a reality,” said Jason Kander, president of national expansion for the Veterans Community Project. “This gift ultimately means that together, we can rescue Veterans before they fall through the cracks in the system and it means that more of our brothers and sisters in arms are saved from the perils of homelessness. Most importantly, this gift will help ensure St. Louis Veterans will be mobilized to – once again – contribute to the community they call home.”

This year, Veterans United has hired more than 1,000 employees and is projected to continue to hire at this pace for the foreseeable future. Seven percent of Veterans United Home Loans’ workforce are Veterans and currently-serving military members.

“Veterans United has recently expanded to St. Louis, where many of our employees have roots,” Andrade said. “We sincerely hope that as people work through the program at the Veterans Village, some of them may find employment with us in the future.”

The company recently received the Employee Support Freedom Award from the Secretary of Defense for its outstanding support of employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. Earlier this year, it was ranked by Forbes as the best employer in the State of Missouri. Militaryfriendly.com named it a top “Military Friendly Employer” with Gold distinction, and “Military Friendly Spouse Employer,” and by Fortune magazine as a “Best Company to Work For.”

If you are interested in a career at Veterans United Home Loans, please visit our careers page at veteransunited.com/careers.

About Veterans United Home Loans

Based in Columbia, Missouri, the full-service national lender financed more than $16.4 billion in loans in 2019 and is the country’s largest VA lender. The company’s mission is to help Veterans and service members take advantage of the home loan benefits earned by their service. The company’s employee-driven charitable arm, Veterans United Foundation, is committed to enhancing the lives of Veterans and military families nationwide by focusing on supporting military families and nonprofit organizations that strengthen local communities. Veterans United Home Loans and its employees have donated more than $60 million to the Foundation since its founding in November 2011. Learn more at EnhanceLives.com.

A VA approved lender; Not endorsed or sponsored by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. Equal Opportunity Lender. Mortgage Research Center, LLC