USAA Insurance Questions

[ultrarunner]

Mom active with her retired military circle of friends and they can't say enough good things about USAA for Insurance and other services.

Her friends said due to Dads military service she can join as a widow.

I called and it seems this is not possible unless Retired from the Military or Killed in Action if Dad was not a member...

He did have Life Insurance through the military but apparently not through USAA

My two questions are is USAA worth pursuing and is she even eligible?

USAA asked me to find Dad's DD124 and call them back.

 

[Piston]

She, and even yourself, should certainly be able to join. I wold call back and talk to someone else. They are typically very helpful.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Mom active with her retired military circle of friends and they can't say enough good things about USAA for Insurance and other services.

Her friends said due to Dads military service she can join as a widow.

I called and it seems this is not possible unless Retired from the Military or Killed in Action if Dad was not a member...

He did have Life Insurance through the military but apparently not through USAA

My two questions are is USAA worth pursuing and is she even eligible?

USAA asked me to find Dad's DD124 and call them back.

You are looking for his DD214 (discharge paper). I am afraid I don't know anything about USAA other than what I see on TV ads.

 

[ultrarunner]

The person I spoke with couldn't have been any nicer.

Just seems she does not qualify but we won't know for sure until I call back with the paper in hand.

I don't know anyone with USAA Insurance that has switched... they seem to have very high retention/satisfaction.

 

[XSFMED18D]

I am USAA member and I feel like she should be able to join. As far as I know its open to prior military members and their dependents. If you cannot find the DD214 you can request a copy from https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/

I love USAA although I have never compared plans since I've always been told its such a great company.

 

[ultrarunner]

I will post either way... I think it would be good for her...

 

[mddorange]

With a copy of Your dad's DD214, she can join USAA and once she join's then you can join also.

I have been a USAA member for a long time. My daughter in a member and so is her daughter.

Not only do they have great insurance but they also have a full line on banking services.

 

[PineyWoods]

I have had USAA auto since I married the duaghter of a veteran/member. It' a coop so whatever they dont pay out from the memebr prmium pool gets returned as a dividend. Good coverage and ervice to. I just wrote my homeowners with them as well.

 

[oosik]

i seen several reports that indicate USAA is one of the highest rated companies in the insurance business.

 

[phiferpharm]

My wife, son, daughter, are all members through my service time.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

USAA's member rules have been liberalized a lot. When they started it was only for active duty officers. I am a member and so are some of my kids. I am a retired reserve officer. It is now open even for enlisted. Not sure on all the rules. My family and I will never change from them unless something bad happens. my wife's son banks,has investments, insurance, car loans, and house loans with them.

I think your mother is probably eligible, if so; then you would be also. Yes, the DD 214 is the only recognized/legal proof of military service.

Ron

 

[ultrarunner]

So I went through the family papers and can't find anything that says DD 214

Dad's Discharge from active duty is dated December 1947

Some of the documents plainly state to be kept as proof of military service and the instructions advise recording which Dad did.

I have:

Notice of Separation from Naval Service (NAVPERS 553)
Honorable Discharge in Testimonial of Honest and Faithful Service (NAVPERS 660)
Military Billet Filled Tower Operator (NAVPERS 601)
Letter form President Harry Truman
Additional Documents for Reserve after active duty.

 

[sodamo]

So I went through the family papers and can't find anything that says DD 214 Dad's Discharge from active duty is dated December 1947 Some of the documents plainly state to be kept as proof of military service and the instructions advise recording which Dad did. I have: Notice of Separation from Naval Service (NAVPERS 554) Honorable Discharge in Testimonial of Honest and Faithful Service (NAVPERS 660) Military Billet Filled Tower Operator (NAVPERS 601) Letter form President Harry Truman Additional Documents for Reserve after active duty.

There are earlier docs:

DD Form 214, Discharge Papers and Separation Documents

I'm a member and likely will always be. So is our son

 

[ultrarunner]

A little more research shows the DD 214 originated January 1, 1950. Prior to that the Navy used NAVPERS 553

This explains why I don't have a DD 124 as it was not used prior to 1950 and Dad was very meticulous with his papers...

It seems odd that USAA told me they can do nothing without the DD 124 when Dad's active duty ended in December 1947... at least as I understand it.

I appreciate the TBN assist... we had a lot of Navy friends... both mine and Dad's... most were Commanders at the time of retirement and sadly all are gone now.

 

[sodamo]

A little more research shows the DD 214 originated January 1, 1950. Prior to that the Navy used NAVPERS 553 This explains why I don't have a DD 124 as it was not used prior to 1950 and Dad was very meticulous with his papers... It seems odd that USAA told me they can do nothing without the DD 124 when Dad's active duty ended in December 1947... at least as I understand it. I appreciate the TBN assist... we had a lot of Navy friends... both mine and Dad's... most were Commanders at the time of retirement and sadly all are gone now.

My guess would be they just don't see a lot off pre DD214 requests, but armed with your new found knowledge I suspect they'll accept the older docs.

 

[ultrarunner]

I hope to contact USAA in the morning.

It appears Dad would not have even been eligible for USAA as a Tower Operator during the time he served as eligibility was very limited.

Mom's friends that can't say enough good things are all widows of Navy officers.

 

[Streetcar]

I checked into usaa for my mom. unless the military member was a usaa member, defendants are not eligible. My father had already died when I investigated the insurance

 

[Gary Fowler]

So I went through the family papers and can't find anything that says DD 214

Dad's Discharge from active duty is dated December 1947

Some of the documents plainly state to be kept as proof of military service and the instructions advise recording which Dad did.

I have:

Notice of Separation from Naval Service (NAVPERS 553)
Honorable Discharge in Testimonial of Honest and Faithful Service (NAVPERS 660)
Military Billet Filled Tower Operator (NAVPERS 601)
Letter form President Harry Truman
Additional Documents for Reserve after active duty.

I think the NAVPERS 660 is the equivalent to the DD214 that has been issued for at least the last 45 years that I can confirm (thru my own discharge). I would take all of them with me to the USAA office.

 

[dmccarty]

I have read many times over the years that USAA was a great company. Years ago I looked into joining but I did not meet the membership requirements.

Flip side is that our current insurance company is awesome. Last time I checked prices, which was years ago, they they had the best policy prices by far and the customer service is amazing. Can't say enough good things about them. But it is a NC company which would not be helpful in CA.

Later,
Dan

 

[hutchman]

USAA is great! Can't say enough good things about them. When I first joined it was only for Officers and my retired enlisted dad could not join. I can't remember when but they slowly started opening up membership to enlisted services. I was finally able to get my dad joined and he has auto, checking, savings and renters insurance with them. I pay all his bills for free using their webpay service.

I think the issue here is you dad was deceased before becoming a member. But as far as I know, that's only for some products like the Auto Insurance. I believe they opened up their Banking (credit card/checking, savings) and Investment services to the public so anyone can use those.

Don't know if its the same for checking account holders that aren't full members but one of the best things about the checking account is I can use my debit card at any ATM and they return the $3 fee or whatever it is to me so it costs me nothing.

I've been a member a looooooooog time. Lots of vehicle claims. Here lately they rely on their phone app/web site to process claims which is probably still pretty quick compared to other companies but in the "old" days before smartphones and the app you almost had to slow them down processing your claim.

Here's how my typical experience with them went back then. I call them up to make a claim. They take my information. They contracted with local area adjusters and they would call you back right away and schedule a time to come meet you for estimate of the damage. Sometimes it was like the very next day (never more than a few days). When the adjuster meets you at your work or home to check out the damage, they would give you a check on the spot to have it fixed! They also have relationships with body shops and if you take your vehicle to one of these body shops they recommend the repair is lifetime guaranteed!

So when I joined it was like the best kept secret in the world ... now it's opened up to almost everyone and they still maintain excellent service but rely a bit on technology to handle the load and that annoys me as I was used to getting a human on the phone but hey, it's no where near as bad as calling someone like Social Security or Medicare and being on hold for an hour and when they finally do answer they pass you around until they hang up on you!

And another good thing is I've been able to pass membership on to my wife and daughters who are all members with checking, savings, auto insurance etc.