USAA auto insurance is highly coveted due to its competitive pricing, often making it one of the most affordable options available. However, qualifying for USAA membership and its insurance benefits can be challenging, as these are primarily offered to active, retired, and honorably discharged U.S. military personnel and their families.
If you are a wife, widow of a former spouse of a military veteran or current USAA member, the good news is that you should be eligible for USAA membership and qualify for USAA car insurance. Read on to learn more.
Are wives divorced from disabled veterans eligible for USAA insurance?
If you are a former spouse of a USAA member, including a disabled veteran, you should qualify for USAA membership and your own USAA auto insurance policy. Put another way, if you become a USAA member through marriage, you can still keep your USAA membership after your divorce. But you can’t join after marriage unless you meet the eligibility requirements.
“Wives divorced from disabled veterans may lose their eligibility for USAA car insurance provided by their former husband unless they maintain a separate USAA membership,” says personal finance Dennis Shirshikov, a professor of finance at City University of New York/Queens College. “Eligibility usually depends on the terms set during the period of your marriage and continued adherence to USAA’s membership criteria.”
Check out this guide to USAA eligibility.
How do I find out if my husband was a member of USAA?
Not sure if your husband, deceased spouse, or former husband was a USAA member? Try contacting USAA at 210-531-USAA (8722) or 800-531-USAA (8722), or chat online with USAA at usaa.com/help/contact.
People also ask
My wife recently died. Her family was in the military, which gave us access to USAA benefits. Would I still be able to access benefits?
If your wife recently passed away and had USAA benefits, you may be able to retain those benefits depending on certain factors. For example, according to USAA, you may be eligible for your own surviving spouse membership if both your parent-in-law is a USAA member and your deceased wife was a USAA member.
Your parent-in-law must have first passed on membership eligibility to your spouse. If your spouse was already a member, you can use their USAA number to apply for products and benefits exclusive to USAA members. However, if your wife was not a USAA member herself, you will likely not qualify for your own USAA membership after her passing.
I am a widow of an honorably discharged veteran. My husband was not a USAA member. Am I or my adult children eligible to get auto insurance with USAA?
Again, if your late spouse was a veteran but not a USAA member, you and your children probably won’t qualify for USAA membership.
Am I eligible for coverage as a widow of a husband who served four years in the Korean War? And if so, what information is needed?
Widows, widowers and former spouses who have not remarried and who were covered by USAA auto or property insurance while married to a USAA member should qualify for membership in USAA and a USAA car insurance plan.
Widowed spouses yearning to initiate or continue membership may need to provide a marriage certificate along with the USAA member’s death certificate.
However, if your late spouse was a veteran but not a USAA member, you might get turned down for membership of your own.
I am a widow of an Air Force veteran. He was not a member of USAA. Is it possible that I could become a member?
Unfortunately, if your deceased spouse was not a USAA member but an Air Force veteran, you won’t be eligible for USAA membership.
I am a widower of a retired master chief in the Navy. Am I still eligible to sign up if he passes away?
If your deceased spouse was a USAA member, you should continue to be eligible for USAA insurance.
“But if he was not a member, you would not qualify based on his service alone,” Shirshikov says.
The bottom line
If you’re a former or surviving spouse, widow or widower, you should be able to retain your former spouse’s USAA membership. But things get more complicated if that person was not already a member. For more details and confirmation if you qualify for USAA insurance benefits, reach out to USAA.
Ask the Insurance Expert
Laura Longero
Executive Editor
Laura Longero is an insurance expert and Executive Editor at CarInsurance.com, where she specializes in helping consumers navigate the complexities of the financial and insurance industries. She has 15 years of experience educating people about finance and car insurance. Prior to joining CarInsurance.com, she worked as a reporter and editor at the USA Today Network. Her expertise provides readers with practical guidance, helping them make informed choices about their financial and insurance needs.
Ask the Insurance Expert
John McCormick
Editorial Director
John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.
Ask the Insurance Expert
Leslie Kasperowicz
Executive Editor
Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.
Ask the Insurance Expert
Nupur Gambhir
Managing Editor
Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service.