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Filing A Claim With USAA Insurance
Filing A Claim With USAA Insurance
USAA Insurance is an acronym for the United Services Automobile Association (USAA), which is an auto insurance provider for members of the military and their families. The firm is based in Texas and its headquarters are located in San Antonio. It was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 30,000 employees and more than $30 billion in revenue.
The company has among the best customer satisfaction ratings in the industry, but is very unpopular with third-party claimants. If you are not a customer of the company, you may be forced to interact with USAA if their policy-holder hits you in a car accident. USAA just like other auto-insurance companies will offer you the lowest payout possible to save money.
Things To Do Before Filing A Claim
To have a successful and timely claim, there are certain steps you need to take. They include:
- Clearly document all the injuries you suffered in the accident. Make sure you see a doctor so that you can get documentation to prove you were injured and got treatment.
- Get the police report because it documents the car accident
- Call your insurance company immediately after the accident
- Only sign documents form a law enforcement agency not an insurance company
- Make notes about the accidents when your memory of the events leading to the crash are still fresh. This includes listing contact information from witnesses or other drivers who saw the crash or stopped to help
- Only your lawyer should know your opinion about the accident
These steps will make it easier for you to deal with the difficult and slow insurance claims process. USAA processes claims very slowly and makes the whole experience difficult for claimants. One way they do this is by outsourcing claims to other companies. The result of this is that claimants sometimes find themselves having to deal with external and internal adjusters during a claims process.
They also have requirements for medical records presented to them. You may be forced to go back to your medical provider to make changes and reissue paperwork if your documents don’t meet USAA requirements. However, there is a chance that your medical providers may refuse to comply or may take too long to comply. The consequence of that is that your claim may be denied.
How To File A Claim With USAA
A majority of drivers in Texas carry the minimum amount of car insurance. A significant number of insurers offer relatively low personal injury policies. All you can get from a driver that has these types of policies is $30,000 for each injured person, a maximum of $60,000 for every accident, and a maximum of $25,000 for property damage.
USAA offers policies as high as $100,000 but they may try to limit or reduce your claim. They are less likely to use delay tactics if you are seriously injured. But that doesn’t mean they will pay you the full amount you need to recover from injuries and pay your medical expenses. An experienced personal injury lawyer can negotiate aggressively with them to ensure you get the full amount you deserve.