What should I expect from USAA after an accident?

By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.

Beverly Law is not affiliated with USAA.

Who joins USAA and which company is on the policy

USAA is a membership organization. It says separated military personnel must have received a discharge of Honorable or General Under Honorable Conditions to join, that eligible family members may also join, and that membership is free (USAA).

The parent, United Services Automobile Association, is described in a 2023 Texas Department of Insurance order as a domestic reciprocal interinsurance exchange. The same order names three USAA fire and casualty companies, Garrison Property and Casualty Insurance Company, USAA Casualty Insurance Company and USAA General Indemnity Company, at 9800 Fredericksburg Road in San Antonio (TDI Order 2023-8004). In that order the companies agreed, without admitting a violation, to a $45,000 penalty over using an applicant’s lack of prior insurance to set auto rates. Check which name appears on your claim letters.

If a USAA member caused the crash

USAA says that if you don’t have USAA auto insurance but were in an accident with a member, you can still file through its third-party claim option. USAA points claimants to usaa.com and its mobile app, and its general help line is 800-531-8722. USAA lists four steps: you report the claim, USAA gathers details, it evaluates payment based on coverage, deductible and who is responsible, and it pays you or a third party if the claim is covered (USAA auto claims).

What the law requires of USAA depends on the state:

California

California’s claims regulations protect third-party claimants (10 CCR 2695.2(c)). USAA must acknowledge your claim within 15 calendar days, and must give a complete answer within 15 calendar days to any letter from you that reasonably calls for a reply (10 CCR 2695.5(b), (e)). It must accept or deny within 40 days of proof of claim, or explain in writing every 30 days why it needs more time (10 CCR 2695.7(b), (c)).

Texas

The prompt-payment deadlines in chapter 542 apply only to first-party claims by an insured or beneficiary (Ins. Code 542.051). Against a USAA member, the hard deadline is yours: generally two years to sue for personal injury (Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003).

Washington

USAA must reply within 10 business days to communications that reasonably call for a response (WAC 284-30-360). If you have no lawyer and a time limit could affect your rights, it may not keep negotiating with you without written notice of that limit at least 60 days before it runs (WAC 284-30-380(5)). The general deadline to sue for an injury is three years (RCW 4.16.080).

If USAA is your own insurer

Claims under your own policy, such as PIP, MedPay or uninsured motorist coverage, are first-party claims. In Texas the clock runs like this:

1. By the 15th day after notice, USAA must acknowledge the claim, start investigating and ask for what it needs (542.055).
2. By the 15th business day after it has everything it asked for, it must accept or reject in writing and give reasons for a rejection. If it needs more time, it must say why and decide within 45 more days (542.056).
3. Once it accepts, it must pay within five business days (542.057).
4. A late payment can bring 18% yearly interest plus attorney’s fees (542.058; 542.060).

In USAA Texas Lloyds Co. v. Menchaca (2018), a homeowners case, the Texas Supreme Court held that an insured generally cannot recover policy benefits for an insurer’s statutory violation unless the insured has a right to those benefits under the policy. An insured who proves that right can recover the benefits as damages when the violation caused their loss.

In California, an accepted claim must be paid within 30 days (10 CCR 2695.7(h)). In Washington, a first-party claimant who is unreasonably denied may sue under the Insurance Fair Conduct Act after giving USAA and the Insurance Commissioner 20 days’ written notice (RCW 48.30.015). Texas PIP rules are on our no-fault page, and UIM claims have their own steps.

What Washington’s regulator found in 2026

On September 30, 2026, the Washington Insurance Commissioner announced a $140,000 fine against USAA Casualty Insurance Co. for “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in how it handled auto claims.” The office reviewed 125 complaints filed from January 2023 to April 2024 and found at least one potential violation in 31 auto claims. USAA confirmed 19 violations, including late responses, investigations not finished within 30 days, refusals to pay without a reasonable investigation, and one settlement that left out applicable taxes and fees. After the office flagged the missing taxes and fees, USAA paid $88,241 on 158 total-loss claims (OIC announcement).

Total-loss offers

Washington requires a total-loss cash settlement to include all applicable government taxes and fees, requires itemized dollar amounts for any adjustment, and gives you a copy of the valuation report on request (WAC 284-30-391). California also requires taxes and one-time fees, and gives an insured 35 days after payment or a final offer to report that you cannot buy a comparable car for that amount (10 CCR 2695.8). See car totaled when it was not your fault.

What this means for your case

In 2025 the USAA group ranked fifth in Texas private passenger auto premium with an 8.88% share (TDI). In California it wrote 4.29% of auto liability premium and 6.10% of auto physical damage premium (CDI).

Report to your own insurer as well, even when the USAA member was at fault; our page on calling your own insurance explains why. Keep every USAA letter with the date it arrived, give a recorded statement only after advice, and limit any medical authorization to crash-related records. If a deadline passes, the California Department of Insurance takes complaints at 1-800-927-4357 or online, the Texas Department of Insurance at 800-252-3439 (complaint help), and the Washington OIC at 800-562-6900 (complaints). Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou.

Common questions

Related pages

Injury law FAQs

Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 7, 2026.