USAA’s Origins
United States Auto Insurance (USAA) is an insurance company that markets to veterans and their family members. USAA was founded in 1922 in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally called the United States Army Automobile Association but the name changed when they expanded to other service branches a few years later. USAA PIP Insurance claims are unique from that of many other insurers, thus this article focuses on that aspect of a USAA claim.
USAA Personal Injury Protection Claims
We have found that USAA is unique from other insurance companies in that they tend to be harder to deal with in first-party PIP claims whereas other insurance companies are unreasonable when you make a third-party claim. Most insurance companies issue very small Personal Injury Protection policies. They make be as low as $2,500.00. As a result, they do not usually put up a big fight when you make a claim for your medical bills.
USAA, on the other hand, is one of the few insurance companies that we see issuing large Personal Injury Protection policies of $50,000 or even $100,000. Then, when you make a claim on your own policy, you may be met with a fight. Often, USAA uses an independent claims auditing company to audit the bills you submit. The process we run into with them is often slow and cumbersome. We sometimes have to submit the bills and/or records several times. Second, it is not uncommon for the case to get switched to a new adjuster during the claims process. They also will not always accept the bill you receive from your medical provider. Rather, they may insist upon you via your medical providers providing bills with specific billing codes stated on the bill. If your providers—who by the way have much better things to do with their time like practicing medicine—refuse to create a set of billing records that comply with this request, then the adjusting company may reject paying those bills.
Making a USAA PIP Claim
Knowing how USAA does business from the start is the key to handling USAA claims. An attorney experienced in handling car accident claims can review the bills and determine which ones are most likely to get rejected based on the technical requirements of the USAA PIP contracts. To get these claims paid, often the attorney must contact the hospital and explain what kind of billing detail is required in order to make the claim. If that is not possible, then the only other option is to file a lawsuit to force payment of the PIP. In some circumstances, an insurance bad faith lawsuit may be necessary.
Let Us Fight USAA For You
At Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., we have handled numerous USAA claims–both PIP first-party claims and third-party liability claims. We know what they require to present USAA PIP Insurance claims under their unique contract terms. We handle cases on a contingency fee basis which means that you do not pay us a dime unless we make a recovery in your case. Call us now toll-free at (713) 932-0777.
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