Who Can Be a USAA Member? Eligibility Requirements

USAA is a financial services provider offering insurance, banking, and investments tailored to the military community. This article clarifies USAA membership eligibility.

Direct Military Service Eligibility

Membership with USAA is primarily extended to individuals based on their own military service. This includes all active-duty members across various branches of the U.S. military, such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserves.

Veterans who have concluded their military service may also qualify for membership. Eligibility generally requires an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions from the U.S. military.

Officer candidates are another group eligible for USAA membership. This includes cadets and midshipmen enrolled at U.S. service academies. Additionally, those in advanced Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs, on ROTC scholarships, or officer candidates within 24 months of commissioning are also eligible.

Family Membership Eligibility

Beyond direct military service, USAA extends membership eligibility to certain family members of those who qualify through their own service. Current spouses of USAA members are eligible to join.

Unremarried widows and widowers of former USAA members can also maintain or establish their own membership. This eligibility often requires that the deceased spouse had USAA auto or property insurance during their marriage. Similarly, unremarried former spouses of USAA members may qualify if they obtained USAA membership during the marriage and maintained continuous coverage.

Biological children, adopted children, and step-children of USAA members are eligible. For children, eligibility often depends on the parent being a USAA member at the time of the child’s birth or adoption, or the child being added to the parent’s membership. It is important to note that membership eligibility passes downwards, meaning a current USAA member cannot pass eligibility up to their parents or across to their siblings.

Applying for Membership

Applying for USAA membership is primarily an online process. The USAA website provides a dedicated section to begin the application.

Applicants will need to provide specific personal and military information to complete the process. This commonly includes a Social Security Number, date of birth, and a valid government-issued identification such as a driver’s license or passport. For those qualifying through military service, details like their branch, rank, and dates of service are necessary.

USAA verifies eligibility, which may involve submitting supporting documentation. Active-duty personnel might provide a military ID, while veterans often submit a copy of their DD Form 214, a certificate of release or discharge from active duty. Family members typically need to provide proof of relationship, such as a marriage certificate for spouses or a birth certificate for children, listing the USAA member parent.