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Your wife may qualify for USAA insurance if her father served in the military — but only if he also joined USAA as a member. Military service alone is not enough. USAA extends eligibility to children of members, not children of all veterans. If her father served honorably but never opened a USAA account, your…
Fraudulent misrepresentation is the most serious type of misrepresentation in insurance. It involves deliberately providing false information or concealing material facts with the intent to deceive an insurer — either to obtain a policy you wouldn’t otherwise qualify for or to collect on a claim you’re not entitled to. Unlike innocent or negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent…
Yes, you can go to jail for lying to your insurance company. When a lie is made deliberately to gain a financial benefit you’re not entitled to, it becomes insurance fraud — a criminal offense in every U.S. state. Penalties range from misdemeanor fines for small claims to felony prison sentences for larger amounts. Whether…
If insurance finds out you lied, the consequences range from claim denial and policy cancellation to criminal charges for insurance fraud depending on the severity and intent of the lie. Insurers investigate claims thoroughly and have access to databases, recorded calls, physical evidence, and independent investigators. An honest mistake is treated very differently from deliberate…
A not-at-fault accident typically stays on your driving record for three to five years, depending on your state and the severity of the crash. It also appears on your insurance claims history for the same period. The good news is that non-fault accidents carry significantly less weight than at-fault ones — in many states, insurers…
Yes, you need to tell your insurance company about a car accident even when it wasn’t your fault. Most insurance policies include a clause that requires you to report any accident you’re involved in, regardless of who caused it. Failing to report can give your insurer grounds to deny future claims, cancel your policy, or…
Your car insurance can go up after a non-fault claim, but it doesn’t always. Whether your rates increase depends on which state you live in, which insurer you have, what type of claim you filed, and whether you have accident forgiveness on your policy. If the claim was paid entirely by the at-fault driver’s insurer…
When a car accident wasn’t your fault, the at-fault driver’s insurance is generally responsible for paying your medical bills, vehicle repairs, and other losses. In most states you file what’s called a third-party claim directly against their policy. In no-fault states, your own insurance covers your medical costs first regardless of who caused the crash….
Yes — if you were injured, if the insurance company is already contacting you, or if anyone is disputing who caused the crash, you should get a lawyer for a car accident that wasn’t your fault. A personal injury attorney costs you nothing upfront, handles the insurer on your behalf, and typically recovers significantly more…