Mass. same-sex spouses eligible for benefits

BOSTON – Massachusetts residents who had insurance coverage denied by the United Services Automobile Association because they were previously in a same-sex marriage will now be offered memberships following an agreement with the organization, Mass. Attorney General Martha Coakley announced last week.
In an assurance of discontinuance, the organization agreed to provide equal insurance benefits and membership to any unmarried widow, widower, or divorced spouse of a USAA member whom it improperly denied membership in the past. USAA has also agreed to pay $50,000 to the state.
According to a news release, membership to USAA is generally limited to current and former members of any branch of the U.S. military, the children of these service members, and unmarried widows, widowers and divorced spouses of USAA members. Normally, when a spouse is a member, the other spouse is a beneficiary, and a death or divorce makes that beneficiary eligible for his or her own membership. •

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