Originally Posted by
paperwastage
United and usa DOT laws do not have mandatory compensation for controllable irrops
Star alliance does have a page for irrops, which includes overnight hotel reimbursement for controllable delays. Good luck getting united to honor it(or admit it's a controllable delay) probably less teeth-pulling via your credit card
Reference Guide - Airports Information - Irregular Operations Handling
If the delay is coded as technical, I don't anticipate any problems getting UA to cover a hotel in the event of a misconnection. I've done it multiple times (although, admittedly, not recently).
OP: If you do not get an automated "We're sorry" email, follow up with Premier Voice. UA will likely offer you a travel credit, but it probably won't be a large one.