Can I Receive Social Security Disability Benefits if I Leave the United States?

You may be able to continue receiving Social Security Disability benefits if you move out of the country, but it depends on which disability program you qualify for, where you are moving, and whether you meet certain specific eligibility requirements.

There are two disability programs: Social Security Disability Insurance, which is known as SSDI, and Supplemental Security Income—commonly referred to as SSI.

SSDI pays benefits to you and certain members of your family if you have a qualifying disability and you worked long enough and recently enough at a job where you paid Social Security taxes.

SSI is based on financial need. The Social Security Administration (SSA) says, “It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income.”

If you have qualified for SSDI, you can continue to receive benefits if you leave the United States (outside the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa or the Northern Mariana Islands).

You must meet certain requirements. You must be a U.S. citizen, you must notify the SSA that you are moving, and you will need to complete required paperwork.

Furthermore, you must live in an approved country. The U.S. Department of the Treasury prohibits making payments to persons residing in Cuba or North Korea. And generally, the SSA cannot send Social Security payments to people in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The agency can make exceptions for certain eligible people in these countries. To qualify for an exception, you must meet and agree to restricted payment conditions. For more information about these conditions and the qualifications to get an exception, contact Social Security.

There are some additional considerations you should keep in mind:

• You might need to return to the U.S. to review your eligibility in person. 
• You will have to maintain the proper paperwork. 
• The SSA might send you a questionnaire to determine if you are still eligible for benefits. 
• The SSA requires you to notify them promptly about any changes that could affect your payments. 

You can use the SSA’s online tool to find out if you can continue to receive your Social Security benefits if you leave the U.S. For more information about receiving disability benefits while living abroad, download the SSA’s brochure: “Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States.”

By Social Security Administration rules, you cannot collect SSI benefits while living in another country.

There is one exception to this rule. Children who are SSI eligible and leave the U.S. because a parent is in the military can continue to receive disability benefits.

SSI also has different rules about what is “out of the country.” For SSI purposes Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa are considered to be outside of the U.S.

Leaving the United States for 30 days or less will not affect your SSDI or SSI benefits.

Becoming eligible for Social Security Disability benefits can be a difficult and frustrating process.

In fact, 70% of initial claims are denied. But don’t give up. Our Chicago disability lawyers can help.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office study showed that if a claimant has a Social Security Disability attorney in their hearing with a disability judge, they are almost three times more likely to be allowed benefits than someone who had no representation at all.

For a free, no-strings-attached evaluation of your case, call or email us at Nash Disability Law.