Can You Get Disability Benefits Living Abroad?

A surprisingly common question in disability law is whether it’s possible to get disability benefits if you live outside of the United States.

The general answer is that yes, that’s possible in most cases, but there are some caveats.

First, you can only disability benefits living outside the U.S. if you’re receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, the program based on work credits. If you’re receiving the more need-based Supplemental Security Income benefits, it will be terminated if you spend more than 30 consecutive days outside of the country.

Second, whether you can receive SSDI benefits living abroad somewhat depends on the country. Popular destinations for expats including Canada, Mexico, Thailand, and the Philippines all allow disabled Americans residing there to receive benefits from Social Security.

Countries with more frayed relationships with the United States, such as Cuba and North Korea are not among the countries approved by the Social Security Administration for those receiving SSDI to continue receiving benefits.

Ultimately, this varies a lot by country, so its best to double check if you’re looking at moving outside the U.S.

Besides that, there’s also the issue of medical records to consider. If you move to another country while your disability application is pending, Social Security will seek records from providers there. That can result in lengthy delays to get records (fi they can even be obtained), and potential further delays awaiting translations in some cases, as well as difficulties with attending a hearing.