Can a Person Still Collect Long Term Disability if They Live Outside of the USA?
Category: Disability Law , Social Security
- 09 Jun 2025
- Posted By WebSiteAdmin
In 2016, a study was conducted which showed approximately 8.7 million citizens lived outside of the United States. It also found that about half of them receive some sort of payment from the Social Security Administration.
Most of these folks are receiving Social Security retirement benefits while a much smaller percentage are receiving disability payments. Individual disability policies have language in them which will inform you if you are eligible to receive benefits if you move outside of the country. Many of these policies offer payments to residents as long as they live less than half the year outside the United States.
In regard to SSDI payments from the SSA, they will still issue payments as long as certain criteria are met (i.e., their disability continues, and they meet other program requirements). Non-citizens may also receive benefits abroad, but only if they meet certain criteria, such as having worked in the U.S. long enough to qualify for SSDI and residing in a country where payments are allowed.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) prohibits SSDI payments to individuals living in certain countries, such as North Korea, Cuba, and some former Soviet republics (e.g., Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), due to U.S. laws or lack of diplomatic relations. Payments may also be withheld in countries where mail or banking services are unreliable, but the SSA can hold payments until the individual moves to an eligible country.
An individual must inform the SSA of a move to ensure payments continue. Payments can be sent via direct deposit to a U.S. bank account or, in many cases, to a bank in the country where you reside, if that country has an international direct deposit agreement with the U.S.
If your situation does not fall into the explanation above, feel free to reach out to a disability attorney for guidance. They should be able to answer any questions you have and help you with legal issues you may have.
