Recipients of Social Security Disability benefits may find that moving out of the country affects whether they are able to continue receiving benefits. That said, this depends largely on which type of benefits they receive and where they are moving.
There are two main disability benefits programs overseen by the Social Security Administration: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Both programs have distinct requirements for applicants.
For the most part, those who receive SSDI benefits – and are, of course, US citizens – should not have their payments affected by moving to another country. The only thing that may prevent a US citizen from continuing to receive SSDI payments in another country would be if they moved to a country where the benefits cannot be sent, such as certain former Soviet Bloc countries, such as Uzbekistan, Moldova, Ukraine – but excluding Russia and Baltic countries – North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Cuba. The full list is available on the Social Security Administration's website. If you live in a country that is not allowed by the Social Security Administration, you may apply for an exception, which would require appearances at the US Embassy in that country.
There are many countries in which one can continue receiving benefits without exception, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Japan. There are also several countries in which someone could receive benefits, provided they are not receiving them as a dependent, including Brazil, Iceland, Jamaica, Mexico, Hungary, Albania, and many others. The complete lists for both of these categories is also found on the Social Security Administration website, and are both subject to change.
If you are not a citizen of the US or its protectorates, but are a legal resident who moves out of the country for more than six months, your benefits payments may cease. Citizens and legal residents may both be required to return to the US at some point for a disability review to determine whether or not the disabling condition persists.
SSI recipients, on the other hand, are generally not able to continue receiving benefits once they have been out of the US for 30 days and must return for at least 30 days before payments can resume.
