Living with a disability may cause the need to relocate for various reasons, these may include financial or safety concerns. If you are currently receiving Social Security Disability payments and planning to relocate, here’s how to know if your benefits can relocate with you.

Depending on where you are moving from or where you are going, your benefits may increase or decrease. To help you get a better idea, here is a guide to the two main types of Social Security Disability benefits and how they are affected when you move.

Social Security Disability (SSD)

The SSD program is designed to pay benefits to people who have medically applicable disabilities and are unable to work because of it. If you are currently receiving SSDI payments, it’s highly unlikely that your income and insurance coverage would change when you move.

SSDI is a payroll, tax-funded program of the United States government, so you are covered no matter where you live in the U.S. You will need to update the program with your new address so they can get in touch with you and confirm the new address your payments will be sent to.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

SSI is a program designed to provide financial aid to disabled children and adults, as well as individuals with low income and resources, who are citizens of the United States.

Unlike SSD, SSI is a bit more challenging if you are moving to a different state. Since this program is run and managed at the state level, your monthly payment is likely to be affected when you move from one state to another.

Since SSI payments are based on an individual’s living situation, if there is a major change in your situation, your benefit payments will be adjusted. An example of this adjustment would be if you are moving into a more institutional space, or shifting from living alone to living rent-free with another individual.

When you decide to relocate, you need to contact your local social security office to inform them about when and where you are moving.

International Relocation

Recipients of Social Security Disability payments may be concerned about whether they will lose their benefits if they move out of the country. For the most part, there is little to worry about regarding losing your benefits when moving to a different country. There are about 50 countries that have a Social Security Agreement, so your payments can be sent to you even if you relocate out of the country. In countries like the United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, Italy, Israel, Ireland and Japan you can easily receive your benefits without exception. However, there are some countries where benefits cannot be sent. So, make sure you do some research on where you are looking to move before you make a decision.

Professional Guidance

Whether you are relocating within the country or outside, moving is a stressful process. Knowing what the laws are in each place and situation can help you properly plan ahead and reduce this stress. Contact disability attorneys at Foley Law Offices, PLLC to learn more about disability benefits and how the change in your situation can affect your income. We can also review and help you with your disability case to ensure benefits now and later down the line.