In 2016, the Association of Americans Resident Overseas estimated that 8.7 million U.S. citizens were living abroad, and the Social Security Administration reported that over half a million people who live outside the United States receive some kind of Social Security benefit, including Social Security Disability benefits.
Although disability insurance companies do not typically publish statistics regarding the number of policyholders or claimants that live abroad, it is safe to assume that at least a small percentage of U.S. citizens living outside the United States will also be eligible to receive long-term disability insurance benefits.
Can I Collect Long-Term Disability Benefits While Living Outside the United States?
As with most questions relating to long-term disability insurance benefits, the answer is determined by the terms of your insurance policy. If your policy includes a foreign residency limitation, you may not be eligible to receive benefits if you reside outside of the United States for a certain time (typically six months or more), or your payments will be limited to a specific period so long as you continue to reside outside the country.
Foreign residency limitations are common in group and individual disability insurance policies, so be sure to obtain and carefully review your long-term disability insurance policy. You can request a copy of your policy by contacting your employer’s human resources department or the insurance company directly.