A long shot: is it possible to have SSDI and live abroad?

I am thinking ahead - say, three years from now I get $1400 a month and then what? It would barely cover the rent. I will need to find a cheaper place to live, either in the US (is there any place that cheap?) or abroad. So, if abroad and seeing a p-doc abroad, is it OK with SSDI - I mean, they ask you to re-qualify from time to time, don't they?

I know I get notification about once every year or two that I am up for review, and then about a month later, get a note that says they have decided I do not need to be reviewed, so My guess is that Yes your case is reviewed from time to time. A friend of mine petitioned for and received "permanent" disability - no reviews.

You need to ask someone at ssdi for the answer to the overseas thing. Uneducated guess, I'd say probably not, but like I said, contact SSDI.

Best of luck getting quick answers. And PLEASE let me know what the answer is, because I have family outside the us and am curious for my own sake.

Will do. I will go to the SSA office in the next month. Thank you! Will update as soon as.

I do not know about SSDI specifically, but I do know you can live in several other countries while on SS. Maybe it's okay as long as you are being treated where you are at?

Definitely ask because disability has specific policies. However, one specific one is that you must be a US resident. So you would have to maintain of some kind residence in the US as well as wherever you were living, as being a US resident is a qualification.

Also,
hamster-bamster quote:
" So, if abroad and seeing a p-doc abroad, is it OK with SSDI "

If you qualified for Medicare with your SSDI, it would be difficult to find an abroad pdoc or other physician that accepts Medicare. As it is, it is hard enough to find ones here that accept it. It would have to be an out-of-pocket expense unless you could find a US treatment facility, which not to put a damper on things, but they can be difficult to get into.

From the social security administration site: "Medicare generally does not cover health services you get outside the United States. The hospital insurance part of Medicare is available to you if you return to the United States. If you want the medical insurance part of Medicare, you must enroll. There is a monthly premium that normally will be withheld from your payment. Because Medicare benefits are available only in the United States, it may not be to your advantage to sign up and pay the premium for medical insurance if you will be out of the United States for a long period of time. But you should be aware that your premium, when you do sign up, will be 10 percent higher for each 12-month period you could have been enrolled but were not."


This information is under the general information about SS and as far as continuing to receive disability, that was not specific. There is a contact us link on www.ssa.gov so you can ask questions about living out of the country and disability payments.

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Once your income drops below certain guidelines, you will be eligible for additional programs like rent assistance (section 8). Rent assistance sets your rent at 1/3 of your income. Food assistance and other programs are also available but I think $1400 is too high for that. People I know who live on SSI get about $700 a month with rent assistance, food assistance, meals on wheels, medical assistance beyond medicare, heat assistance. They are able to meet their basic needs but have to be careful about what they buy beyond that.