Social Security Income (SSI) is a disability program for individuals who are NOT covered by Social Security Disability, because they have not worked essentially 5 of the past 10 years and therefore have not contributed enough in the way of payroll taxes to be “covered.” SSI can be a person’s only source of income, or, as its name suggests, supplements other income. Because SSI is needs-based, income is always relevant in determining the amount of the monthly check. However, once approved for SSI, the amount of earnings will not affect the determination of whether a person continues to be disabled.