For millions of Americans awaiting disability benefits, the waiting period has historically been a grueling exercise in patience, often stalled by the slow movement of paper records and the antiquated reliance on fax machines. However, a significant shift in healthcare infrastructure is now TEFCA speeding up disability benefits determinations by enabling the near real-time exchange of medical records between healthcare providers and the federal government.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has joined the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), a federally sponsored interoperability network designed to create a universal “onramp” for health data sharing. By moving away from fragmented systems, the SSA can now access critical patient medical records more efficiently, reducing the administrative friction that often delays essential financial support for people with disabilities.
This transition is particularly evident among healthcare organizations utilizing Epic Systems’ electronic health records (EHR). According to Epic, the use of secure electronic exchange helps the SSA make benefit determinations typically up to 50% faster via the company’s official announcement. For patients, this means the difference between waiting months for a decision and receiving an approval in a fraction of the time.
From Fax Machines to Real-Time Data
The traditional process of securing disability benefits often required a months-long, fax-driven exchange of medical history. Dr. David Kaelber, chief health informatics officer at MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio, noted that the shift toward TEFCA is replacing these outdated methods with near real-time data sharing as reported by Healthcare IT News. In some instances, the efficiency of this digital pipeline has allowed disability benefits approvals to occur within a single business day of submission.
Jay Ortis, the SSA Chief of Disability Adjudication, emphasized that the agency’s “digital-first approach” ensures that Americans receive necessary services and benefits exactly when they need them per the SSA’s interoperability updates. By leveraging national frameworks like TEFCA, the government can bypass the manual hurdles that previously slowed the adjudication process.
Expanding the Network of Connected Providers
While electronic record sharing has existed in various forms for years, TEFCA provides a more streamlined, standardized option for connection. Currently, 13 hospitals and 374 clinics are exchanging patient medical records directly with the SSA through this nationwide interoperability network according to industry data.
The first group of Epic customers to connect to the SSA via TEFCA includes several diverse health systems across the United States:
- AltaMed (Los Angeles, CA)
- Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services (Shawnee, OK)
- Overlake Hospital Medical Center (Bellevue, WA)
- Saint Francis Health System (Tulsa, OK)
- Valleywise Health (Phoenix, AZ)
Other organizations, such as the MetroHealth System in Ohio and OCHIN in Portland, Oregon, were among the first Epic customers to report significant benefits for their patients through these connections as detailed by Epic.
The Evolution of Medical Record Exchange
The move to TEFCA is the latest step in a long-term effort to digitize the relationship between healthcare providers and federal agencies. Over the past 15 years, Epic customers have shared more than 11 million records with the SSA using existing networks such as the eHealth Exchange and Carequality per Epic’s interoperability records. These legacy exchanges helped nearly 500,000 people in 2025 alone.
Despite the success of those earlier networks, TEFCA is viewed as a more universal “onramp” for interoperability. Rob Klootwyk, Epic’s director of interoperability, stated that TEFCA improves outcomes for millions by making it easier for a wider variety of organizations to connect to the SSA according to his official statement. This standardization reduces the technical burden on smaller clinics and hospitals, allowing them to participate in the speed-up of TEFCA speeding up disability benefits determinations.
Key Takeaways for Patients and Providers
- Faster Determinations: Electronic exchange can make SSA benefit determinations up to 50% faster than traditional methods.
- Reduced Paperwork: The system replaces fax-based workflows with near real-time digital transfers.
- Broadening Access: While starting with a core group of hospitals and clinics, the TEFCA framework is designed to be a universal standard for nationwide connectivity.
- Proven Scale: Millions of records have already been shared via previous networks, but TEFCA streamlines the process for future participants.
As more health systems integrate with the TEFCA framework, the reliance on manual record requests is expected to diminish further. The SSA continues to expand its digital footprint to ensure that the adjudication of disability claims is based on the most current and accurate medical data available.
The Social Security Administration is expected to continue adding more connected health systems to the TEFCA network to further accelerate the electronic sharing of records nationwide as indicated in SSA agency updates.
Do you believe digital interoperability will fully replace manual medical record requests in the next few years? Share your thoughts in the comments below.