SSA Expands TEFCA Data Highway to Cut Disability Claims Processing Times in Half
The Social Security Administration has expanded its integration with the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) to automate medical record retrieval. By leveraging health data superhighways, the agency aims to streamline disability claims adjudication and reduce processing times by up to 50%.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is expanding its reliance on the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) to automate the retrieval of electronic health records (EHR) for disability claims adjudication. Working alongside major EHR vendors including Epic, eClinicalWorks, and NetSmart, the initiative connects SSA directly to hundreds of health systems and tens of thousands of clinics. This digital pipeline replaces legacy, manual faxing workflows, cutting claims processing times by up to 50% and dramatically reducing administrative labor for participating healthcare providers.
Unlike older data-sharing networks like Carequality or eHealth Exchange, TEFCA provides a standardized nationwide directory and unified legal framework. Healthcare providers can connect using existing infrastructure without negotiating separate legal agreements with federal agencies. As of mid-August, SSA has executed over 60,000 data requests across 84 connected health entities. Early adopters report significant operational efficiency; for example, Florida-based Baptist Health reduced its dedicated administrative staff for SSA requests from three full-time positions to half a position while simultaneously increasing record transmission accuracy.
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