Nearly Two Decades of Collaboration Advance Faster, More Secure Disability Benefits Decisions Under TEFCA
eHealth Exchange™, one of the nation’s largest and longest-standing health information networks (HIEs), today announced that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has selected eHealth Exchange as its Qualified Health Information Network® (QHIN™) under the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement™ (TEFCA™). The primary purpose of use for this connection will be SSA’s Government Benefits Determination, supporting SSA’s mission to efficiently and accurately evaluate disability benefits claims.
SSA administers critical benefit programs that support more than 75 million Americans, including retirement, disability and survivor benefits, and supplemental security income. Each year, SSA receives approximately two million disability benefits claims, all of which must be carefully reviewed and supported by objective medical evidence. Secure, timely access to health information is essential to ensuring eligible individuals receive benefits as quickly as possible—often during times of significant medical and financial need.
SSA’s selection of eHealth Exchange as its QHIN reflects a trusted partnership that dates to the network’s origins as the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN). SSA participated in the first live exchange in 2009, and nearly two decades later, eHealth Exchange now supports over 25 billion data exchanges each year across federal agencies, regional and state HIEs, health systems, payers, and public health organizations nationwide.
“SSA has been a cornerstone partner since the very beginning of our network, and we are honored to continue that relationship as the agency’s QHIN under TEFCA,” said Jay Nakashima, president of eHealth Exchange. “From the first exchange in 2009 to supporting billions of transactions today, our shared focus has always been on trust, transparency, and measurable impact. This connection underscores the power of TEFCA to support critical government missions and deliver real value to agencies, providers, and most importantly, the individuals they serve.”
SSA is currently in the testing phase of its connection to the eHealth Exchange QHIN and expects to be live in the spring of 2026.
“Choosing a trusted partner like eHealth Exchange as our QHIN strengthens SSA’s Government Benefits Determination use case under TEFCA and will serve to streamline our disability determination process,” said Jay Ortis, Chief of Disability Adjudication at SSA. “With this digital-first approach, we are able to accurately direct our queries and significantly reduce processing times of disability claims, which means faster decisions and timely access to benefits for Americans who need and deserve support during times of need.”
This implementation will leverage TEFCA’s newly established Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Government Benefits Determination Exchange Purpose, which defines how agencies such as SSA can securely direct queries for medical records rather than broadcast requests, aligning with claimant preferences and SSA’s specific evidentiary requirements.
The SSA connection further strengthens eHealth Exchange’s role in supporting federal agencies through TEFCA and advancing nationwide interoperability for high-impact use cases, including benefits determination, care coordination, and public service delivery.
For more information about eHealth Exchange and its work with federal agencies, visit eHealthExchange.org/federal-agencies/.
