VA Joins National Health Data Exchange Network
The Department of Veterans Affairs and defense health leadership have formally joined the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Military Jobs
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The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs and defense health leadership have joined TEFCA. The expansion connects active-duty service members, veterans, and their families to the national health information interoperability network.
Why it matters
Fragmented transitions of care have historically delayed clinical data exchange between military, veteran, and civilian systems. Joining the network is intended to let health records move more readily across those settings.
TEFCA connects nearly 25,000 participating organizations and 110,000 unique provider endpoints, and has exchanged more than two billion cumulative health records since operations began in late 2023. The extraction does not indicate how much of that volume involves military or veteran records.
The players
Department of Veterans Affairs
The federal agency responsible for medical care and benefits for United States military veterans, operating one of the largest integrated health care systems in the country.
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
The federal office within HHS that sets national policy for health information technology and oversees TEFCA.
Social Security Administration
The independent federal agency that administers retirement, disability, and survivor benefits, and that uses TEFCA to retrieve medical records for disability decisions.
The details
Integration connects military treatment facilities and VA medical centers with private community providers, which the VA Community Care Network already serves under the VA MISSION Act. The Indian Health Service, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Social Security Administration are already operational on TEFCA, with SSA using it to retrieve medical records for disability adjudication.
Timeline
Late 2023: TEFCA operations began exchanging health records.
November 5, 2026: The ONC announced that VA and defense health leadership joined TEFCA.
Market Landscape
The VA and defense expansion extends the TEFCA network that the 21st Century Cures Act established as its statutory foundation. It brings a large federal health system into a framework already used by the Indian Health Service and the Social Security Administration.
Veterans and active-duty members may eventually see their health records move more readily between VA, military, and civilian providers. The extraction does not specify when this will affect individual patient care.
The takeaway
Connecting military, veteran, and civilian health records addresses a long-standing gap in care transitions. Whether the expanded network delivers faster care will depend on how quickly providers adopt it.
Further reading
For related coverage of service-connected careers, see Military Jobs.
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Do you trust the federal government to keep your health records secure and shared properly?
