data.healthcare.gov: Accessibility — week 2026-W26

Automated Accessibility Conformance Report (OpenACR): Download ACR. Machine-readable; compatible with GSA OpenACR tooling. Automated tools find ~⅓ of real barriers — supplement with manual AT testing.

Training priorities

Top WCAG success criteria by pages affected this week. Use these to focus team training on the highest-impact issues.

SC	Criterion	Pages	Rules
1.4.6	WCAG 1.4.6	653	1
1.4.8	WCAG 1.4.8	653	1
2.5.5	WCAG 2.5.5	653	1
4.1.2	Name, Role, Value (ARIA)	584	3
1.3.1	Info and Relationships (semantic structure)	5	2

Next 10 actions

Clusters are fingerprinted by normalized selector path + rule id + snippet shape. Rank score = (severity weight × pages affected) / distinct components for the rule. This supersedes the template threshold heuristic while still surfacing it as a validation signal.

Top 10 clustered component fixes for this week.
Cluster	Severity	Pages	Who it affects	How to fix	Evidence	Decision
Text has enhanced contrast · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1302 finding(s) on 651 page(s). XPath / selector: `text: "opens in new window"`	Moderate	651	Requires manual testing.	Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AAA (7:1).	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~653 finding(s) on 653 page(s). XPath / selector: `<p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">`	Moderate	653	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~653 finding(s) on 653 page(s). XPath / selector: `<p class="ds-c-usa-banner__action ds-u-align-items--center ds-u-md-display--none ds-u-display--flex">`	Moderate	653	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~575 finding(s) on 575 page(s). XPath / selector: `<p class="ds-u-margin--0 ds-u-font-weight--bold">`	Moderate	575	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~651 finding(s) on 651 page(s). XPath / selector: `<a href="/" title="Data.Healthcare home">`	Moderate	651	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r111	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~651 finding(s) on 651 page(s). XPath / selector: `<button type="button" class="ds-c-button ds-c-button--on-dark ds-c-button--ghost ds-u-border--0 dkan-c-header-search--modal-button">`	Moderate	651	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r111	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~591 finding(s) on 591 page(s). XPath / selector: `<a class="dkan-c-header--link ds-c-button ds-c-button--ghost" href="/datasets">`	Moderate	591	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r111	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1002 finding(s) on 503 page(s). XPath / selector: `<div id="tooltip-trigger--196" tabindex="-1" class="ds-c-tooltip" data-placement="bottom-start">`	Moderate	503	Without vision, Limited vision, Limited manipulation/strength	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r17	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~503 finding(s) on 503 page(s). XPath / selector: `<div aria-labelledby="overview__tab" aria-hidden="true" class="ds-c-tabs__panel" id="overview">`	Moderate	503	Without vision, Limited vision, Limited manipulation/strength	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r17	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~60 finding(s) on 60 page(s). XPath / selector: `<p class="ds-u-visibility--screen-reader" aria-live="assertive" aria-atomic="true" data-testid="currentResults">`	Moderate	60	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes

Bug reports

4 issue type(s) are shown by default out of 20 total. Prioritized by severity, key pages, WCAG level, and prevalence; use the toggle to show everything.

Overall severity mix: 3 serious, 16 moderate, 1 minor. By WCAG category: 5 WCAG 2.0 A, 1 WCAG 2.0 AA, 1 WCAG 2.1 A, 1 WCAG 2.2 AA, 3 WCAG 2.x AAA, 4 Best Practice, 5 Undetermined. Ordered by severity, key-page impact, WCAG level, and prevalence. Following accessibility bug-reporting best practices. Download: Markdown · JSON (full archive) · JSON (AI diagnostic) · CSV (all findings) · Priority pages CSV · Priority pages JSON.

Automated testing does not establish full WCAG conformance. Findings in the verification lane require manual testing before they are treated as confirmed failures.

Default view shows 4 prioritized issue type(s); 16 more are available if you switch to "Show everything".

2 finding(s) marked "possible duplicate" — Alfa and axe-core both flagged the same WCAG SC on overlapping pages. If they target the same element, the axe-core report is authoritative. Filter the CSV by possible_duplicate_of to see these. Two engines flagging the same barrier reduces the chance of a false positive.

Findings needing review

These findings need manual verification before they can be treated as confirmed failures. Obligation remains visible for each finding.

Serious axe list WCAG 2.0 A <ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements (WCAG 1.3.1) 2/1895 pages · 2 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-040126f1
Pattern ID: VS-a0bdbdf6
Combined ID: VS-040126f1 (pattern VS-a0bdbdf6) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — <ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements [list]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/datasets?keyword%5B%5D=2025
XPath / selector: ol[data-testid="results-list"]
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<ol class="dc-dataset-search-list ds-u-padding--0 ds-u-margin-top--0 ds-u-margin-bottom--4 ds-u-display--block" data-testid="results-list">

Description

<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements. Detected by axe-core rule list on 2 of 1895 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/datasets?keyword%5B%5D=2025.
Locate the element: ol[data-testid="results-list"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule list against WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Use <ul>/<ol> with only <li> children for lists; don't fake lists with <div>s.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/list?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Serious axe color-contrast WCAG 2.0 AA Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds (WCAG 1.4.3) 1/1895 pages · 2 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-491a9d67
Pattern ID: VS-be8d563e
Combined ID: VS-491a9d67 (pattern VS-be8d563e) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 AA
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds [color-contrast]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/AB-NIPR-Health-Line-Of-Authority
XPath / selector: small:nth-child(1) > pre
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<pre class="version"> v1 </pre>

Description

Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds. Detected by axe-core rule color-contrast on 1 of 1895 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/AB-NIPR-Health-Line-Of-Authority.
Locate the element: small:nth-child(1) > pre
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule color-contrast against WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).

Impact

Affects Limited vision (2.4%), Without color perception (4.5%).

Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Without color perception — 4.5% of population

Affected pages

/AB-NIPR-Health-Line-Of-Authority

Testing environment

Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Increase the contrast between text and its background to at least 4.5:1 (3:1 for large text). Check both light and dark modes.

Drupal tip: Check your Drupal theme's base CSS. Themes like Olivero and Bartik have contrast issues in default color schemes — override failing color pairs in your subtheme's style.css.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/color-contrast?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Serious axe aria-input-field-name WCAG 2.0 A ARIA input fields must have an accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 1/1895 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-6da23a9b
Pattern ID: VS-0841abc2
Combined ID: VS-6da23a9b (pattern VS-0841abc2) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — ARIA input fields must have an accessible name [aria-input-field-name]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/de-intake-form
XPath / selector: .select2-selection
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<span class="select2-selection select2-selection--multiple" role="combobox" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" tabindex="-1" aria-disabled="false">

Description

ARIA input fields must have an accessible name. Detected by axe-core rule aria-input-field-name on 1 of 1895 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/de-intake-form.
Locate the element: .select2-selection
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule aria-input-field-name against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population

Affected pages

/de-intake-form

Testing environment

Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/aria-input-field-name?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r17 WCAG 2.0 A aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements (WCAG 4.1.2) 582/1895 pages · 2569 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-abec1ff5
Pattern ID: VS-f6cf30ff
Combined ID: VS-abec1ff5 (pattern VS-f6cf30ff) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements [sia-r17]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-completion-list?page=5
XPath / selector: <div id="tooltip-trigger--196" tabindex="-1" class="ds-c-tooltip" data-placement="bottom-start">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r17 on 582 of 1895 scanned pages (2569 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-completion-list?page=5.
Locate the element: <div id="tooltip-trigger--196" tabindex="-1" class="ds-c-tooltip" data-placement="bottom-start">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r17 against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population

Affected pages

…and more — all 582 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r17

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r111 WCAG 2.x AAA Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) (WCAG 2.5.5) 653/1895 pages · 18958 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-c94f23e6
Pattern ID: VS-cb53cc4d
Combined ID: VS-c94f23e6 (pattern VS-cb53cc4d) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation: aspirational
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced) (Level AAA, WCAG 2.1)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) [sia-r111]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-completion-list?page=5
XPath / selector: <a href="/" title="Data.Healthcare home">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r111 on 653 of 1895 scanned pages (18958 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-completion-list?page=5.
Locate the element: <a href="/" title="Data.Healthcare home">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r111 against WCAG 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced).

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 653 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r111

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r73 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 (WCAG 1.4.8) 653/1895 pages · 4537 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-87760ea4
Pattern ID: VS-2208081b
Combined ID: VS-87760ea4 (pattern VS-2208081b) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation: aspirational
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.8 Visual Presentation (Level AAA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-completion-list?page=5
XPath / selector: <p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r73 on 653 of 1895 scanned pages (4537 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-completion-list?page=5.
Locate the element: <p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r73 against WCAG 1.4.8 Visual Presentation.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 653 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r66 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has enhanced contrast (WCAG 1.4.6) 653/1895 pages · 1313 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-8394c73f
Pattern ID: VS-646b1e0b
Combined ID: VS-8394c73f (pattern VS-646b1e0b) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation: aspirational
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) (Level AAA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Text has enhanced contrast [sia-r66]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-completion-list?page=5
XPath / selector: text: "opens in new window"
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Text has enhanced contrast. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r66 on 653 of 1895 scanned pages (1313 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-completion-list?page=5.
Locate the element: text: "opens in new window"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r66 against WCAG 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced).

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 653 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AAA (7:1).

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r66

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe landmark-unique Best Practice Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c (WCAG criterion undetermined) 7/1895 pages · 7 instances

Bug ID: VS-a7f3ade0
Pattern ID: VS-8806389c
Combined ID: VS-a7f3ade0 (pattern VS-8806389c) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c [landmark-unique]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/about
XPath / selector: .dkan-c-main-nav
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<nav class="dkan-c-main-nav">

Description

Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c. Detected by axe-core rule landmark-unique on 7 of 1895 scanned pages (7 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/about.
Locate the element: .dkan-c-main-nav
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule landmark-unique.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: When a landmark role/type repeats (e.g. two <nav>s), give each a distinct accessible name with aria-label or aria-labelledby (e.g. "Primary" and "Footer" navigation) so screen-reader users can tell them apart.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/landmark-unique?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe heading-order Best Practice Heading levels should only increase by one (WCAG criterion undetermined) 6/1895 pages · 6 instances

Bug ID: VS-5d1ab417
Pattern ID: VS-d25f622d
Combined ID: VS-5d1ab417 (pattern VS-d25f622d) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — Heading levels should only increase by one [heading-order]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/?page=3
XPath / selector: .ds-u-lg-padding-top--0 > h4
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<h4 class="ds-text-heading--2xl">Find and download Healthcare.gov datasets</h4>

Description

Heading levels should only increase by one. Detected by axe-core rule heading-order on 6 of 1895 scanned pages (6 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/?page=3.
Locate the element: .ds-u-lg-padding-top--0 > h4
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule heading-order.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Use heading levels in order (h1 → h2 → h3) without skipping; structure, not size.

Drupal tip: Drupal Views and blocks can insert headings at arbitrary levels. In the Views UI, set "Title tag" for each display. For block titles, configure the heading level in the block's layout settings.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/heading-order?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r14 WCAG 2.1 A Accessible name of link or button matches visible label (WCAG 2.5.3) 3/1895 pages · 18 instances

Bug ID: VS-8bc0c809
Pattern ID: VS-f7dba940
Combined ID: VS-8bc0c809 (pattern VS-f7dba940) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.1 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 2.5.3 Label in Name (Level A, WCAG 2.1)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Accessible name of link or button matches visible label [sia-r14]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/?page=3
XPath / selector: <a data-testid="card-a" data-title="Public Use Files" aria-labelledby="idRef-link-0" aria-describedby="idRef-desc-0">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Accessible name of link or button matches visible label. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r14 on 3 of 1895 scanned pages (18 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/?page=3.
Locate the element: <a data-testid="card-a" data-title="Public Use Files" aria-labelledby="idRef-link-0" aria-describedby="idRef-desc-0">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r14 against WCAG 2.5.3 Label in Name.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Without speech (0.5%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Without speech — 0.5% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r14

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r18 Undetermined aria attribute is permitted for element role (WCAG criterion undetermined) 3/1895 pages · 5 instances

Bug ID: VS-91d8dc58
Pattern ID: VS-e05344b9
Combined ID: VS-91d8dc58 (pattern VS-e05344b9) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — aria attribute is permitted for element role [sia-r18]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/cciio/ecp_form?faq=how+do+i+download+csv+files+in+excel%3F
XPath / selector: @aria-labelledby="faqs_heading"
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

Description

aria attribute is permitted for element role. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r18 on 3 of 1895 scanned pages (5 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/cciio/ecp_form?faq=how+do+i+download+csv+files+in+excel%3F.
Locate the element: @aria-labelledby="faqs_heading"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r18.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Only use ARIA states/properties that are allowed on this element/role.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r18

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r61 Undetermined Form field label is visible (WCAG criterion undetermined) 3/1895 pages · 3 instances

Bug ID: VS-ec029ddf
Pattern ID: VS-7118fead
Combined ID: VS-ec029ddf (pattern VS-7118fead) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Form field label is visible [sia-r61]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/cciio/ecp_form?faq=how+do+i+download+csv+files+in+excel%3F
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Form field label is visible. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r61 on 3 of 1895 scanned pages (3 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/cciio/ecp_form?faq=how+do+i+download+csv+files+in+excel%3F.
Locate the element: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r61.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r61

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r53 Undetermined Headings are structured hierarchically (WCAG criterion undetermined) 3/1895 pages · 3 instances

Bug ID: VS-626eaba5
Pattern ID: VS-f054f4a4
Combined ID: VS-626eaba5 (pattern VS-f054f4a4) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Headings are structured hierarchically [sia-r53]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/?page=3
XPath / selector: <h4 class="ds-text-heading--2xl">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Headings are structured hierarchically. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r53 on 3 of 1895 scanned pages (3 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/?page=3.
Locate the element: <h4 class="ds-text-heading--2xl">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r53.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Use headings in a logical, non-skipping order.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r53

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r68 WCAG 2.0 A Presentational children of an element are not focusable (WCAG 1.3.1) 3/1895 pages · 3 instances · possible duplicate

Bug ID: VS-00dec8e8
Pattern ID: VS-d6097011
Combined ID: VS-00dec8e8 (pattern VS-d6097011) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Presentational children of an element are not focusable [sia-r68]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/datasets?keyword%5B%5D=2025
XPath / selector: <ol class="dc-dataset-search-list ds-u-padding--0 ds-u-margin-top--0 ds-u-margin-bottom--4 ds-u-display--block" data-testid="results-list">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-040126f1 (pattern VS-a0bdbdf6). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Presentational children of an element are not focusable. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r68 on 3 of 1895 scanned pages (3 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/datasets?keyword%5B%5D=2025.
Locate the element: <ol class="dc-dataset-search-list ds-u-padding--0 ds-u-margin-top--0 ds-u-margin-bottom--4 ds-u-display--block" data-testid="results-list">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r68 against WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r68

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r78 Undetermined Table header has scope (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/1895 pages · 2 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-9873487a
Pattern ID: VS-2cd767ca
Combined ID: VS-9873487a (pattern VS-2cd767ca) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Table header has scope [sia-r78]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/datasets?keyword%5B%5D=2025
XPath / selector: <h2 class="ds-c-alert__heading">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

Description

Table header has scope. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r78 on 2 of 1895 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/datasets?keyword%5B%5D=2025.
Locate the element: <h2 class="ds-c-alert__heading">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r78.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r78

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r8 WCAG 2.0 A Form field has accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 1/1895 pages · 1 instances · possible duplicate Likely content

Bug ID: VS-1b806121
Pattern ID: VS-a48e6078
Combined ID: VS-1b806121 (pattern VS-a48e6078) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Form field has accessible name [sia-r8]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/de-intake-form
XPath / selector: <span class="select2-selection select2-selection--multiple" role="combobox" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-6da23a9b (pattern VS-0841abc2). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Form field has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r8 on 1 of 1895 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/de-intake-form.
Locate the element: <span class="select2-selection select2-selection--multiple" role="combobox" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r8 against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population

Affected pages

/de-intake-form

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Associate the form field with a label.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r8

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r60 Undetermined Input purpose can be determined (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/1895 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-e5473af1
Pattern ID: VS-3fb891c5
Combined ID: VS-e5473af1 (pattern VS-3fb891c5) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Input purpose can be determined [sia-r60]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-tracker
XPath / selector: <fieldset class="ds-u-border--1 ds-u-border--dark ds-u-padding--2">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

Description

Input purpose can be determined. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r60 on 1 of 1895 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-tracker.
Locate the element: <fieldset class="ds-u-border--1 ds-u-border--dark ds-u-padding--2">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r60.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

/ab-registration-tracker

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r60

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe page-has-heading-one Best Practice Page should contain a level-one heading (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/1895 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-f721481c
Pattern ID: VS-fa44f293
Combined ID: VS-f721481c (pattern VS-fa44f293) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — Page should contain a level-one heading [page-has-heading-one]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-tracker/status
XPath / selector: html
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<html lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#" class=" js" data-react-helmet="lang" data-once="apfsCard ecpFAQDrawer ecpBehavior">

Description

Page should contain a level-one heading. Detected by axe-core rule page-has-heading-one on 1 of 1895 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/ab-registration-tracker/status.
Locate the element: html
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule page-has-heading-one.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

/ab-registration-tracker/status

Testing environment

Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/page-has-heading-one?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r113 WCAG 2.2 AA Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum) (WCAG 2.5.8) 1/1895 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-19162bae
Pattern ID: VS-179ad9b3
Combined ID: VS-19162bae (pattern VS-179ad9b3) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.2 AA
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) (Level AA, WCAG 2.2)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum) [sia-r113]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/de-intake-form
XPath / selector: <textarea class="select2-search__field" type="search" tabindex="0" autocorrect="off">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r113 on 1 of 1895 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/de-intake-form.
Locate the element: <textarea class="select2-search__field" type="search" tabindex="0" autocorrect="off">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r113 against WCAG 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum).

Impact

Affects Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%), Limited reach (2.0%), Limited vision (2.4%).

Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population
Limited reach — 2.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population

Affected pages

/de-intake-form

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r113

Triage status Notes

Minor axe aria-allowed-role Best Practice ARIA role should be appropriate for the element (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/1895 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-62ce8095
Pattern ID: VS-4fac2f41
Combined ID: VS-62ce8095 (pattern VS-4fac2f41) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — ARIA role should be appropriate for the element [aria-allowed-role]
Example URL: https://data.healthcare.gov/de-intake-form
XPath / selector: .select2-search__field
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<textarea class="select2-search__field" type="search" tabindex="0" autocorrect="off" autocapitalize="none" spellcheck="false" role="searchbox" aria-autocomplete="list" autocomplete="off" aria-label="S

Description

ARIA role should be appropriate for the element. Detected by axe-core rule aria-allowed-role on 1 of 1895 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://data.healthcare.gov/de-intake-form.
Locate the element: .select2-search__field
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule aria-allowed-role.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

/de-intake-form

Testing environment

Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Remove or change the ARIA role — it isn't allowed on this element type.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/aria-allowed-role?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Deque axe-core findings

Rule-level axe-core summary (7 rule type(s))

Each failing rule links out to the axe-core documentation. For full element-level detail including HTML snippets and XPaths, see the bug reports above.

axe-core rules failing in 2026-W26, by pages affected
Rule	Impact	Pages affected	Instances	Example pages	All affected
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combination [landmark-unique]	moderate	7	7	/about /about/faq /api	all 7 pages (CSV)
Heading levels should only increase by one [heading-order]	moderate	6	6	/ / /	all 6 pages (CSV)
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements [list]	serious	2	2	/datasets /datasets	all 2 pages (CSV)
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds [color-contrast]	serious	1	2	/AB-NIPR-Health-Line-Of-Authority	all 1 pages (CSV)
ARIA role should be appropriate for the element [aria-allowed-role]	minor	1	1	/de-intake-form	all 1 pages (CSV)
ARIA input fields must have an accessible name [aria-input-field-name]	serious	1	1	/de-intake-form	all 1 pages (CSV)
Page should contain a level-one heading [page-has-heading-one]	moderate	1	1	/ab-registration-tracker/status	all 1 pages (CSV)

Siteimprove Alfa findings

Rule-level Alfa summary (13 rule type(s))

Rule-level summary from Siteimprove Alfa (W3C ACT-based). Findings that overlap with axe-core on the same WCAG success criterion are noted as possible duplicates in the bug reports above.

Alfa rules failing in 2026-W26, by pages affected
Rule	Impact	Pages affected	Instances	Example pages	All affected
Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) [sia-r111]	n/a	653	18958	/ab-registration-completion-list /dataset/3edfe68f-b783-4e98-9120-20014dd0fe49 /dataset/jg62-irbb	all 653 pages (CSV)
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73]	n/a	653	4537	/ab-registration-completion-list /dataset/3edfe68f-b783-4e98-9120-20014dd0fe49 /dataset/jg62-irbb	all 653 pages (CSV)
Text has enhanced contrast [sia-r66]	n/a	653	1313	/ab-registration-completion-list /dataset/3edfe68f-b783-4e98-9120-20014dd0fe49 /dataset/jg62-irbb	all 653 pages (CSV)
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements [sia-r17]	n/a	582	2569	/ab-registration-completion-list /dataset/3edfe68f-b783-4e98-9120-20014dd0fe49 /dataset/jg62-irbb	all 582 pages (CSV)
Accessible name of link or button matches visible label [sia-r14]	n/a	3	18	/ / /home	all 3 pages (CSV)
aria attribute is permitted for element role [sia-r18]	n/a	3	5	/cciio/ecp_form /de-intake-form /issuer-partner-lookup	all 3 pages (CSV)
Form field label is visible [sia-r61]	n/a	3	3	/cciio/ecp_form /ab-registration-tracker/status /about/contact-us	all 3 pages (CSV)
Headings are structured hierarchically [sia-r53]	n/a	3	3	/ / /home	all 3 pages (CSV)
Presentational children of an element are not focusable [sia-r68]	n/a	3	3	/datasets /de-intake-form /datasets	all 3 pages (CSV)
Table header has scope [sia-r78]	n/a	2	2	/datasets /datasets	all 2 pages (CSV)
Form field has accessible name [sia-r8]	n/a	1	1	/de-intake-form	all 1 pages (CSV)
Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum) [sia-r113]	n/a	1	1	/de-intake-form	all 1 pages (CSV)
Input purpose can be determined [sia-r60]	n/a	1	1	/ab-registration-tracker	all 1 pages (CSV)

Unique accessibility issues (axe + Alfa consolidated)

axe and Alfa both implement W3C ACT rules, so the same issue is often caught by both. These are deduplicated by ACT rule and page, so a shared finding counts once (2580 raw engine findings → 2579 unique).

Unique issues (rule × page): 2579
Caught by both engines: 1 highest confidence
axe only: 18
Alfa only: 2560

1 rule type(s) caught by both engines — highest confidence

Two independent ACT-rule implementations (Deque axe-core and Siteimprove Alfa) flagged the same issue on the same pages. Agreement between separate engines is strong evidence the barrier is real, not a single-tool false positive — the best place to start.

Rules flagged by both axe-core and Alfa in 2026-W26, by pages affected.
Issue	Pages	Rule references
ARIA input fields must have an accessible name	1	axe aria-input-field-name · Alfa sia-r8 · ACT e086e5