vital-scans open quality ledger

openpaymentsdata.cms.gov: Accessibility — week 2026-W34

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.

SCCriterionPagesRulesNotes
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (ARIA) 145 3 Component inconsistency
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) 104 1
1.4.6 WCAG 1.4.6 104 1
1.4.8 WCAG 1.4.8 104 1
2.5.5 WCAG 2.5.5 104 1

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.
ClusterSeverityPagesWho it affectsHow to fixEvidenceDecision
Buttons must have discernible text · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~51 finding(s) on 51 page(s).
XPath / selector: .ds-l-col--12 > div > .ds-u-display--flex:nth-child(1) > .ds-c-button--ghost.ds-c-button[type="button"]
<button class="ds-c-button ds-c-button--ghost" type="button">
Critical 51 Without vision, Limited vision, Limited manipulation/strength Give the button an accessible name via its text content, aria-label, or aria-labelledby. pages (CSV)
Form field label is visible · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~104 finding(s) on 104 page(s).
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
Moderate 104 Requires manual testing. See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r61 pages (CSV)
Text has enhanced contrast · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~104 finding(s) on 104 page(s).
XPath / selector: text: "Datasets"
Moderate 104 Requires manual testing. Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AAA (7:1). pages (CSV)
Text has enhanced contrast · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~104 finding(s) on 104 page(s).
XPath / selector: text: "Dataset Explorer"
Moderate 104 Requires manual testing. Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AAA (7:1). pages (CSV)
Text has enhanced contrast · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~104 finding(s) on 104 page(s).
XPath / selector: text: "Dataset Downloads"
Moderate 104 Requires manual testing. Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AAA (7:1). pages (CSV)
Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~104 finding(s) on 104 page(s).
XPath / selector: text: "Datasets"
Moderate 104 Limited vision, Without color perception Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AA (4.5:1, or 3:1 for large text). pages (CSV)
Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~104 finding(s) on 104 page(s).
XPath / selector: text: "Dataset Explorer"
Moderate 104 Limited vision, Without color perception Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AA (4.5:1, or 3:1 for large text). pages (CSV)
Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~104 finding(s) on 104 page(s).
XPath / selector: text: "Dataset Downloads"
Moderate 104 Limited vision, Without color perception Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AA (4.5:1, or 3:1 for large text). pages (CSV)
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~72 finding(s) on 72 page(s).
XPath / selector: <div aria-labelledby="overview__tab" aria-hidden="true" class="ds-c-tabs__panel ds-u-border--0 ds-u-padding-x--0" id="overview">
Moderate 72 Without vision, Limited vision, Limited manipulation/strength See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r17 pages (CSV)
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~72 finding(s) on 72 page(s).
XPath / selector: <div aria-labelledby="data-dictionary__tab" aria-hidden="true" class="ds-c-tabs__panel ds-u-border--0 ds-u-padding-x--0" id="data-dictionary">
Moderate 72 Without vision, Limited vision, Limited manipulation/strength See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r17 pages (CSV)

Bug reports

5 issue type(s) are shown by default out of 9 total. Prioritized by severity, key pages, WCAG level, and prevalence; use the toggle to show everything.

Overall severity mix: 1 critical, 1 serious, 7 moderate. By WCAG category: 4 WCAG 2.0 A, 1 WCAG 2.0 AA, 3 WCAG 2.x AAA, 1 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 5 prioritized issue type(s); 4 more are available if you switch to "Show everything".

1 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.

Link to this finding Critical axe button-name WCAG 2.0 A Buttons must have discernible text (WCAG 4.1.2) 51/327 pages · 51 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-d124dc81
Pattern ID
VS-e7298c00
Combined ID
VS-d124dc81 (pattern VS-e7298c00) — 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)
XPath / selector
.ds-l-col--12 > div > .ds-u-display--flex:nth-child(1) > .ds-c-button--ghost.ds-c-button[type="button"]
History
first seen 2026-W28, last seen 2026-W34 (7 wk)

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

<button class="ds-c-button ds-c-button--ghost" type="button">

Description

Buttons must have discernible text. Detected by axe-core rule button-name on 51 of 327 scanned pages (51 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/state/alabama.
  2. Locate the element: .ds-l-col--12 > div > .ds-u-display--flex:nth-child(1) > .ds-c-button--ghost.ds-c-button[type="button"]
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule button-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

…and more — all 51 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Give the button an accessible name via its text content, aria-label, or aria-labelledby.

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

Link to this finding Serious axe list WCAG 2.0 A <ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements (WCAG 1.3.1) 1/327 pages · 1 instances Likely content
Bug ID
VS-75167228
Pattern ID
VS-a0bdbdf6
Combined ID
VS-75167228 (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)
XPath / selector
ol
History
first seen 2026-W28, last seen 2026-W34 (7 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 1 of 327 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/datasets?keyword%5B%5D=2018.
  2. Locate the element: ol
  3. 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

Link to this finding Moderate alfa sia-r69 WCAG 2.0 AA Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) (WCAG 1.4.3) 104/327 pages · 1560 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-90086559
Pattern ID
VS-f7e99f4b
Combined ID
VS-90086559 (pattern VS-f7e99f4b) — 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)
XPath / selector
text: "Datasets"
History
first seen 2026-W34, last seen 2026-W34 (1 wk)

Description

Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r69 on 104 of 327 scanned pages (1560 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/about.
  2. Locate the element: text: "Datasets"
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r69 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

…and more — all 104 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 AA (4.5:1, or 3:1 for large text).

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r69

Link to this finding Moderate alfa sia-r17 WCAG 2.0 A aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements (WCAG 4.1.2) 72/327 pages · 216 instances · possible duplicate Likely template
Bug ID
VS-f0e95e47
Pattern ID
VS-f6cf30ff
Combined ID
VS-f0e95e47 (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)
XPath / selector
<div aria-labelledby="overview__tab" aria-hidden="true" class="ds-c-tabs__panel ds-u-border--0 ds-u-padding-x--0" id="overview">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W34 (11 wk)
Possible duplicate
Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-d124dc81 (pattern VS-e7298c00). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r17 on 72 of 327 scanned pages (216 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/dataset/df01c2f8-dc1f-4e79-96cb-8208beaf143c?page=266446.
  2. Locate the element: <div aria-labelledby="overview__tab" aria-hidden="true" class="ds-c-tabs__panel ds-u-border--0 ds-u-padding-x--0" id="overview">
  3. 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 72 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

Link to this finding Moderate alfa sia-r12 WCAG 2.0 A Button has accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 22/327 pages · 22 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-c88c14ca
Pattern ID
VS-29f9f921
Combined ID
VS-c88c14ca (pattern VS-29f9f921) — 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)
XPath / selector
<button class="ds-c-button ds-c-button--ghost" type="button">
History
first seen 2026-W28, last seen 2026-W34 (7 wk)

Description

Button has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r12 on 22 of 327 scanned pages (22 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/state/new-mexico.
  2. Locate the element: <button class="ds-c-button ds-c-button--ghost" type="button">
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r12 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

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Give the button an accessible name via text, aria-label, or aria-labelledby.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r12

Link to this finding Moderate alfa sia-r111 WCAG 2.x AAA Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) (WCAG 2.5.5) 104/327 pages · 3188 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-338da0fa
Pattern ID
VS-cb53cc4d
Combined ID
VS-338da0fa (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)
XPath / selector
<a class="" href="/">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W34 (11 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r111 on 104 of 327 scanned pages (3188 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/about.
  2. Locate the element: <a class="" href="/">
  3. 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 104 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

Link to this finding Moderate alfa sia-r66 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has enhanced contrast (WCAG 1.4.6) 104/327 pages · 1560 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-45eca2f2
Pattern ID
VS-646b1e0b
Combined ID
VS-45eca2f2 (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)
XPath / selector
text: "Datasets"
History
first seen 2026-W34, last seen 2026-W34 (1 wk)

Description

Text has enhanced contrast. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r66 on 104 of 327 scanned pages (1560 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/about.
  2. Locate the element: text: "Datasets"
  3. 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 104 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

Link to this finding Moderate alfa sia-r73 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 (WCAG 1.4.8) 104/327 pages · 919 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-eabcf38c
Pattern ID
VS-2208081b
Combined ID
VS-eabcf38c (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)
XPath / selector
<p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W34 (11 wk)

Description

Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r73 on 104 of 327 scanned pages (919 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/about.
  2. Locate the element: <p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">
  3. 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 104 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

Link to this finding Moderate alfa sia-r61 Undetermined Form field label is visible (WCAG criterion undetermined) 104/327 pages · 104 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-27d83669
Pattern ID
VS-7118fead
Combined ID
VS-27d83669 (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
XPath / selector
{"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W34 (11 wk)

Description

Form field label is visible. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r61 on 104 of 327 scanned pages (104 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/about.
  2. Locate the element: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r61.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 104 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-r61

Deque axe-core findings

Rule-level axe-core summary (2 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-W34, by pages affected
RuleImpactPages affectedInstancesExample pagesAll affected
Buttons must have discernible text [button-name] critical 51 51 /state/alabama
/state/california
/state/montana
all 51 pages (CSV)
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements [list] serious 1 1 /datasets all 1 pages (CSV)

Siteimprove Alfa findings

Rule-level Alfa summary (7 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-W34, by pages affected
RuleImpactPages affectedInstancesExample pagesAll affected
Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) [sia-r111] n/a 104 3188 /about
/dataset/df01c2f8-dc1f-4e79-96cb-8208beaf143c
/dataset/800aed1b-20ed-4d19-b0c9-dcd10f197ffc
all 104 pages (CSV)
Text has enhanced contrast [sia-r66] n/a 104 1560 /about
/dataset/df01c2f8-dc1f-4e79-96cb-8208beaf143c
/dataset/800aed1b-20ed-4d19-b0c9-dcd10f197ffc
all 104 pages (CSV)
Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) [sia-r69] n/a 104 1560 /about
/dataset/df01c2f8-dc1f-4e79-96cb-8208beaf143c
/dataset/800aed1b-20ed-4d19-b0c9-dcd10f197ffc
all 104 pages (CSV)
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73] n/a 104 919 /about
/dataset/df01c2f8-dc1f-4e79-96cb-8208beaf143c
/dataset/800aed1b-20ed-4d19-b0c9-dcd10f197ffc
all 104 pages (CSV)
Form field label is visible [sia-r61] n/a 104 104 /about
/dataset/df01c2f8-dc1f-4e79-96cb-8208beaf143c
/dataset/800aed1b-20ed-4d19-b0c9-dcd10f197ffc
all 104 pages (CSV)
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements [sia-r17] n/a 72 216 /dataset/df01c2f8-dc1f-4e79-96cb-8208beaf143c
/dataset/800aed1b-20ed-4d19-b0c9-dcd10f197ffc
/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e
all 72 pages (CSV)
Button has accessible name [sia-r12] n/a 22 22 /state/new-mexico
/state/florida
/state/new-hampshire
all 22 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 (666 raw engine findings → 644 unique).

Unique issues (rule × page)
644
Caught by both engines
22 highest confidence
axe only
30
Alfa only
592
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-W34, by pages affected.
IssuePagesRule references
Buttons must have discernible text51axe button-name · Alfa sia-r12 · ACT 97a4e1