www.cms.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	Notes
1.4.8	WCAG 1.4.8	3821	4	Component inconsistency
2.5.5	WCAG 2.5.5	2812	1
1.4.6	WCAG 1.4.6	928	1
2.5.3	WCAG 2.5.3	925	1
1.3.1	Info and Relationships (semantic structure)	688	10

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.

Design-system alignment (cms-ds / default). ds-c-field: 100% of sampled rule findings 27 possible lookalike cluster(s) without system prefixes.

Top 10 clustered component fixes for this week.
Cluster	Severity	Pages	Who it affects	How to fix	Evidence	Decision
Form field label is visible · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~2738 finding(s) on 2738 page(s). XPath / selector: `{"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys`	Moderate	2738	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r61	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1199 finding(s) on 1199 page(s). XPath / selector: `text: "Feedback"`	Moderate	1199	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r57	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
<html> element must have a lang attribute · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~146 finding(s) on 146 page(s). XPath / selector: `html` `<html>`	Serious	146	Without vision, Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability	Add a lang attribute to <html> (e.g. lang="en").	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Page should contain a level-one heading · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~158 finding(s) on 158 page(s). XPath / selector: `html` `<html lang="en" dir="ltr" class=" js" style="--vw: 12.8px; --vh: 8px;">`	Moderate	158	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/page-has-heading-one?application=axeAPI	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Document should have one main landmark · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~146 finding(s) on 146 page(s). XPath / selector: `html` `<html>`	Moderate	146	Requires manual testing.	Each page should have exactly one <main> landmark.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Form elements must have labels · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~115 finding(s) on 115 page(s). XPath / selector: `#q` `<input type="text" name="q" id="q" value="Search now" size="10" maxlength="50" class="srchbox" onfocus="this.value='';">`	Critical	115	Without vision, Limited vision, Limited manipulation/strength	Associate every form control with a <label> (via for/id) or an aria-label/aria-labelledby.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Accessible name of link or button matches visible label · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~916 finding(s) on 916 page(s). XPath / selector: `<a id="aBasketManuButton" class="basket-icon log-click " title="View documents in your Basket" data-page-action="Clicked the Basket navbar link.">`	Moderate	916	Without vision, Without speech	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r14	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Accessible name of link or button matches visible label · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~877 finding(s) on 877 page(s). XPath / selector: `<a href="#" data-bs-toggle="collapse" id="aCollapseNavigation" aria-label="Collapse Document Navigation">`	Moderate	877	Without vision, Without speech	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r14	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Document has a valid lang attribute · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~72 finding(s) on 72 page(s). XPath / selector: `<html>`	Moderate	72	Without vision, Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability	Add a valid lang attribute to <html>.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Link is distinguishable without relying on color · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~873 finding(s) on 873 page(s). XPath / selector: `<p class="mb-2">`	Moderate	873	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r74	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes

Bug reports

17 issue type(s) are shown by default out of 55 total. Prioritized by severity, key pages, WCAG level, and prevalence; use the toggle to show everything.

Overall severity mix: 5 critical, 9 serious, 38 moderate, 3 minor. By WCAG category: 23 WCAG 2.0 A, 6 WCAG 2.0 AA, 1 WCAG 2.2 AA, 4 WCAG 2.x AAA, 11 Best Practice, 10 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.

The 50 highest-priority findings are shown in full; 5 more lower-priority finding(s) are summarised at the end of the page, and every finding is in the CSV/JSON downloads.

6 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 html-has-lang WCAG 2.0 A <html> element must have a lang attribute (WCAG 3.1.1) 146/8040 pages · 146 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-413eb778
Pattern ID: VS-c126b6a6
Combined ID: VS-413eb778 (pattern VS-c126b6a6) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 3.1.1 Language of Page (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — <html> element must have a lang attribute [html-has-lang]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html
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>

Description

<html> element must have a lang attribute. Detected by axe-core rule html-has-lang on 146 of 8040 scanned pages (146 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html.
Locate the element: html
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule html-has-lang against WCAG 3.1.1 Language of Page.

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

…and more — all 146 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: Add a lang attribute to <html> (e.g. lang="en").

Drupal tip: Drupal sets the page lang attribute from Admin › Configuration › Regional and Language › Languages. Ensure the default language is configured.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/html-has-lang?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Critical axe label WCAG 2.0 A Form elements must have labels (WCAG 4.1.2) 116/8040 pages · 116 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-5237644c
Pattern ID: VS-fafffee0
Combined ID: VS-5237644c (pattern VS-fafffee0) — 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 — Form elements must have labels [label]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html
XPath / selector: #q
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W26 (1 wk)

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

<input type="text" name="q" id="q" value="Search now" size="10" maxlength="50" class="srchbox" onfocus="this.value='';">

Description

Form elements must have labels. Detected by axe-core rule label on 116 of 8040 scanned pages (116 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html.
Locate the element: #q
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule label 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 116 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: Associate every form control with a <label> (via for/id) or an aria-label/aria-labelledby.

Drupal tip: Use Drupal's form element "Label" setting. In Webform, every element has a Label field — ensure it's not empty or hidden. Check that twig templates don't strip <label> elements from form fields.

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

Triage status Notes

Critical axe image-alt WCAG 2.0 A Images must have alternative text (WCAG 1.1.1) 32/8040 pages · 32 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-0c1da6a1
Pattern ID: VS-9074b4dd
Combined ID: VS-0c1da6a1 (pattern VS-9074b4dd) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Images must have alternative text [image-alt]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html
XPath / selector: img[src$="cms-site-logo.png"]
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<img src="cms-site-logo.png">

Description

Images must have alternative text. Detected by axe-core rule image-alt on 32 of 8040 scanned pages (32 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html.
Locate the element: img[src$="cms-site-logo.png"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule image-alt against WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content.

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

…and more — all 32 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 every <img> a meaningful alt attribute. Use alt="" only for decorative images so screen readers skip them.

Drupal tip: In Drupal's Media Library, fill the "Alternative text" field when uploading or editing an image. For images in body fields, the CKEditor "Image Properties" dialog includes an Alt Text field.

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

Triage status Notes

Serious axe td-headers-attr WCAG 2.0 A Table cell headers attributes must refer to other <th> elements in the same tabl (WCAG 1.3.1) 12/8040 pages · 12 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-92a68d86
Pattern ID: VS-07ba3b17
Combined ID: VS-92a68d86 (pattern VS-07ba3b17) — 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 — Table cell headers attributes must refer to other <th> elements in the same tabl [td-headers-attr]
Example URL: https://cms.gov/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2020-transmittals?page=1
XPath / selector: .MsoTableGrid
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

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

<table class="MsoTableGrid">

Description

Table cell headers attributes must refer to other <th> elements in the same tabl. Detected by axe-core rule td-headers-attr on 12 of 8040 scanned pages (12 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2020-transmittals?page=1.
Locate the element: .MsoTableGrid
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule td-headers-attr 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: Associate data cells with their headers correctly using headers/id or scope.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/td-headers-attr?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Serious axe link-name WCAG 2.0 A Links must have discernible text (WCAG 2.4.4) 10/8040 pages · 18 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-6a6fdf25
Pattern ID: VS-e9fe47ac
Combined ID: VS-6a6fdf25 (pattern VS-e9fe47ac) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Links must have discernible text [link-name]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/medicaid-coordination/about/dsnps
XPath / selector: a[data-entity-type="media"][data-entity-substitution="canonical"][data-once="linkMatch"]:nth-child(5)
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<a data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="c3d790c3-6ce7-4c9e-8624-03b88a3cb6ff" data-entity-substitution="canonical" href="/files/document/dsnpcoveragedecisionlettermemocy2024.pdf" data-once="link

Description

Links must have discernible text. Detected by axe-core rule link-name on 13 of 8040 scanned pages (24 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare/medicaid-coordination/about/dsnps.
Locate the element: a[data-entity-type="media"][data-entity-substitution="canonical"][data-once="linkMatch"]:nth-child(5)
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule link-name against WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).

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: Give the link discernible text. Avoid empty links and icon-only links without an aria-label.

Drupal tip: "Read more" links from Drupal Views should use the "Link text" rewrite field to add context, or add aria-label via the Views rewrite output.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/link-name?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) 5/8040 pages · 86 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-0008df85
Pattern ID: VS-be8d563e
Combined ID: VS-0008df85 (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://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?ncdid=380&ncdver=1
XPath / selector: #lblItemServiceDescription > font > em > p:nth-child(1) > strong
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<strong>A. General</strong>

Description

Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds. Detected by axe-core rule color-contrast on 31 of 8040 scanned pages (430 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?ncdid=380&ncdver=1.
Locate the element: #lblItemServiceDescription > font > em > p:nth-child(1) > strong
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

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 list WCAG 2.0 A <ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements (WCAG 1.3.1) 4/8040 pages · 165 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-01646eff
Pattern ID: VS-a0bdbdf6
Combined ID: VS-01646eff (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://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=58720&articleStatus=all&bc=5&contractorNumber=all&sortBy=title&stateRegion=all&ver=77
XPath / selector: ul[type="disc"]:nth-child(3)
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<ul type="disc">

Description

<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements. Detected by axe-core rule list on 372 of 8040 scanned pages (1030 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=58720&articleStatus=all&bc=5&contractorNumber=all&sortBy=title&stateRegion=all&ver=77.
Locate the element: ul[type="disc"]:nth-child(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

Triage status Notes

Critical axe select-name WCAG 2.0 A Select element must have an accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 3/8040 pages · 3 instances

Bug ID: VS-d5a95a4f
Pattern ID: VS-fab92378
Combined ID: VS-d5a95a4f (pattern VS-fab92378) — 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 — Select element must have an accessible name [select-name]
Example URL: https://cms.gov/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening
XPath / selector: #state-code-select
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W26 (1 wk)

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

<select id="state-code-select" class="form-select ds-c-field">

Description

Select element must have an accessible name. Detected by axe-core rule select-name on 3 of 8040 scanned pages (3 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening.
Locate the element: #state-code-select
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule select-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

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 <select> an accessible name via a <label> or aria-label.

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

Triage status Notes

Serious axe definition-list WCAG 2.0 A <dl> elements must only directly contain properly-ordered <dt> and <dd> groups, (WCAG 1.3.1) 2/8040 pages · 2 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-af42677e
Pattern ID: VS-4bcaa7bf
Combined ID: VS-af42677e (pattern VS-4bcaa7bf) — 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 — <dl> elements must only directly contain properly-ordered <dt> and <dd> groups, [definition-list]
Example URL: https://cms.gov/training-education/partner-outreach-resources/american-indian/alaska-native/behavioral-health/substance-use-disorders
XPath / selector: .ds-l-col--12 > dl
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

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

<dl><dt><p>What you can do if you think someone has an addiction?</p></dt></dl>

Description

<dl> elements must only directly contain properly-ordered <dt> and <dd> groups, . Detected by axe-core rule definition-list on 2 of 8040 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/training-education/partner-outreach-resources/american-indian/alaska-native/behavioral-health/substance-use-disorders.
Locate the element: .ds-l-col--12 > dl
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule definition-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

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

Triage status Notes

Critical axe button-name WCAG 2.0 A Buttons must have discernible text (WCAG 4.1.2) 1/8040 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-49152d77
Pattern ID: VS-e7298c00
Combined ID: VS-49152d77 (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)
Rule: axe-core — Buttons must have discernible text [button-name]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html
XPath / selector: #acc-64SFb4foaYc
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W26 (1 wk)

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

<button class="acc-shadow-el acc-bu..." id="acc-64SFb4foaYc" tabindex="0" data-represents="_player.5itpeIa4V5X...." style="left: 1097px; top: 4..." type="button" data-reactid=".0.0.1.0:$_player=15..."

Description

Buttons must have discernible text. Detected by axe-core rule button-name on 1 of 8040 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html.
Locate the element: #acc-64SFb4foaYc
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

/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html

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

Triage status Notes

Critical axe aria-allowed-attr WCAG 2.0 A Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes (WCAG 4.1.2) 1/8040 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-af819bef
Pattern ID: VS-1467ea8a
Combined ID: VS-af819bef (pattern VS-1467ea8a) — 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 — Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes [aria-allowed-attr]
Example URL: https://cms.gov/medicare/health-drug-plans/provider-complaints-form
XPath / selector: .choices__placeholder
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

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

<div class="choices__item choices__placeholder choices__item--selectable" data-item="" data-id="1" data-value="" data-custom-properties="[object Object]" aria-selected="true">Start typing to filter li

Description

Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes. Detected by axe-core rule aria-allowed-attr on 1 of 8040 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare/health-drug-plans/provider-complaints-form.
Locate the element: .choices__placeholder
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule aria-allowed-attr 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

/medicare/health-drug-plans/provider-complaints-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 ARIA attributes that aren't allowed on this role/element.

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

Triage status Notes

Serious axe listitem WCAG 2.0 A <li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol> (WCAG 1.3.1) 1/8040 pages · 22 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-b26e7845
Pattern ID: VS-6175596b
Combined ID: VS-b26e7845 (pattern VS-6175596b) — 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 — <li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol> [listitem]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?ncaid=315&proposed=N
XPath / selector: div > li:nth-child(1)
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<li>The patient exhibits hypercapnia as demonstrated by PaCO2 ≥ 52 mmHg by arterial blood gas during awake hours while breathing his/her prescribed FiO2; <strong><em>and</em></strong>

</li>

Description

<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol>. Detected by axe-core rule listitem on 11 of 8040 scanned pages (242 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?ncaid=315&proposed=N.
Locate the element: div > li:nth-child(1)
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule listitem 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

/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/MMS/Quality-Programs

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: <li> must be inside a <ul> or <ol>.

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

Triage status Notes

Serious axe valid-lang WCAG 2.0 AA lang attribute must have a valid value (WCAG 3.1.2) 1/8040 pages · 6 instances

Bug ID: VS-89a94930
Pattern ID: VS-dd1c019f
Combined ID: VS-89a94930 (pattern VS-dd1c019f) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 AA
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 3.1.2 Language of Parts (Level AA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — lang attribute must have a valid value [valid-lang]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx?bc=7&contractorName=all&contractorNumber=all&lcdid=33609&lcdStatus=all&sortBy=title&ver=14
XPath / selector: li:nth-child(1) > span[lang="X-NONE"]
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 lang="X-NONE">

Description

lang attribute must have a valid value. Detected by axe-core rule valid-lang on 3 of 8040 scanned pages (19 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx?bc=7&contractorName=all&contractorNumber=all&lcdid=33609&lcdStatus=all&sortBy=title&ver=14.
Locate the element: li:nth-child(1) > span[lang="X-NONE"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule valid-lang against WCAG 3.1.2 Language of Parts.

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

/data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings

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/valid-lang?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Serious axe accesskeys Best Practice accesskey attribute value should be unique (WCAG criterion undetermined) 8/8040 pages · 23 instances

Bug ID: VS-09cf51d6
Pattern ID: VS-bd13f00a
Combined ID: VS-09cf51d6 (pattern VS-bd13f00a) — 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 — accesskey attribute value should be unique [accesskeys]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/FY2026-nprm-version43-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P2168.html
XPath / selector: td[width="31"]:nth-child(3) > a[accesskey="p"][href$="P2167.html"]
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

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

<a accesskey="p" id="prev_page" href="P2167.html"><img src="bakpg.png" alt="Previous Page [Alt-p]" height="14" width="31" vspace="0" hspace="0" align="bottom" border="0"></a>

Description

accesskey attribute value should be unique. Detected by axe-core rule accesskeys on 8 of 8040 scanned pages (23 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/FY2026-nprm-version43-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P2168.html.
Locate the element: td[width="31"]:nth-child(3) > a[accesskey="p"][href$="P2167.html"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule accesskeys.

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

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

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r4 WCAG 2.0 A Document has a valid lang attribute (WCAG 3.1.1) 72/8040 pages · 72 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-b913f1a1
Pattern ID: VS-7a0e5645
Combined ID: VS-b913f1a1 (pattern VS-7a0e5645) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 3.1.1 Language of Page (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Document has a valid lang attribute [sia-r4]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html
XPath / selector: <html>
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Document has a valid lang attribute. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r4 on 72 of 8040 scanned pages (72 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html.
Locate the element: <html>
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r4 against WCAG 3.1.1 Language of Page.

Impact

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

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

How to fix: Add a valid lang attribute to <html>.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r4

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r64 WCAG 2.0 A Element has required owned roles (WCAG 1.3.1) 20/8040 pages · 20 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-a62c6139
Pattern ID: VS-3c632d31
Combined ID: VS-a62c6139 (pattern VS-3c632d31) — 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 — Element has required owned roles [sia-r64]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html
XPath / selector: <h1>
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Element has required owned roles. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r64 on 22 of 8040 scanned pages (22 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html.
Locate the element: <h1>
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r64 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-r64

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r2 WCAG 2.0 A Image has accessible name (WCAG 1.1.1) 14/8040 pages · 14 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-2b665d7b
Pattern ID: VS-a24eaa8c
Combined ID: VS-2b665d7b (pattern VS-a24eaa8c) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Image has accessible name [sia-r2]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html
XPath / selector: <img src="cms-site-logo.png">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Image has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r2 on 14 of 8040 scanned pages (14 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html.
Locate the element: <img src="cms-site-logo.png">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r2 against WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content.

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

How to fix: Give every <img> an accessible name (alt text), or alt="" if purely decorative.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r2

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r57 Undetermined Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1200/8040 pages · 1204 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-4151463b
Pattern ID: VS-c18be945
Combined ID: VS-4151463b (pattern VS-c18be945) — 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 — Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard [sia-r57]
Example URL: https://cms.gov/about-cms/contact/database?combinedregionstate=region-All&field_switch=org&order=title&page=1&sort=asc
XPath / selector: text: "Feedback"
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r57 on 1200 of 8040 scanned pages (1204 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/about-cms/contact/database?combinedregionstate=region-All&field_switch=org&order=title&page=1&sort=asc.
Locate the element: text: "Feedback"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r57.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 1200 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-r57

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe page-has-heading-one Best Practice Page should contain a level-one heading (WCAG criterion undetermined) 158/8040 pages · 158 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-c7ebd2fd
Pattern ID: VS-fa44f293
Combined ID: VS-c7ebd2fd (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://www.cms.gov/about-cms/what-we-do/emergency-response/additional-information-available
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" class=" js" style="--vw: 12.8px; --vh: 8px;">

Description

Page should contain a level-one heading. Detected by axe-core rule page-has-heading-one on 158 of 8040 scanned pages (158 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/what-we-do/emergency-response/additional-information-available.
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

…and more — all 158 pages (CSV).

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 axe region Best Practice All page content should be contained by landmarks (WCAG criterion undetermined) 150/8040 pages · 3847 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-e584e4b4
Pattern ID: VS-f18df681
Combined ID: VS-e584e4b4 (pattern VS-f18df681) — 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 — All page content should be contained by landmarks [region]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html
XPath / selector: .hhshead[cellpadding="0"][cellspacing="0"]:nth-child(1)
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<table class="hhshead" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="HHS Header. Table for formatting only.">

Description

All page content should be contained by landmarks. Detected by axe-core rule region on 150 of 8040 scanned pages (3847 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html.
Locate the element: .hhshead[cellpadding="0"][cellspacing="0"]:nth-child(1)
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule region.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 150 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: Wrap all page content in landmarks (header, nav, main, footer) so users can navigate by region.

Drupal tip: Use Drupal's region system (header, navigation, main, sidebar, footer) and map each to an HTML5 landmark element in your theme's page.html.twig.

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

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe landmark-one-main Best Practice Document should have one main landmark (WCAG criterion undetermined) 146/8040 pages · 146 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-847ae8ca
Pattern ID: VS-d5d82446
Combined ID: VS-847ae8ca (pattern VS-d5d82446) — 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 — Document should have one main landmark [landmark-one-main]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html
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>

Description

Document should have one main landmark. Detected by axe-core rule landmark-one-main on 146 of 8040 scanned pages (146 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html.
Locate the element: html
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule landmark-one-main.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 146 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: Each page should have exactly one <main> landmark.

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

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r59 Undetermined Element with orientation is not locked (WCAG criterion undetermined) 61/8040 pages · 61 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-ea04f291
Pattern ID: VS-7fbb8b20
Combined ID: VS-ea04f291 (pattern VS-7fbb8b20) — 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 — Element with orientation is not locked [sia-r59]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0085.html
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"element","children":[{"type":"element","
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W26 (1 wk)

Description

Element with orientation is not locked. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r59 on 61 of 8040 scanned pages (61 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0085.html.
Locate the element: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"element","children":[{"type":"element","
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r59.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 61 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-r59

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r75 Undetermined Form field error is identified and described (WCAG criterion undetermined) 59/8040 pages · 118 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-0573529a
Pattern ID: VS-e43903a1
Combined ID: VS-0573529a (pattern VS-e43903a1) — 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 error is identified and described [sia-r75]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0085.html
XPath / selector: <ul id="globar">
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W26 (1 wk)

Description

Form field error is identified and described. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r75 on 59 of 8040 scanned pages (118 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0085.html.
Locate the element: <ul id="globar">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r75.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 59 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-r75

Triage status Notes

Minor axe empty-heading Best Practice Headings should not be empty (WCAG criterion undetermined) 47/8040 pages · 47 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-cb025ab4
Pattern ID: VS-0066c67d
Combined ID: VS-cb025ab4 (pattern VS-0066c67d) — 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 — Headings should not be empty [empty-heading]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html
XPath / selector: h1:nth-child(2)
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<h1></h1>

Description

Headings should not be empty. Detected by axe-core rule empty-heading on 47 of 8040 scanned pages (47 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html.
Locate the element: h1:nth-child(2)
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule empty-heading.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 47 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: Remove empty headings or give them text. Don't use heading tags for spacing.

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

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe heading-order Best Practice Heading levels should only increase by one (WCAG criterion undetermined) 20/8040 pages · 287 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-1d5dece4
Pattern ID: VS-d25f622d
Combined ID: VS-1d5dece4 (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://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/acute-inpatient-pps/wage-index
XPath / selector: .rxbodyfield > h3
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<h3><strong>FY 2027 Geographic Reclassification Deadlines</strong></h3>

Description

Heading levels should only increase by one. Detected by axe-core rule heading-order on 333 of 8040 scanned pages (359 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/acute-inpatient-pps/wage-index.
Locate the element: .rxbodyfield > h3
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-r111 WCAG 2.x AAA Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) (WCAG 2.5.5) 17/8040 pages · 71230 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-870c7ea3
Pattern ID: VS-cb53cc4d
Combined ID: VS-870c7ea3 (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://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?bc=18&chapter=190&labOnly=labonlyncd&ncdid=96&ncdver=1&sortBy=chapter
XPath / selector: <a href="https://www.cms.gov" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="CMS.gov Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services">
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 2812 of 8040 scanned pages (104750 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?bc=18&chapter=190&labOnly=labonlyncd&ncdid=96&ncdver=1&sortBy=chapter.
Locate the element: <a href="https://www.cms.gov" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="CMS.gov Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services">
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

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) 17/8040 pages · 24085 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-c73931f8
Pattern ID: VS-2208081b
Combined ID: VS-c73931f8 (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://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?bc=18&chapter=190&labOnly=labonlyncd&ncdid=96&ncdver=1&sortBy=chapter
XPath / selector: <p class="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 2804 of 8040 scanned pages (35419 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?bc=18&chapter=190&labOnly=labonlyncd&ncdid=96&ncdver=1&sortBy=chapter.
Locate the element: <p class="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

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-r61 Undetermined Form field label is visible (WCAG criterion undetermined) 17/8040 pages · 1862 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-10d30a42
Pattern ID: VS-7118fead
Combined ID: VS-10d30a42 (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://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?bc=18&chapter=190&labOnly=labonlyncd&ncdid=96&ncdver=1&sortBy=chapter
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 2738 of 8040 scanned pages (2738 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?bc=18&chapter=190&labOnly=labonlyncd&ncdid=96&ncdver=1&sortBy=chapter.
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 deprecated-html presentational-attr Undetermined Presentational attribute (use CSS) (WCAG criterion undetermined) 14/8040 pages · 970 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-fa5b9016
Pattern ID: VS-04a9d28c
Combined ID: VS-fa5b9016 (pattern VS-04a9d28c) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: deprecated-html — Presentational attribute (use CSS) [presentational-attr]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0190.html
XPath / selector: table
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<table class="hhshead" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="HHS Header. Table for formatting only.">
	<tbody><tr><td class="hhsbann" align="left">
    <img class="hhsimg" src="hhs_left.gif" width=

Description

Presentational attribute (use CSS). Detected by deprecated-html rule presentational-attr on 39 of 8040 scanned pages (1732 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0190.html.
Locate the element: table
Confirm the deprecated-html finding for rule presentational-attr.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r11 WCAG 2.0 A Link has accessible name (WCAG 2.4.4) 6/8040 pages · 9 instances · possible duplicate

Bug ID: VS-e29a663c
Pattern ID: VS-28ebd979
Combined ID: VS-e29a663c (pattern VS-28ebd979) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Link has accessible name [sia-r11]
Example URL: http://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/long-term-care-hospital
XPath / selector: <a href="/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/acute-inpatient-pps/fy-2026-ipps-proposed-rule-home-page" data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="e2075c13
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-6a6fdf25 (pattern VS-e9fe47ac). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Link has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r11 on 7 of 8040 scanned pages (10 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open http://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/long-term-care-hospital.
Locate the element: <a href="/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/acute-inpatient-pps/fy-2026-ipps-proposed-rule-home-page" data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="e2075c13
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r11 against WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).

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

How to fix: Give the link an accessible name via text content or aria-label.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r11

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) 6/8040 pages · 6 instances

Bug ID: VS-e879b6fa
Pattern ID: VS-8806389c
Combined ID: VS-e879b6fa (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://cms.gov/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening
XPath / selector: #non-state-table_wrapper > .dt-layout-row:nth-child(3) > .dt-layout-end.dt-layout-cell > .dt-paging > nav[aria-label="pagination"]
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

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

<nav aria-label="pagination">

Description

Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c. Detected by axe-core rule landmark-unique on 6 of 8040 scanned pages (6 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening.
Locate the element: #non-state-table_wrapper > .dt-layout-row:nth-child(3) > .dt-layout-end.dt-layout-cell > .dt-paging > nav[aria-label="pagination"]
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 alfa sia-r113 WCAG 2.2 AA Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum) (WCAG 2.5.8) 5/8040 pages · 239 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-2d5bb6cf
Pattern ID: VS-179ad9b3
Combined ID: VS-2d5bb6cf (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://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=57575&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=9
XPath / selector: <a href="#h3HcpcsCodesHeader" data-href="h3HcpcsCodesHeader" class="nav-link toc-link no-link log-click" title="Jump to CPT/HCPCS Codes">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r113 on 471 of 8040 scanned pages (1193 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=57575&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=9.
Locate the element: <a href="#h3HcpcsCodesHeader" data-href="h3HcpcsCodesHeader" class="nav-link toc-link no-link log-click" title="Jump to CPT/HCPCS Codes">
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

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

Moderate alfa sia-r45 WCAG 2.0 A aria-hidden element is not exposed to assistive technology (WCAG 1.3.1) 4/8040 pages · 492 instances · possible duplicate

Bug ID: VS-755dd1b6
Pattern ID: VS-9207ed51
Combined ID: VS-755dd1b6 (pattern VS-9207ed51) — 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 — aria-hidden element is not exposed to assistive technology [sia-r45]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2022-transmittals?items_per_page=25&order=field_dyna_subject_formatted&page=0&sort=desc
XPath / selector: @headers="view-field-dyna-subject-formatted-table-column"
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W26 (1 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-af42677e (pattern VS-4bcaa7bf). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

aria-hidden element is not exposed to assistive technology. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r45 on 4 of 8040 scanned pages (492 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2022-transmittals?items_per_page=25&order=field_dyna_subject_formatted&page=0&sort=desc.
Locate the element: @headers="view-field-dyna-subject-formatted-table-column"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r45 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-r45

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r68 WCAG 2.0 A Presentational children of an element are not focusable (WCAG 1.3.1) 4/8040 pages · 60 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-53bbf759
Pattern ID: VS-d6097011
Combined ID: VS-53bbf759 (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://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/reports/local-coverage-final-lcds-contractor-report.aspx?contractorName=all&contractorNumber=all&lcdid=38047&lcdStatus=all&sortBy=title
XPath / selector: <tfoot>
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Presentational children of an element are not focusable. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r68 on 120 of 8040 scanned pages (376 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/reports/local-coverage-final-lcds-contractor-report.aspx?contractorName=all&contractorNumber=all&lcdid=38047&lcdStatus=all&sortBy=title.
Locate the element: <tfoot>
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-r42 WCAG 2.0 A Element in required WAI-ARIA context role (WCAG 1.3.1) 4/8040 pages · 17 instances · possible duplicate

Bug ID: VS-508e04ce
Pattern ID: VS-0ddc2ac6
Combined ID: VS-508e04ce (pattern VS-0ddc2ac6) — 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 — Element in required WAI-ARIA context role [sia-r42]
Example URL: https://cms.gov/
XPath / selector: <button type="button" id="trigger-tabs-1956102436" aria-expanded="false" class="responsive-tabs__tab-button--mobile ds-u-display--flex">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-af42677e (pattern VS-4bcaa7bf). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Element in required WAI-ARIA context role. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r42 on 4 of 8040 scanned pages (17 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/.
Locate the element: <button type="button" id="trigger-tabs-1956102436" aria-expanded="false" class="responsive-tabs__tab-button--mobile ds-u-display--flex">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r42 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-r42

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe landmark-banner-is-top-level Best Practice Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark (WCAG criterion undetermined) 4/8040 pages · 4 instances

Bug ID: VS-1a09a5b3
Pattern ID: VS-30db094d
Combined ID: VS-1a09a5b3 (pattern VS-30db094d) — 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 — Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark [landmark-banner-is-top-level]
Example URL: https://cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-reports/comprehensive-end-stage-renal-disease-esrd-care-cec-model-public-use-files
XPath / selector: .Header
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

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

<header class="Header" style="position: sticky;">

Description

Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark. Detected by axe-core rule landmark-banner-is-top-level on 4 of 8040 scanned pages (4 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-reports/comprehensive-end-stage-renal-disease-esrd-care-cec-model-public-use-files.
Locate the element: .Header
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule landmark-banner-is-top-level.

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: Put the banner landmark (<header>) at the top level, not nested inside another landmark.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/landmark-banner-is-top-level?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Minor axe aria-allowed-role Best Practice ARIA role should be appropriate for the element (WCAG criterion undetermined) 4/8040 pages · 9 instances

Bug ID: VS-5a03a4a0
Pattern ID: VS-4fac2f41
Combined ID: VS-5a03a4a0 (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://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html
XPath / selector: #acc-6XAgmxPDpvK
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<button class="acc-shadow-el acc-im..." role="img" aria-label="Arrow-Orange.gif" id="acc-6XAgmxPDpvK" tabindex="-1" data-represents="_player.5itpeIa4V5X...." style="left: 1096.5px; top:..." data-react

Description

ARIA role should be appropriate for the element. Detected by axe-core rule aria-allowed-role on 4 of 8040 scanned pages (9 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html.
Locate the element: #acc-6XAgmxPDpvK
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule aria-allowed-role.

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: 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

Moderate alfa sia-r53 Undetermined Headings are structured hierarchically (WCAG criterion undetermined) 3/8040 pages · 115 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-7b546c25
Pattern ID: VS-f054f4a4
Combined ID: VS-7b546c25 (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://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=57575&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=9
XPath / selector: <h3 id="h3GeneralInformationHeader" class="document-view-section-header">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Headings are structured hierarchically. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r53 on 956 of 8040 scanned pages (962 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=57575&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=9.
Locate the element: <h3 id="h3GeneralInformationHeader" class="document-view-section-header">
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-r78 Undetermined Table header has scope (WCAG criterion undetermined) 3/8040 pages · 82 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-49c83ef9
Pattern ID: VS-2cd767ca
Combined ID: VS-49c83ef9 (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://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=57575&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=9
XPath / selector: <h4>
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Table header has scope. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r78 on 441 of 8040 scanned pages (684 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=57575&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=9.
Locate the element: <h4>
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-r69 WCAG 2.0 AA Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) (WCAG 1.4.3) 3/8040 pages · 24 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-b05a1fa2
Pattern ID: VS-f7e99f4b
Combined ID: VS-b05a1fa2 (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)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) [sia-r69]
Example URL: https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=52516&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=26
XPath / selector: text: "Column I"
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r69 on 13 of 8040 scanned pages (106 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=52516&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=26.
Locate the element: text: "Column I"
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

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

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r17 WCAG 2.0 A aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements (WCAG 4.1.2) 3/8040 pages · 9 instances

Bug ID: VS-6fadfa93
Pattern ID: VS-f6cf30ff
Combined ID: VS-6fadfa93 (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://cms.gov/priorities/innovation/models?stg=Active%2CAnnounced
XPath / selector: <div id="tooltip-trigger--2" tabindex="-1" class="ds-c-tooltip" data-placement="top">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

Description

aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r17 on 3 of 8040 scanned pages (9 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/priorities/innovation/models?stg=Active%2CAnnounced.
Locate the element: <div id="tooltip-trigger--2" tabindex="-1" class="ds-c-tooltip" data-placement="top">
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

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-r87 Undetermined First focusable element is link to main content (WCAG criterion undetermined) 3/8040 pages · 3 instances

Bug ID: VS-610dd9e4
Pattern ID: VS-aa242c2d
Combined ID: VS-610dd9e4 (pattern VS-aa242c2d) — 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 — First focusable element is link to main content [sia-r87]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

Description

First focusable element is link to main content. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r87 on 3 of 8040 scanned pages (3 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html.
Locate the element: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r87.

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-r87

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r8 WCAG 2.0 A Form field has accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 3/8040 pages · 3 instances

Bug ID: VS-5dcc5773
Pattern ID: VS-a48e6078
Combined ID: VS-5dcc5773 (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://cms.gov/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening
XPath / selector: <select id="state-code-select" class="form-select ds-c-field">
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

Description

Form field has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r8 on 3 of 8040 scanned pages (3 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening.
Locate the element: <select id="state-code-select" class="form-select ds-c-field">
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

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-r62 WCAG 2.0 A Link in text block is visually distinguishable without color (WCAG 1.4.1) 3/8040 pages · 3 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-92d9b3b4
Pattern ID: VS-efd91fdd
Combined ID: VS-92d9b3b4 (pattern VS-efd91fdd) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.1 Use of Color (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Link in text block is visually distinguishable without color [sia-r62]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-kit
XPath / selector: <a href="https://data.cms.gov/fact-sheet/cms-fast-facts" data-once="linkMatch">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Link in text block is visually distinguishable without color. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r62 on 10 of 8040 scanned pages (10 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-kit.
Locate the element: <a href="https://data.cms.gov/fact-sheet/cms-fast-facts" data-once="linkMatch">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r62 against WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Color.

Impact

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

Without color perception — 4.5% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% 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: Make links visually distinguishable from surrounding text (not by color alone).

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r62

Triage status Notes

Minor axe empty-table-header Best Practice Table header text should not be empty (WCAG criterion undetermined) 3/8040 pages · 5 instances

Bug ID: VS-cda92c9d
Pattern ID: VS-d69fc059
Combined ID: VS-cda92c9d (pattern VS-d69fc059) — 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 — Table header text should not be empty [empty-table-header]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx?bc=15&medcacid=7&sortBy=meetingdate&year=all
XPath / selector: th
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<th></th>

Description

Table header text should not be empty. Detected by axe-core rule empty-table-header on 9 of 8040 scanned pages (16 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx?bc=15&medcacid=7&sortBy=meetingdate&year=all.
Locate the element: th
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule empty-table-header.

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

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/empty-table-header?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe meta-viewport WCAG 2.0 AA Zooming and scaling must not be disabled (WCAG 1.4.4) 2/8040 pages · 2 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-85ba697f
Pattern ID: VS-6c86a43a
Combined ID: VS-85ba697f (pattern VS-6c86a43a) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 AA
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.4 Resize Text (Level AA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Zooming and scaling must not be disabled [meta-viewport]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html
XPath / selector: meta[name="viewport"]
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1,user-scalable=no,shrink-to-fit=no,minimal-ui">

Description

Zooming and scaling must not be disabled. Detected by axe-core rule meta-viewport on 2 of 8040 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html.
Locate the element: meta[name="viewport"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule meta-viewport against WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text.

Impact

Affects Limited vision (2.4%).

Limited vision — 2.4% 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: Don't disable zoom (user-scalable=no / maximum-scale=1); low-vision users need to zoom.

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

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r74 WCAG 2.x AAA Link is distinguishable without relying on color (WCAG 1.4.8) 1/8040 pages · 2678 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-76ac29cc
Pattern ID: VS-fbf54eba
Combined ID: VS-76ac29cc (pattern VS-fbf54eba) — 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 — Link is distinguishable without relying on color [sia-r74]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?bc=18&chapter=190&labOnly=labonlyncd&ncdid=96&ncdver=1&sortBy=chapter
XPath / selector: <p class="mb-2">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Link is distinguishable without relying on color. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r74 on 924 of 8040 scanned pages (66953 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?bc=18&chapter=190&labOnly=labonlyncd&ncdid=96&ncdver=1&sortBy=chapter.
Locate the element: <p class="mb-2">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r74 against WCAG 1.4.8 Visual Presentation.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening

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-r74

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r66 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has enhanced contrast (WCAG 1.4.6) 1/8040 pages · 199 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-75293be4
Pattern ID: VS-646b1e0b
Combined ID: VS-75293be4 (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://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?bc=18&chapter=190&labOnly=labonlyncd&ncdid=96&ncdver=1&sortBy=chapter
XPath / selector: text: "Here's how you know"
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

Description

Text has enhanced contrast. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r66 on 928 of 8040 scanned pages (4971 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?bc=18&chapter=190&labOnly=labonlyncd&ncdid=96&ncdver=1&sortBy=chapter.
Locate the element: text: "Here's how you know"
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

/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening

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 scope-attr-valid Best Practice scope attribute should be used correctly (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/8040 pages · 13 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-fa10c4ff
Pattern ID: VS-0ba8ce9d
Combined ID: VS-fa10c4ff (pattern VS-0ba8ce9d) — 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 — scope attribute should be used correctly [scope-attr-valid]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?areaId=all&bc=1&contractOption=all&docType=NCA%2CCAL%2CNCD%2CMEDCAC%2CTA%2CMCD%2C6%2C3%2C5%2C1%2CF%2CP&keyword=permanent+cardiac&keywordType=starts&ncaid=246&proposed=Y&sortBy=relevance
XPath / selector: .MsoTableGrid:nth-child(148) > tbody > tr:nth-child(2) > td[scope="row"]
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W26 (3 wk)

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

<td scope="row"> Del Ojo 2005</td>

Description

scope attribute should be used correctly. Detected by axe-core rule scope-attr-valid on 11 of 8040 scanned pages (139 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?areaId=all&bc=1&contractOption=all&docType=NCA%2CCAL%2CNCD%2CMEDCAC%2CTA%2CMCD%2C6%2C3%2C5%2C1%2CF%2CP&keyword=permanent+cardiac&keywordType=starts&ncaid=246&proposed=Y&sortBy=relevance.
Locate the element: .MsoTableGrid:nth-child(148) > tbody > tr:nth-child(2) > td[scope="row"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule scope-attr-valid.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

/icd10m/version372-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0372.html

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/scope-attr-valid?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r18 Undetermined aria attribute is permitted for element role (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/8040 pages · 6 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-d8d22dc1
Pattern ID: VS-e05344b9
Combined ID: VS-d8d22dc1 (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://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-reports/next-generation-aco-model-ngaco-public-use-files
XPath / selector: @aria-label="Open REACH ACOs"
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W26 (2 wk)

Description

aria attribute is permitted for element role. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r18 on 1 of 8040 scanned pages (6 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-reports/next-generation-aco-model-ngaco-public-use-files.
Locate the element: @aria-label="Open REACH ACOs"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r18.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

/data-research/statistics-trends-reports/next-generation-aco-model-ngaco-public-use-files

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

5 more lower-priority finding(s) — summary only

Full detail — steps, affected pages, snippets — for these and every finding is in the CSV.

Severity	Finding	WCAG category	Pages
Moderate	Element with lang attribute has correct language (WCAG 3.1.2) [sia-r7]	WCAG 2.0 AA	1
Moderate	Keyboard (WCAG 2.1.1) [sia-r84]	WCAG 2.0 A	1
Moderate	aria attribute is defined in WAI-ARIA (WCAG criterion undetermined) [sia-r20]	Undetermined	1
Moderate	Button has accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) [sia-r12]	WCAG 2.0 A	1
Moderate	Text is not too small to read (WCAG 1.4.4) [sia-r47]	WCAG 2.0 AA	1

Deque axe-core findings

Rule-level axe-core summary (26 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
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements [list]	serious	372	1030	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 372 pages (CSV)
Heading levels should only increase by one [heading-order]	moderate	333	359	/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/acute-inpatient-pps/wage-index /priorities/nursing-home-careers/overview/certified-nursing-assistant-cna /medicare/medicaid-coordination/reduce-avoidable-hospitalizations/enhanced-care-coordination-provider-information	all 333 pages (CSV)
Links must be distinguishable without relying on color [link-in-text-block]	serious	318	826	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 318 pages (CSV)
Page should contain a level-one heading [page-has-heading-one]	moderate	158	158	/about-cms/what-we-do/emergency-response/additional-information-available /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0332.html	all 158 pages (CSV)
All page content should be contained by landmarks [region]	moderate	150	3847	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html /icd10m/FY2023-version40-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0082.html	all 150 pages (CSV)
<html> element must have a lang attribute [html-has-lang]	serious	146	146	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html /icd10m/FY2023-version40-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0082.html	all 146 pages (CSV)
Document should have one main landmark [landmark-one-main]	moderate	146	146	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html /icd10m/FY2023-version40-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0082.html	all 146 pages (CSV)
Form elements must have labels [label]	critical	116	116	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0099.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0332.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0085.html	all 116 pages (CSV)
Headings should not be empty [empty-heading]	minor	47	47	/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html /icd10m/FY2023-version40-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0082.html /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0136.html	all 47 pages (CSV)
Images must have alternative text [image-alt]	critical	32	32	/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html /icd10m/FY2023-version40-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0082.html /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0136.html	all 32 pages (CSV)
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds [color-contrast]	serious	31	430	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 31 pages (CSV)
Links must have discernible text [link-name]	serious	13	24	/medicare/medicaid-coordination/about/dsnps /priorities/burden-reduction/overview/customer-engagement/accountable-care-organization-aco-engagement /initiatives/innovation-center/value-based-care-spotlight/basics-value-based-care/value-based-care-social-media-toolkits/value-based-care-toolkit-health-literacy-month	all 13 pages (CSV)
Table cell headers attributes must refer to other <th> elements in the same table [td-headers-attr]	serious	12	12	/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2020-transmittals /medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2022-transmittals /medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2020-transmittals	all 12 pages (CSV)
<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol> [listitem]	serious	11	242	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/medicare-coverage-document.aspx	all 11 pages (CSV)
scope attribute should be used correctly [scope-attr-valid]	moderate	11	139	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx	all 11 pages (CSV)
Table header text should not be empty [empty-table-header]	minor	9	16	/medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx	all 9 pages (CSV)
accesskey attribute value should be unique [accesskeys]	serious	8	23	/icd10m/FY2026-nprm-version43-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P2168.html /icd10m/FY2026-nprm-version43-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P2170.html /icd10m/fy2025-version42.0-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0203.html	all 8 pages (CSV)
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combination [landmark-unique]	moderate	6	6	/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening /priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening /home/chip.asp	all 6 pages (CSV)
ARIA role should be appropriate for the element [aria-allowed-role]	minor	4	9	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html /home/chip.asp /Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/MMS/Quality-Programs	all 4 pages (CSV)
Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark [landmark-banner-is-top-level]	moderate	4	4	/data-research/statistics-trends-reports/comprehensive-end-stage-renal-disease-esrd-care-cec-model-public-use-files /data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/mcbs-public-use-file /data-research/statistics-trends-reports/next-generation-aco-model-ngaco-public-use-files	all 4 pages (CSV)
lang attribute must have a valid value [valid-lang]	serious	3	19	/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings	all 3 pages (CSV)
Select element must have an accessible name [select-name]	critical	3	3	/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening /priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening /priorities/innovation/innovation-models/map	all 3 pages (CSV)
<dl> elements must only directly contain properly-ordered <dt> and <dd> groups, <script>, <template> or <div> elements [definition-list]	serious	2	2	/training-education/partner-outreach-resources/american-indian/alaska-native/behavioral-health/substance-use-disorders /training-education/partner-outreach-resources/american-indian/alaska-native/behavioral-health/substance-use-disorders	all 2 pages (CSV)
Zooming and scaling must not be disabled [meta-viewport]	moderate	2	2	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html /Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/PartCOrganizationDetermination/story.html	all 2 pages (CSV)
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes [aria-allowed-attr]	critical	1	1	/medicare/health-drug-plans/provider-complaints-form	all 1 pages (CSV)
Buttons must have discernible text [button-name]	critical	1	1	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html	all 1 pages (CSV)

Siteimprove Alfa findings

Rule-level Alfa summary (37 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	2812	104750	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx /about-cms/contact/database /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 2812 pages (CSV)
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73]	n/a	2804	35419	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx /about-cms/contact/database /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 2804 pages (CSV)
Form field label is visible [sia-r61]	n/a	2738	2738	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx /about-cms/contact/database /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 2738 pages (CSV)
Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard [sia-r57]	n/a	1200	1204	/about-cms/contact/database /newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-care-choices-model-awards /regulations-and-guidance/guidance/transmittals/2017-transmittals-items/r3929cp	all 1200 pages (CSV)
Headings are structured hierarchically [sia-r53]	n/a	956	962	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 956 pages (CSV)
Text has enhanced contrast [sia-r66]	n/a	928	4971	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 928 pages (CSV)
Accessible name of link or button matches visible label [sia-r14]	n/a	925	2645	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 925 pages (CSV)
Link is distinguishable without relying on color [sia-r74]	n/a	924	66953	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 924 pages (CSV)
Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum) [sia-r113]	n/a	471	1193	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 471 pages (CSV)
Table header has scope [sia-r78]	n/a	441	684	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /	all 441 pages (CSV)
Element has required aria-owns [sia-r46]	n/a	135	239	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 135 pages (CSV)
Presentational children of an element are not focusable [sia-r68]	n/a	120	376	/medicare-coverage-database/reports/local-coverage-final-lcds-contractor-report.aspx /priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html	all 120 pages (CSV)
Document has a valid lang attribute [sia-r4]	n/a	72	72	/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html /icd10m/FY2023-version40-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0082.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0085.html	all 72 pages (CSV)
Element with orientation is not locked [sia-r59]	n/a	61	61	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0085.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0162.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0285.html	all 61 pages (CSV)
Form field error is identified and described [sia-r75]	n/a	59	118	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0085.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0162.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0285.html	all 59 pages (CSV)
Scrollable element is keyboard accessible [sia-r80]	n/a	49	336	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 49 pages (CSV)
iframe element is not empty [sia-r71]	n/a	44	1707	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 44 pages (CSV)
Element has required owned roles [sia-r64]	n/a	22	22	/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html /icd10m/FY2023-version40-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0082.html /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0136.html	all 22 pages (CSV)
Image has accessible name [sia-r2]	n/a	14	14	/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0343.html /icd10m/FY2023-version40-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0082.html /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0136.html	all 14 pages (CSV)
Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) [sia-r69]	n/a	13	106	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 13 pages (CSV)
Link in text block is visually distinguishable without color [sia-r62]	n/a	10	10	/newsroom/press-kit /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 10 pages (CSV)
Link has accessible name [sia-r11]	n/a	7	10	/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/long-term-care-hospital /medicare/appeals-grievances/fee-for-service/fourth-level-appeal /data-research/cms-data/learn-more-about-cms-data	all 7 pages (CSV)
Duplicate role landmark is labeled [sia-r79]	n/a	7	7	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx	all 7 pages (CSV)
Table cell has header [sia-r77]	n/a	6	44	/medicare-coverage-database/reports/national-coverage-medicare-coverage-documents-report.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx	all 6 pages (CSV)
aria-hidden element is not exposed to assistive technology [sia-r45]	n/a	4	492	/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2022-transmittals /medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2022-transmittals /medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2022-transmittals	all 4 pages (CSV)
Element in required WAI-ARIA context role [sia-r42]	n/a	4	17	/ / /priorities/innovation/overview	all 4 pages (CSV)
Element with lang attribute has correct language [sia-r7]	n/a	3	19	/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings	all 3 pages (CSV)
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements [sia-r17]	n/a	3	9	/priorities/innovation/models /priorities/innovation/models /priorities/innovation/models	all 3 pages (CSV)
Form field has accessible name [sia-r8]	n/a	3	3	/priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening /priorities/innovation/where-innovation-happening /Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html	all 3 pages (CSV)
First focusable element is link to main content [sia-r87]	n/a	3	3	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html /priorities/electronic-prior-authorization/overview /data-research/statistics-trends-reports/next-generation-aco-model-ngaco-public-use-files	all 3 pages (CSV)
Keyboard trap does not exist [sia-r85]	n/a	2	2	/medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx	all 2 pages (CSV)
aria attribute is permitted for element role [sia-r18]	n/a	1	6	/data-research/statistics-trends-reports/next-generation-aco-model-ngaco-public-use-files	all 1 pages (CSV)
sia-r84	n/a	1	3	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html	all 1 pages (CSV)
aria attribute is defined in WAI-ARIA [sia-r20]	n/a	1	2	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html	all 1 pages (CSV)
Button has accessible name [sia-r12]	n/a	1	1	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html	all 1 pages (CSV)
Text is not too small to read [sia-r47]	n/a	1	1	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MedicareFraudandAbuse/FraudandAbuse/story.html	all 1 pages (CSV)
No obsolete or deprecated elements are used [sia-r70]	n/a	1	1	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx	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 (16785 raw engine findings → 16658 unique).

Unique issues (rule × page): 16658
Caught by both engines: 127 highest confidence
axe only: 1812
Alfa only: 14719

10 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
<html> element must have a lang attribute	146	axe html-has-lang · Alfa sia-r4 · ACT b5c3f8
Form elements must have labels	119	axe label · Alfa sia-r8 · ACT e086e5
Headings should not be empty	47	axe empty-heading · Alfa sia-r64 · ACT ffd0e9
Images must have alternative text	32	axe image-alt · Alfa sia-r2 · ACT 23a2a8
Links must have discernible text	13	axe link-name · Alfa sia-r11 · ACT c487ae
Table cell headers attributes must refer to other <th> elements in the same table	12	axe td-headers-attr · Alfa sia-r45 · ACT a25f45
lang attribute must have a valid value	3	axe valid-lang · Alfa sia-r7 · ACT de46e4
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes	2	axe aria-allowed-attr · Alfa sia-r18 · ACT 5c01ea
Zooming and scaling must not be disabled	2	axe meta-viewport · Alfa sia-r47 · ACT b4f0c3
Buttons must have discernible text	1	axe button-name · Alfa sia-r12 · ACT 97a4e1