www.cms.gov: Accessibility — week 2026-W27

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	4845	4	Component inconsistency
2.5.5	WCAG 2.5.5	3338	1
1.4.6	WCAG 1.4.6	1336	1
2.5.3	WCAG 2.5.3	1334	1
1.3.1	Info and Relationships (semantic structure)	980	9

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-spinner: 150% of sampled rule findings · ds-c-field: 100% of sampled rule findings · ds-c-pagination: 12.5% of sampled rule findings 14 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 ~3288 finding(s) on 3288 page(s). XPath / selector: `{"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys`	Moderate	3288	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 ~1265 finding(s) on 1265 page(s). XPath / selector: `text: "Feedback"`	Moderate	1265	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r57	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Form elements must have labels · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~90 finding(s) on 90 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	90	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
<html> element must have a lang attribute · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~90 finding(s) on 90 page(s). XPath / selector: `html` `<html>`	Serious	90	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 ~131 finding(s) on 131 page(s). XPath / selector: `html` `<html>`	Moderate	131	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 ~90 finding(s) on 90 page(s). XPath / selector: `html` `<html>`	Moderate	90	Requires manual testing.	Each page should have exactly one <main> landmark.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Accessible name of link or button matches visible label · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1330 finding(s) on 1330 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	1330	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 ~1233 finding(s) on 1233 page(s). XPath / selector: `<a href="#" data-bs-toggle="collapse" id="aCollapseNavigation" aria-label="Collapse Document Navigation">`	Moderate	1233	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 ~47 finding(s) on 47 page(s). XPath / selector: `<html>`	Moderate	47	Without vision, Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability	Add a valid lang attribute to <html>.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Element with orientation is not locked · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~47 finding(s) on 47 page(s). XPath / selector: `{"type":"document","children":[{"type":"element","children":[{"type":"element","`	Moderate	47	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r59	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes

Bug reports

9 issue type(s) are shown by default out of 41 total. Prioritized by severity, key pages, WCAG level, and prevalence; use the toggle to show everything.

Overall severity mix: 2 critical, 6 serious, 31 moderate, 2 minor. By WCAG category: 12 WCAG 2.0 A, 5 WCAG 2.0 AA, 1 WCAG 2.2 AA, 2 WCAG 2.x AAA, 10 Best Practice, 11 Undetermined. Ordered by severity, key-page impact, WCAG level, and prevalence. Following accessibility bug-reporting best practices. Download: Markdown · JSON (full archive) · JSON (AI diagnostic) · CSV (all findings) · Priority pages CSV · Priority pages JSON.

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

Default view shows 9 prioritized issue type(s); 32 more are available if you switch to "Show everything".

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.

Critical axe label WCAG 2.0 A Form elements must have labels (WCAG 4.1.2) 90/8287 pages · 90 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-8c488e2b
Pattern ID: VS-fafffee0
Combined ID: VS-8c488e2b (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/P0376.html
XPath / selector: #q
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W27 (2 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 90 of 8287 scanned pages (90 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.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 90 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

Serious axe html-has-lang WCAG 2.0 A <html> element must have a lang attribute (WCAG 3.1.1) 90/8287 pages · 90 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-b6d0e2cb
Pattern ID: VS-c126b6a6
Combined ID: VS-b6d0e2cb (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/P0376.html
XPath / selector: html
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 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 90 of 8287 scanned pages (90 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.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 90 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

Serious axe list WCAG 2.0 A <ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements (WCAG 1.3.1) 5/8287 pages · 470 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-b3ffc848
Pattern ID: VS-a0bdbdf6
Combined ID: VS-b3ffc848 (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://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=54480&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=16
XPath / selector: ul:nth-child(5)
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

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

<ul>

Description

<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements. Detected by axe-core rule list on 617 of 8287 scanned pages (2352 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=54480&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=16.
Locate the element: ul:nth-child(5)
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule list against WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

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

Triage status Notes

Serious axe link-name WCAG 2.0 A Links must have discernible text (WCAG 2.4.4) 4/8287 pages · 8 instances

Bug ID: VS-a1ce930a
Pattern ID: VS-e9fe47ac
Combined ID: VS-a1ce930a (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-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=320&proposed=Y
XPath / selector: ol[type="A"] > a[href$="#5A"]
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

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

<a href="#5A">
</a>

Description

Links must have discernible text. Detected by axe-core rule link-name on 9 of 8287 scanned pages (19 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=320&proposed=Y.
Locate the element: ol[type="A"] > a[href$="#5A"]
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 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) 2/8287 pages · 2 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-79907f9c
Pattern ID: VS-07ba3b17
Combined ID: VS-79907f9c (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://www.cms.gov/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2022-transmittals?items_per_page=25&order=field_dyna_implementation_date&page=0&sort=asc
XPath / selector: .MsoTableGrid
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W27 (3 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 2 of 8287 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2022-transmittals?items_per_page=25&order=field_dyna_implementation_date&page=0&sort=asc.
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

Critical axe select-name WCAG 2.0 A Select element must have an accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 1/8287 pages · 2 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-a12223ee
Pattern ID: VS-fab92378
Combined ID: VS-a12223ee (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://www.cms.gov/priorities/innovation/models/medicare-demonstrations
XPath / selector: .per-page-select-1
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W27 (2 wk)

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

<select name="per-page-1" class="ds-c-field per-page-select-1"><option value="5">5</option><option value="10" selected="">10</option><option value="20">20</option></select>

Description

Select element must have an accessible name. Detected by axe-core rule select-name on 1 of 8287 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/priorities/innovation/models/medicare-demonstrations.
Locate the element: .per-page-select-1
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

/priorities/innovation/models/medicare-demonstrations

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 valid-lang WCAG 2.0 AA lang attribute must have a valid value (WCAG 3.1.2) 1/8287 pages · 5 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-8f470a84
Pattern ID: VS-dd1c019f
Combined ID: VS-8f470a84 (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/data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings
XPath / selector: a[href$="#_ftnref1"] > span[lang="X-NONE"]
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

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

<span lang="X-NONE">[1]</span>

Description

lang attribute must have a valid value. Detected by axe-core rule valid-lang on 2 of 8287 scanned pages (10 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings.
Locate the element: a[href$="#_ftnref1"] > 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 aria-input-field-name WCAG 2.0 A ARIA input fields must have an accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 1/8287 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-6e858b03
Pattern ID: VS-0841abc2
Combined ID: VS-6e858b03 (pattern VS-0841abc2) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — ARIA input fields must have an accessible name [aria-input-field-name]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/files/linked-video-files/long-term-care-indian-country-oneida-nation-wisconsin
XPath / selector: #simplebox-placeholder
History: first seen 2026-W27, last seen 2026-W27 (1 wk)

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

<yt-formatted-string id="simplebox-placeholder" role="textbox" tabindex="0" class="style-scope ytd-comment-simplebox-renderer">Add a comment...</yt-formatted-string>

Description

ARIA input fields must have an accessible name. Detected by axe-core rule aria-input-field-name on 1 of 8287 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/files/linked-video-files/long-term-care-indian-country-oneida-nation-wisconsin.
Locate the element: #simplebox-placeholder
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule aria-input-field-name against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

/files/linked-video-files/long-term-care-indian-country-oneida-nation-wisconsin

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r4 WCAG 2.0 A Document has a valid lang attribute (WCAG 3.1.1) 47/8287 pages · 47 instances · possible duplicate Likely template

Bug ID: VS-497c6e09
Pattern ID: VS-7a0e5645
Combined ID: VS-497c6e09 (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/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html
XPath / selector: <html>
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-b6d0e2cb (pattern VS-c126b6a6). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Document has a valid lang attribute. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r4 on 47 of 8287 scanned pages (47 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.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 47 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-r57 Undetermined Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1266/8287 pages · 1269 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-e02a91a9
Pattern ID: VS-c18be945
Combined ID: VS-e02a91a9 (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/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency
XPath / selector: text: "Feedback"
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

Description

Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r57 on 1266 of 8287 scanned pages (1269 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency.
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 1266 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) 131/8287 pages · 131 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-826dee8c
Pattern ID: VS-fa44f293
Combined ID: VS-826dee8c (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/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html
XPath / selector: html
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

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

<html>

Description

Page should contain a level-one heading. Detected by axe-core rule page-has-heading-one on 131 of 8287 scanned pages (131 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html.
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 131 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) 92/8287 pages · 2099 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-bae30fda
Pattern ID: VS-f18df681
Combined ID: VS-bae30fda (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/P0376.html
XPath / selector: .hhshead[cellpadding="0"][cellspacing="0"]:nth-child(1)
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 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 92 of 8287 scanned pages (2099 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.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 92 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) 90/8287 pages · 90 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-f61ae1eb
Pattern ID: VS-d5d82446
Combined ID: VS-f61ae1eb (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/P0376.html
XPath / selector: html
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 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 90 of 8287 scanned pages (90 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.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 90 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-r75 Undetermined Form field error is identified and described (WCAG criterion undetermined) 47/8287 pages · 94 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-8e908e0a
Pattern ID: VS-e43903a1
Combined ID: VS-8e908e0a (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/P0376.html
XPath / selector: <ul id="globar">
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W27 (2 wk)

Description

Form field error is identified and described. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r75 on 47 of 8287 scanned pages (94 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.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 47 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

Moderate alfa sia-r59 Undetermined Element with orientation is not locked (WCAG criterion undetermined) 47/8287 pages · 47 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-6e8c48b9
Pattern ID: VS-7fbb8b20
Combined ID: VS-6e8c48b9 (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/P0376.html
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"element","children":[{"type":"element","
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W27 (2 wk)

Description

Element with orientation is not locked. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r59 on 47 of 8287 scanned pages (47 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.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 47 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-r111 WCAG 2.x AAA Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) (WCAG 2.5.5) 18/8287 pages · 87770 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-9a9d9e41
Pattern ID: VS-cb53cc4d
Combined ID: VS-9a9d9e41 (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://cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency
XPath / selector: <a href="/about-cms" class="menu-item-link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/132926" data-once="navigationLinkMatch">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r111 on 3338 of 8287 scanned pages (121903 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency.
Locate the element: <a href="/about-cms" class="menu-item-link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/132926" data-once="navigationLinkMatch">
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) 18/8287 pages · 28778 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-7157beaa
Pattern ID: VS-2208081b
Combined ID: VS-7157beaa (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://cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency
XPath / selector: <p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

Description

Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r73 on 3327 of 8287 scanned pages (39969 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency.
Locate the element: <p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r73 against WCAG 1.4.8 Visual Presentation.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

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) 18/8287 pages · 2367 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-5af87ad8
Pattern ID: VS-7118fead
Combined ID: VS-5af87ad8 (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://cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

Description

Form field label is visible. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r61 on 3288 of 8287 scanned pages (3288 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency.
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 axe heading-order Best Practice Heading levels should only increase by one (WCAG criterion undetermined) 15/8287 pages · 286 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-98a6b159
Pattern ID: VS-d25f622d
Combined ID: VS-98a6b159 (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-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?ncaid=299&proposed=N
XPath / selector: #dmHeader0
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

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

<h4 id="dmHeader0">I. Decision</h4>

Description

Heading levels should only increase by one. Detected by axe-core rule heading-order on 455 of 8287 scanned pages (477 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?ncaid=299&proposed=N.
Locate the element: #dmHeader0
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

Minor axe empty-heading Best Practice Headings should not be empty (WCAG criterion undetermined) 15/8287 pages · 15 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-eb3d004a
Pattern ID: VS-0066c67d
Combined ID: VS-eb3d004a (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://cms.gov/medicare/quality/nursing-home-improvement/announcements
XPath / selector: h3:nth-child(56)
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

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

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Description

Headings should not be empty. Detected by axe-core rule empty-heading on 20 of 8287 scanned pages (20 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare/quality/nursing-home-improvement/announcements.
Locate the element: h3:nth-child(56)
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule empty-heading.

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 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 deprecated-html presentational-attr Undetermined Presentational attribute (use CSS) (WCAG criterion undetermined) 10/8287 pages · 400 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-742b1d3e
Pattern ID: VS-04a9d28c
Combined ID: VS-742b1d3e (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://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx?bc=6&lcdid=36951&lcdStatus=all&sortBy=title&ver=20
XPath / selector: table
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

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

<table style="height: 15px;" border="black" width="415">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<p><strong>Proliferation Group</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<p><strong>Hor

Description

Presentational attribute (use CSS). Detected by deprecated-html rule presentational-attr on 44 of 8287 scanned pages (1000 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx?bc=6&lcdid=36951&lcdStatus=all&sortBy=title&ver=20.
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 axe landmark-unique Best Practice Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c (WCAG criterion undetermined) 8/8287 pages · 8 instances

Bug ID: VS-81344b63
Pattern ID: VS-8806389c
Combined ID: VS-81344b63 (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/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.html
XPath / selector: main
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W27 (3 wk)

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

<main>

Description

Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c. Detected by axe-core rule landmark-unique on 8 of 8287 scanned pages (8 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.html.
Locate the element: main
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-r64 WCAG 2.0 A Element has required owned roles (WCAG 1.3.1) 7/8287 pages · 7 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-ca93e8b4
Pattern ID: VS-3c632d31
Combined ID: VS-ca93e8b4 (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://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=59632&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=22
XPath / selector: <h4>
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

Description

Element has required owned roles. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r64 on 11 of 8287 scanned pages (11 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=59632&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=22.
Locate the element: <h4>
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-r53 Undetermined Headings are structured hierarchically (WCAG criterion undetermined) 4/8287 pages · 208 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-64678315
Pattern ID: VS-f054f4a4
Combined ID: VS-64678315 (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://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?ncaid=299&proposed=N
XPath / selector: <h4 id="dmHeader0">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

Description

Headings are structured hierarchically. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r53 on 1294 of 8287 scanned pages (1298 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?ncaid=299&proposed=N.
Locate the element: <h4 id="dmHeader0">
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-r113 WCAG 2.2 AA Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum) (WCAG 2.5.8) 4/8287 pages · 142 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-59084c57
Pattern ID: VS-179ad9b3
Combined ID: VS-59084c57 (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://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html
XPath / selector: <a href="http://www.cms.gov/" title="CMS Home Page">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r113 on 366 of 8287 scanned pages (888 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html.
Locate the element: <a href="http://www.cms.gov/" title="CMS Home Page">
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 axe landmark-banner-is-top-level Best Practice Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark (WCAG criterion undetermined) 4/8287 pages · 4 instances

Bug ID: VS-9f603d4f
Pattern ID: VS-30db094d
Combined ID: VS-9f603d4f (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: http://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/mcbs-public-use-file
XPath / selector: .Header
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (3 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 8287 scanned pages (4 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open http://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/mcbs-public-use-file.
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

Moderate alfa sia-r69 WCAG 2.0 AA Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) (WCAG 1.4.3) 3/8287 pages · 22 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-519d2cb4
Pattern ID: VS-f7e99f4b
Combined ID: VS-519d2cb4 (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/lcd.aspx?bc=7&contractorName=all&contractorNumber=all&lcdid=33718&lcdStatus=all&sortBy=title&ver=52
XPath / selector: text: "Situation"
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

Description

Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r69 on 24 of 8287 scanned pages (172 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx?bc=7&contractorName=all&contractorNumber=all&lcdid=33718&lcdStatus=all&sortBy=title&ver=52.
Locate the element: text: "Situation"
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-r11 WCAG 2.0 A Link has accessible name (WCAG 2.4.4) 3/8287 pages · 5 instances · possible duplicate

Bug ID: VS-23ab4948
Pattern ID: VS-28ebd979
Combined ID: VS-23ab4948 (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: https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?ncaid=317&proposed=N
XPath / selector: <a href="#3I6">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-a1ce930a (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 5 of 8287 scanned pages (8 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?ncaid=317&proposed=N.
Locate the element: <a href="#3I6">
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 alfa sia-r78 Undetermined Table header has scope (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/8287 pages · 47 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-87eb0ce4
Pattern ID: VS-2cd767ca
Combined ID: VS-87eb0ce4 (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=58649&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=8
XPath / selector: <h4>
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

Description

Table header has scope. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r78 on 387 of 8287 scanned pages (590 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=58649&articleStatus=all&bc=3&sortBy=title&ver=8.
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-r87 Undetermined First focusable element is link to main content (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/8287 pages · 2 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-62e26f27
Pattern ID: VS-aa242c2d
Combined ID: VS-62e26f27 (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/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W27 (3 wk)

Description

First focusable element is link to main content. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r87 on 2 of 8287 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/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

Minor axe aria-allowed-role Best Practice ARIA role should be appropriate for the element (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/8287 pages · 3 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-5c71ec5c
Pattern ID: VS-4fac2f41
Combined ID: VS-5c71ec5c (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/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html
XPath / selector: body
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 wk)

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

<body style="background: #072137" class="cs-HTML theme-unified view-desktop is-landscape ff-on ff-drop-in-base ff-multiple-quiz-tracking ff-player-size-option sidebar-left zoom-mode timeline-playing n

Description

ARIA role should be appropriate for the element. Detected by axe-core rule aria-allowed-role on 2 of 8287 scanned pages (3 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html.
Locate the element: body
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-r18 Undetermined aria attribute is permitted for element role (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/8287 pages · 6 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-17102650
Pattern ID: VS-e05344b9
Combined ID: VS-17102650 (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: http://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-reports/comprehensive-end-stage-renal-disease-esrd-care-cec-model-public-use-files
XPath / selector: @aria-label="Open Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program"
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W27 (3 wk)

Description

aria attribute is permitted for element role. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r18 on 1 of 8287 scanned pages (6 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open http://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-reports/comprehensive-end-stage-renal-disease-esrd-care-cec-model-public-use-files.
Locate the element: @aria-label="Open Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program"
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/comprehensive-end-stage-renal-disease-esrd-care-cec-model-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

Moderate alfa sia-r42 WCAG 2.0 A Element in required WAI-ARIA context role (WCAG 1.3.1) 1/8287 pages · 5 instances · possible duplicate Likely content

Bug ID: VS-6ba7deb5
Pattern ID: VS-0ddc2ac6
Combined ID: VS-6ba7deb5 (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://www.cms.gov/
XPath / selector: <button type="button" id="trigger-tabs-1562390284" aria-expanded="false" class="responsive-tabs__tab-button--mobile ds-u-display--flex">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (3 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-79907f9c (pattern VS-07ba3b17). 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 1 of 8287 scanned pages (5 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/.
Locate the element: <button type="button" id="trigger-tabs-1562390284" 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 alfa sia-r7 WCAG 2.0 AA Element with lang attribute has correct language (WCAG 3.1.2) 1/8287 pages · 5 instances · possible duplicate Likely content

Bug ID: VS-765760a0
Pattern ID: VS-400f3a18
Combined ID: VS-765760a0 (pattern VS-400f3a18) — 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: Siteimprove Alfa — Element with lang attribute has correct language [sia-r7]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings
XPath / selector: @lang="X-NONE"
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W27 (2 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-8f470a84 (pattern VS-dd1c019f). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Element with lang attribute has correct language. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r7 on 2 of 8287 scanned pages (10 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings.
Locate the element: @lang="X-NONE"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r7 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: 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-r7

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r20 Undetermined aria attribute is defined in WAI-ARIA (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/8287 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-f1076d9f
Pattern ID: VS-7f897be7
Combined ID: VS-f1076d9f (pattern VS-7f897be7) — 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 defined in WAI-ARIA [sia-r20]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html
XPath / selector: @aria-role="scrollbar"
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W27 (2 wk)

Description

aria attribute is defined in WAI-ARIA. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r20 on 1 of 8287 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html.
Locate the element: @aria-role="scrollbar"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r20.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html

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-r20

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe landmark-no-duplicate-main Best Practice Document should not have more than one main landmark (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/8287 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-68876761
Pattern ID: VS-cd69be3a
Combined ID: VS-68876761 (pattern VS-cd69be3a) — 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 not have more than one main landmark [landmark-no-duplicate-main]
Example URL: https://cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.html
XPath / selector: main
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W27 (2 wk)

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

<main>

Description

Document should not have more than one main landmark. Detected by axe-core rule landmark-no-duplicate-main on 1 of 8287 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.html.
Locate the element: main
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule landmark-no-duplicate-main.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.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/landmark-no-duplicate-main?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r8 WCAG 2.0 A Form field has accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 1/8287 pages · 1 instances · possible duplicate Likely content

Bug ID: VS-5540b04d
Pattern ID: VS-a48e6078
Combined ID: VS-5540b04d (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://www.cms.gov/priorities/nursing-home-careers/get-up-40000-student-loan-repayment
XPath / selector: <input class="long email_text_field ds-c-field" name="email" id="email" type="email">
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W27 (3 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-6e858b03 (pattern VS-0841abc2). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Form field has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r8 on 1 of 8287 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/priorities/nursing-home-careers/get-up-40000-student-loan-repayment.
Locate the element: <input class="long email_text_field ds-c-field" name="email" id="email" type="email">
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

/priorities/nursing-home-careers/get-up-40000-student-loan-repayment

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 axe landmark-main-is-top-level Best Practice Main landmark should not be contained in another landmark (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/8287 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-be44c833
Pattern ID: VS-ff3ceb19
Combined ID: VS-be44c833 (pattern VS-ff3ceb19) — 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 — Main landmark should not be contained in another landmark [landmark-main-is-top-level]
Example URL: https://cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.html
XPath / selector: #NAV_MAIN
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W27 (2 wk)

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

<div id="NAV_MAIN" role="main">

Description

Main landmark should not be contained in another landmark. Detected by axe-core rule landmark-main-is-top-level on 1 of 8287 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.html.
Locate the element: #NAV_MAIN
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule landmark-main-is-top-level.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.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/landmark-main-is-top-level?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r40 Undetermined Tables are used for tabular data, not layout (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/8287 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-97e4119c
Pattern ID: VS-3d3b2245
Combined ID: VS-97e4119c (pattern VS-3d3b2245) — 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 — Tables are used for tabular data, not layout [sia-r40]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/priorities/health-equity/minority-health/resource-center/language/navajo-dine-bizaad
XPath / selector: <div role="region">
History: first seen 2026-W27, last seen 2026-W27 (1 wk)

Description

Tables are used for tabular data, not layout. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r40 on 1 of 8287 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/priorities/health-equity/minority-health/resource-center/language/navajo-dine-bizaad.
Locate the element: <div role="region">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r40.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

/priorities/health-equity/minority-health/resource-center/language/navajo-dine-bizaad

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-r40

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r47 WCAG 2.0 AA Text is not too small to read (WCAG 1.4.4) 1/8287 pages · 1 instances · possible duplicate Likely content

Bug ID: VS-c5d3f7aa
Pattern ID: VS-3a9437f7
Combined ID: VS-c5d3f7aa (pattern VS-3a9437f7) — 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: Siteimprove Alfa — Text is not too small to read [sia-r47]
Example URL: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html
XPath / selector: <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1,user-scalable=no,shrink-to-fit=no,minimal-ui">
History: first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W27 (2 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-dc9b976a (pattern VS-6c86a43a). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Text is not too small to read. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r47 on 1 of 8287 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html.
Locate the element: <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1,user-scalable=no,shrink-to-fit=no,minimal-ui">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r47 against WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text.

Impact

Affects Limited vision (2.4%).

Limited vision — 2.4% of population

Affected pages

/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html

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-r47

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe meta-viewport WCAG 2.0 AA Zooming and scaling must not be disabled (WCAG 1.4.4) 1/8287 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-dc9b976a
Pattern ID: VS-6c86a43a
Combined ID: VS-dc9b976a (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/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html
XPath / selector: meta[name="viewport"]
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W27 (4 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 1 of 8287 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/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

/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/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: 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

Deque axe-core findings

Rule-level axe-core summary (25 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-W27, by pages affected
Rule	Impact	Pages affected	Instances	Example pages	All affected
Links must be distinguishable without relying on color [link-in-text-block]	serious	894	2140	/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 894 pages (CSV)
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements [list]	serious	617	2352	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 617 pages (CSV)
Heading levels should only increase by one [heading-order]	moderate	455	477	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /training-education/medicare-learning-networkr-mln/resources-training/mln-matters-articles /apps/ama/license.asp	all 455 pages (CSV)
Page should contain a level-one heading [page-has-heading-one]	moderate	131	131	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html /medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/ambulatory-surgical-center-asc/asc-payment-rates-addenda /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0100.html	all 131 pages (CSV)
All page content should be contained by landmarks [region]	moderate	92	2099	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0100.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0097.html	all 92 pages (CSV)
<html> element must have a lang attribute [html-has-lang]	serious	90	90	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0100.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0097.html	all 90 pages (CSV)
Form elements must have labels [label]	critical	90	90	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0100.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0097.html	all 90 pages (CSV)
Document should have one main landmark [landmark-one-main]	moderate	90	90	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0100.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0097.html	all 90 pages (CSV)
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds [color-contrast]	serious	50	371	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 50 pages (CSV)
scope attribute should be used correctly [scope-attr-valid]	moderate	21	593	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-proposed-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx	all 21 pages (CSV)
Headings should not be empty [empty-heading]	minor	20	20	/medicare/quality/nursing-home-improvement/announcements /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /training-education/partner-outreach-resources/privacy	all 20 pages (CSV)
Links must have discernible text [link-name]	serious	9	19	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /data-research/cms-data/learn-more-about-cms-data	all 9 pages (CSV)
<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol> [listitem]	serious	8	266	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/technology-assessments.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/medicare-coverage-document.aspx	all 8 pages (CSV)
Table header text should not be empty [empty-table-header]	minor	8	19	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx	all 8 pages (CSV)
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combination [landmark-unique]	moderate	8	8	/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.html /apps/media /priorities/innovation/models/medicare-demonstrations	all 8 pages (CSV)
Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark [landmark-banner-is-top-level]	moderate	4	4	/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/mcbs-public-use-file /Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Downloadable-Public-Use-Files/MCBS-Public-Use-File/index /Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Medicare-Provider-Charge-Data/Outpatient.html	all 4 pages (CSV)
lang attribute must have a valid value [valid-lang]	serious	2	10	/data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 2 pages (CSV)
ARIA role should be appropriate for the element [aria-allowed-role]	minor	2	3	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html /home/medicaid.asp	all 2 pages (CSV)
Table cell headers attributes must refer to other <th> elements in the same table [td-headers-attr]	serious	2	2	/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2022-transmittals /medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2020-transmittals	all 2 pages (CSV)
Select element must have an accessible name [select-name]	critical	1	2	/priorities/innovation/models/medicare-demonstrations	all 1 pages (CSV)
ARIA progressbar nodes must have an accessible name [aria-progressbar-name]	serious	1	2	/medicare-coverage-database/reports/local-coverage-proposed-lcds-contractor-report.aspx	all 1 pages (CSV)
Main landmark should not be contained in another landmark [landmark-main-is-top-level]	moderate	1	1	/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.html	all 1 pages (CSV)
Document should not have more than one main landmark [landmark-no-duplicate-main]	moderate	1	1	/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/EnrollmentResources/provider-resources/provider-enrolment/Med-Prov-Enroll-MLN9658742.html	all 1 pages (CSV)
Zooming and scaling must not be disabled [meta-viewport]	moderate	1	1	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html	all 1 pages (CSV)
ARIA input fields must have an accessible name [aria-input-field-name]	serious	1	1	/files/linked-video-files/long-term-care-indian-country-oneida-nation-wisconsin	all 1 pages (CSV)

Siteimprove Alfa findings

Rule-level Alfa summary (34 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-W27, 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	3338	121903	/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency /medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2021-transmittals /marketplace/in-person-assisters/technical-resources	all 3338 pages (CSV)
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73]	n/a	3327	39969	/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency /medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2021-transmittals /marketplace/in-person-assisters/technical-resources	all 3327 pages (CSV)
Form field label is visible [sia-r61]	n/a	3288	3288	/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency /medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2021-transmittals /marketplace/in-person-assisters/technical-resources	all 3288 pages (CSV)
Text has enhanced contrast [sia-r66]	n/a	1336	6746	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 1336 pages (CSV)
Accessible name of link or button matches visible label [sia-r14]	n/a	1334	3222	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 1334 pages (CSV)
Link is distinguishable without relying on color [sia-r74]	n/a	1332	104753	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 1332 pages (CSV)
Headings are structured hierarchically [sia-r53]	n/a	1294	1298	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /training-education/medicare-learning-networkr-mln/resources-training/mln-matters-articles	all 1294 pages (CSV)
Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard [sia-r57]	n/a	1266	1269	/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency /priorities/innovation-center/value-based-care-spotlight/external-resources /newsroom/search	all 1266 pages (CSV)
Table header has scope [sia-r78]	n/a	387	590	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 387 pages (CSV)
Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum) [sia-r113]	n/a	366	888	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 366 pages (CSV)
Presentational children of an element are not focusable [sia-r68]	n/a	222	973	/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 222 pages (CSV)
Scrollable element is keyboard accessible [sia-r80]	n/a	118	1717	/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 118 pages (CSV)
Element has required aria-owns [sia-r46]	n/a	109	192	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 109 pages (CSV)
iframe element is not empty [sia-r71]	n/a	68	472	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 68 pages (CSV)
Form field error is identified and described [sia-r75]	n/a	47	94	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0100.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0097.html	all 47 pages (CSV)
Document has a valid lang attribute [sia-r4]	n/a	47	47	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0100.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0097.html	all 47 pages (CSV)
Element with orientation is not locked [sia-r59]	n/a	47	47	/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0376.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0100.html /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0097.html	all 47 pages (CSV)
Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) [sia-r69]	n/a	24	172	/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /about-cms/components/cpi/victimizedproviderproject /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 24 pages (CSV)
Element has required owned roles [sia-r64]	n/a	11	11	/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /training-education/partner-outreach-resources/privacy /marketplace/about/health-insurance-marketplace-quality-initiatives	all 11 pages (CSV)
Table cell has header [sia-r77]	n/a	9	385	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx	all 9 pages (CSV)
Keyboard trap does not exist [sia-r85]	n/a	8	24	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-public-comments.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx	all 8 pages (CSV)
Duplicate role landmark is labeled [sia-r79]	n/a	8	8	/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 8 pages (CSV)
Link in text block is visually distinguishable without color [sia-r62]	n/a	8	8	/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx	all 8 pages (CSV)
No obsolete or deprecated elements are used [sia-r70]	n/a	6	6	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-decision-memo.aspx	all 6 pages (CSV)
Link has accessible name [sia-r11]	n/a	5	8	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx /medicare-coverage-database/view/medicare-coverage-document.aspx /data-research/cms-data/learn-more-about-cms-data	all 5 pages (CSV)
Element with lang attribute has correct language [sia-r7]	n/a	2	10	/data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx	all 2 pages (CSV)
First focusable element is link to main content [sia-r87]	n/a	2	2	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html /data-research/statistics-trends-reports/comprehensive-end-stage-renal-disease-esrd-care-cec-model-public-use-files	all 2 pages (CSV)
aria attribute is permitted for element role [sia-r18]	n/a	1	6	/data-research/statistics-trends-reports/comprehensive-end-stage-renal-disease-esrd-care-cec-model-public-use-files	all 1 pages (CSV)
Element in required WAI-ARIA context role [sia-r42]	n/a	1	5	/	all 1 pages (CSV)
sia-r76	n/a	1	5	/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx	all 1 pages (CSV)
Tables are used for tabular data, not layout [sia-r40]	n/a	1	1	/priorities/health-equity/minority-health/resource-center/language/navajo-dine-bizaad	all 1 pages (CSV)
aria attribute is defined in WAI-ARIA [sia-r20]	n/a	1	1	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html	all 1 pages (CSV)
Text is not too small to read [sia-r47]	n/a	1	1	/Outreach-and-Education/MLN/WBT/MLN4151758-ICD-10-PCS/ICD10PCS/story.html	all 1 pages (CSV)
Form field has accessible name [sia-r8]	n/a	1	1	/priorities/nursing-home-careers/get-up-40000-student-loan-repayment	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 (20615 raw engine findings → 20549 unique).

Unique issues (rule × page): 20549
Caught by both engines: 66 highest confidence
axe only: 2533
Alfa only: 17950

6 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-W27, by pages affected.
Issue	Pages	Rule references
Form elements must have labels	93	axe label · Alfa sia-r8 · ACT e086e5
<html> element must have a lang attribute	90	axe html-has-lang · Alfa sia-r4 · ACT b5c3f8
Headings should not be empty	20	axe empty-heading · Alfa sia-r64 · ACT ffd0e9
Links must have discernible text	9	axe link-name · Alfa sia-r11 · ACT c487ae
lang attribute must have a valid value	2	axe valid-lang · Alfa sia-r7 · ACT de46e4
Zooming and scaling must not be disabled	1	axe meta-viewport · Alfa sia-r47 · ACT b4f0c3