vital-scans open quality ledger

www.cms.gov: Accessibility — week 2026-W36

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

Training priorities

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

SCCriterionPagesRulesNotes
1.4.8 WCAG 1.4.8 769 4 Component inconsistency
2.5.5 WCAG 2.5.5 504 1
1.4.1 Use of Color 348 2
1.3.1 Info and Relationships (semantic structure) 343 7
1.4.6 WCAG 1.4.6 235 1

Next 10 actions

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

Design-system alignment (cms-ds / default). No design-system components detected in sampled findings.

Top 10 clustered component fixes for this week.
ClusterSeverityPagesWho it affectsHow to fixEvidenceDecision
Form field label is visible · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~463 finding(s) on 463 page(s).
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
 Moderate 463 Requires manual testing. See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r61 pages (CSV)
Images must have alternative text · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~164 finding(s) on 164 page(s).
XPath / selector: img[src$="cms-site-logo.png"]
<img src="cms-site-logo.png">
 Critical 164 Without vision, Limited vision, Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability Give every <img> a meaningful alt attribute. Use alt="" only for decorative images so screen readers skip them. pages (CSV)
<html> element must have a lang attribute · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~175 finding(s) on 175 page(s).
XPath / selector: html
<html>
 Serious 175 Without vision, Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability Add a lang attribute to <html> (e.g. lang="en"). pages (CSV)
Document should have one main landmark · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~175 finding(s) on 175 page(s).
XPath / selector: html
<html>
 Moderate 175 Requires manual testing. Each page should have exactly one <main> landmark. pages (CSV)
Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~140 finding(s) on 140 page(s).
XPath / selector: text: "Feedback"
 Moderate 140 Requires manual testing. See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r57 pages (CSV)
Image has accessible name · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~39 finding(s) on 39 page(s).
XPath / selector: <img src="cms-site-logo.png">
 Moderate 39 Without vision, Limited vision, Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability Give every <img> an accessible name (alt text), or alt="" if purely decorative. pages (CSV)
Document has a valid lang attribute · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~39 finding(s) on 39 page(s).
XPath / selector: <html>
 Moderate 39 Without vision, Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability Add a valid lang attribute to <html>. pages (CSV)
Element has required owned roles · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~39 finding(s) on 39 page(s).
XPath / selector: <h1>
 Moderate 39 Without vision, Limited vision, Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r64 pages (CSV)
Accessible name of link or button matches visible label · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~231 finding(s) on 231 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 231 Without vision, Without speech See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r14 pages (CSV)
Form elements must have labels · unattributed component
Fix one place, resolve ~11 finding(s) on 11 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 11 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)

Bug reports

⊘ Excluding URLs matching: .aspx. View all pages

11 issue type(s) are shown by default out of 33 total. Prioritized by severity, key pages, WCAG level, and prevalence; use the toggle to show everything.

Overall severity mix: 2 critical, 6 serious, 23 moderate, 2 minor. By WCAG category: 10 WCAG 2.0 A, 4 WCAG 2.0 AA, 1 WCAG 2.2 AA, 3 WCAG 2.x AAA, 9 Best Practice, 6 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 11 prioritized issue type(s); 22 more are available if you switch to "Show everything".

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

Findings needing review

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

Serious axe html-has-lang WCAG 2.0 A <html> element must have a lang attribute (WCAG 3.1.1) 175/3575 pages · 175 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-06b0cc38
Pattern ID
VS-c126b6a6
Combined ID
VS-06b0cc38 (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)
XPath / selector
html
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 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 175 of 3575 scanned pages (175 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0629.html.
  2. Locate the element: html
  3. 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 175 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

Critical axe image-alt WCAG 2.0 A Images must have alternative text (WCAG 1.1.1) 164/3575 pages · 164 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-ecf8ebee
Pattern ID
VS-9074b4dd
Combined ID
VS-ecf8ebee (pattern VS-9074b4dd) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation
required
Handling
review
WCAG SC
1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
XPath / selector
img[src$="cms-site-logo.png"]
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (12 wk)

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

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

Description

Images must have alternative text. Detected by axe-core rule image-alt on 164 of 3575 scanned pages (164 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0629.html.
  2. Locate the element: img[src$="cms-site-logo.png"]
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule image-alt against WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content.

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

…and more — all 164 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Give every <img> a meaningful alt attribute. Use alt="" only for decorative images so screen readers skip them.

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

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

Critical axe label WCAG 2.0 A Form elements must have labels (WCAG 4.1.2) 11/3575 pages · 11 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-2799bd89
Pattern ID
VS-fafffee0
Combined ID
VS-2799bd89 (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)
XPath / selector
#q
History
first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W36 (11 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 11 of 3575 scanned pages (11 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P1136.html.
  2. Locate the element: #q
  3. 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

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

Serious axe color-contrast WCAG 2.0 AA Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds (WCAG 1.4.3) 4/3575 pages · 34 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-b8c2b001
Pattern ID
VS-be8d563e
Combined ID
VS-b8c2b001 (pattern VS-be8d563e) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.0 AA
Obligation
required
Handling
review
WCAG SC
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA, WCAG 2.0)
XPath / selector
font > strong > p
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

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

<p>C.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Topical Application of Oxygen</p>

Description

Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds. Detected by axe-core rule color-contrast on 20 of 3575 scanned pages (171 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?ncaid=286&proposed=N.
  2. Locate the element: font > strong > p
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule color-contrast against WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

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

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

Serious axe link-name WCAG 2.0 A Links must have discernible text (WCAG 2.4.4) 1/3575 pages · 2 instances Likely content
Bug ID
VS-61f8c5fd
Pattern ID
VS-e9fe47ac
Combined ID
VS-61f8c5fd (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)
XPath / selector
.field--name-field-description.field--type-text-long.cms-text--prominent > a[href="/media/665791"][data-once="linkMatch"]
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

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

<a href="/media/665791" data-once="linkMatch"></a>

Description

Links must have discernible text. Detected by axe-core rule link-name on 1 of 3575 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/clinical-laboratory-improvement-amendments.
  2. Locate the element: .field--name-field-description.field--type-text-long.cms-text--prominent > a[href="/media/665791"][data-once="linkMatch"]
  3. 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

Serious axe valid-lang WCAG 2.0 AA lang attribute must have a valid value (WCAG 3.1.2) 1/3575 pages · 1 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)
XPath / selector
a[href$="#_ftnref1"] > span[lang="X-NONE"]
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 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 1 of 3575 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings.
  2. Locate the element: a[href$="#_ftnref1"] > span[lang="X-NONE"]
  3. 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

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

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) 1/3575 pages · 1 instances Likely content
Bug ID
VS-49e7aad4
Pattern ID
VS-07ba3b17
Combined ID
VS-49e7aad4 (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)
XPath / selector
.MsoTableGrid
History
first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W36 (12 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 1 of 3575 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2020-transmittals?items_per_page=25&order=field_dyna_release_date&page=16&sort=desc.
  2. Locate the element: .MsoTableGrid
  3. 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

Serious axe accesskeys Best Practice accesskey attribute value should be unique (WCAG criterion undetermined) 51/3575 pages · 153 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-a021c6fd
Pattern ID
VS-bd13f00a
Combined ID
VS-a021c6fd (pattern VS-bd13f00a) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
Best Practice
Obligation
advisory
Handling
review
WCAG SC
Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
XPath / selector
td[width="31"]:nth-child(3) > a[accesskey="p"][href$="P0162.html"]
History
first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W36 (10 wk)

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

<a accesskey="p" id="prev_page" href="P0162.html"><img src="bakpg.png" alt="Previous Page [Alt-p]" height="14" width="31" vspace="0" hspace="0" align="bottom" border="0"></a>

Description

accesskey attribute value should be unique. Detected by axe-core rule accesskeys on 51 of 3575 scanned pages (153 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://cms.gov/icd10m/FY2026-fr-v43.1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0163.html.
  2. Locate the element: td[width="31"]:nth-child(3) > a[accesskey="p"][href$="P0162.html"]
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule accesskeys.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 51 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

Moderate alfa sia-r4 WCAG 2.0 A Document has a valid lang attribute (WCAG 3.1.1) 39/3575 pages · 39 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-ba0f6e0d
Pattern ID
VS-7a0e5645
Combined ID
VS-ba0f6e0d (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)
XPath / selector
<html>
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Document has a valid lang attribute. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r4 on 39 of 3575 scanned pages (39 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0007.html.
  2. Locate the element: <html>
  3. 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 39 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

Moderate alfa sia-r64 WCAG 2.0 A Element has required owned roles (WCAG 1.3.1) 39/3575 pages · 39 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-94a6050d
Pattern ID
VS-3c632d31
Combined ID
VS-94a6050d (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)
XPath / selector
<h1>
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Element has required owned roles. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r64 on 39 of 3575 scanned pages (39 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0007.html.
  2. Locate the element: <h1>
  3. 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

…and more — all 39 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-r64

Moderate alfa sia-r2 WCAG 2.0 A Image has accessible name (WCAG 1.1.1) 39/3575 pages · 39 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-a6887f8b
Pattern ID
VS-a24eaa8c
Combined ID
VS-a6887f8b (pattern VS-a24eaa8c) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation
required
Handling
review
WCAG SC
1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
XPath / selector
<img src="cms-site-logo.png">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (12 wk)

Description

Image has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r2 on 39 of 3575 scanned pages (39 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0007.html.
  2. Locate the element: <img src="cms-site-logo.png">
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r2 against WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content.

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

…and more — all 39 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: Give every <img> an accessible name (alt text), or alt="" if purely decorative.

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

Moderate axe region Best Practice All page content should be contained by landmarks (WCAG criterion undetermined) 176/3575 pages · 3990 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-a7e8899b
Pattern ID
VS-f18df681
Combined ID
VS-a7e8899b (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
XPath / selector
.arrows > tbody > tr:nth-child(1)
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

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

<tr>
		<td><img src="cms-site-logo.png"></td>
		<td style="text-align:center;"><h1>ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG v38.0 R1 Definitions Manual</h1><h1></h1></td>
		<td></td>
		<td></td>
		<td></td>
	</tr>

Description

All page content should be contained by landmarks. Detected by axe-core rule region on 176 of 3575 scanned pages (3990 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0629.html.
  2. Locate the element: .arrows > tbody > tr:nth-child(1)
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule region.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 176 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

Moderate axe landmark-one-main Best Practice Document should have one main landmark (WCAG criterion undetermined) 175/3575 pages · 175 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-15ed3dd3
Pattern ID
VS-d5d82446
Combined ID
VS-15ed3dd3 (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
XPath / selector
html
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 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 175 of 3575 scanned pages (175 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0629.html.
  2. Locate the element: html
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule landmark-one-main.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 175 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

Minor axe empty-heading Best Practice Headings should not be empty (WCAG criterion undetermined) 168/3575 pages · 168 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-e28f283e
Pattern ID
VS-0066c67d
Combined ID
VS-e28f283e (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
XPath / selector
h1:nth-child(2)
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

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

<h1></h1>

Description

Headings should not be empty. Detected by axe-core rule empty-heading on 168 of 3575 scanned pages (168 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0629.html.
  2. Locate the element: h1:nth-child(2)
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule empty-heading.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 168 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Remove empty headings or give them text. Don't use heading tags for spacing.

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

Moderate alfa sia-r57 Undetermined Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard (WCAG criterion undetermined) 141/3575 pages · 142 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-4bff1560
Pattern ID
VS-c18be945
Combined ID
VS-4bff1560 (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
XPath / selector
text: "Feedback"
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r57 on 141 of 3575 scanned pages (142 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hhs-seeks-public-comments-advance-equity-reduce-disparities-organ-transplantation-improve-life.
  2. Locate the element: text: "Feedback"
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r57.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 141 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

Moderate axe page-has-heading-one Best Practice Page should contain a level-one heading (WCAG criterion undetermined) 18/3575 pages · 18 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-16a875df
Pattern ID
VS-fa44f293
Combined ID
VS-16a875df (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
XPath / selector
html
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 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 18 of 3575 scanned pages (18 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P1136.html.
  2. Locate the element: html
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule page-has-heading-one.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

Moderate alfa sia-r111 WCAG 2.x AAA Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) (WCAG 2.5.5) 14/3575 pages · 9266 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-80f93944
Pattern ID
VS-cb53cc4d
Combined ID
VS-80f93944 (pattern VS-cb53cc4d) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation
aspirational
Handling
review
WCAG SC
2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced) (Level AAA, WCAG 2.1)
XPath / selector
<a 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-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r111 on 504 of 3575 scanned pages (16547 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hhs-seeks-public-comments-advance-equity-reduce-disparities-organ-transplantation-improve-life.
  2. Locate the element: <a href="/about-cms" class="menu-item-link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/132926" data-once="navigationLinkMatch">
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r111 against WCAG 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced).

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

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

Moderate alfa sia-r73 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 (WCAG 1.4.8) 14/3575 pages · 3042 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-e27bb57a
Pattern ID
VS-2208081b
Combined ID
VS-e27bb57a (pattern VS-2208081b) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation
aspirational
Handling
review
WCAG SC
1.4.8 Visual Presentation (Level AAA, WCAG 2.0)
XPath / selector
<p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r73 on 502 of 3575 scanned pages (5432 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hhs-seeks-public-comments-advance-equity-reduce-disparities-organ-transplantation-improve-life.
  2. Locate the element: <p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r73 against WCAG 1.4.8 Visual Presentation.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

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

Moderate alfa sia-r61 Undetermined Form field label is visible (WCAG criterion undetermined) 13/3575 pages · 241 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-29a62620
Pattern ID
VS-7118fead
Combined ID
VS-29a62620 (pattern VS-7118fead) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
Undetermined
Obligation
unmapped
Handling
review
WCAG SC
undetermined
XPath / selector
{"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Form field label is visible. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r61 on 463 of 3575 scanned pages (463 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hhs-seeks-public-comments-advance-equity-reduce-disparities-organ-transplantation-improve-life.
  2. Locate the element: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r61.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

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

Moderate deprecated-html presentational-attr Undetermined Presentational attribute (use CSS) (WCAG criterion undetermined) 11/3575 pages · 285 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-54125ffd
Pattern ID
VS-04a9d28c
Combined ID
VS-54125ffd (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]
XPath / selector
table
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

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

<table class="MsoNormalTable" border="1">  
  <tbody><tr><th scope="col">Date</th> 
  <th scope="col">Action</th> 
 </tr><tr>
  <td valign="top" scope="row"><p>November 18, 2013</p>   </td>  
  <td va

Description

Presentational attribute (use CSS). Detected by deprecated-html rule presentational-attr on 28 of 3575 scanned pages (648 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?bc=AAgAAAAACAAA&ncaid=273&proposed=Y.
  2. Locate the element: table
  3. 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.

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) 6/3575 pages · 75 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-7d5f4c4c
Pattern ID
VS-179ad9b3
Combined ID
VS-7d5f4c4c (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)
XPath / selector
<a href="#lblIssueDescriptionSubheader" data-href="lblIssueDescriptionSubheader" class="nav-link toc-link no-link log-click" title="Jump to Issue Description">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r113 on 119 of 3575 scanned pages (314 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx?lcdid=40334&ver=3.
  2. Locate the element: <a href="#lblIssueDescriptionSubheader" data-href="lblIssueDescriptionSubheader" class="nav-link toc-link no-link log-click" title="Jump to Issue Description">
  3. 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

Moderate axe heading-order Best Practice Heading levels should only increase by one (WCAG criterion undetermined) 6/3575 pages · 52 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-a4585e68
Pattern ID
VS-d25f622d
Combined ID
VS-a4585e68 (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
XPath / selector
#navStickyHeader
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

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

<h3 id="navStickyHeader" class="bg-white d-inline expand-head-pad">Report Information</h3>

Description

Heading levels should only increase by one. Detected by axe-core rule heading-order on 212 of 3575 scanned pages (216 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/reports/local-coverage-final-lcds-contractor-report.aspx?contractorName=all&contractorNumber=all&lcdid=34594&lcdStatus=all&sortBy=title.
  2. Locate the element: #navStickyHeader
  3. 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

Moderate alfa sia-r78 Undetermined Table header has scope (WCAG criterion undetermined) 6/3575 pages · 51 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-1660abe5
Pattern ID
VS-2cd767ca
Combined ID
VS-1660abe5 (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
XPath / selector
<h4>
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Table header has scope. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r78 on 133 of 3575 scanned pages (212 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=59244&articleStatus=all&bc=4&contractorName=all&contractorNumber=all&sortBy=title&ver=17.
  2. Locate the element: <h4>
  3. 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

Moderate alfa sia-r69 WCAG 2.0 AA Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) (WCAG 1.4.3) 3/3575 pages · 27 instances
Bug ID
VS-050ead42
Pattern ID
VS-f7e99f4b
Combined ID
VS-050ead42 (pattern VS-f7e99f4b) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.0 AA
Obligation
required
Handling
review
WCAG SC
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA, WCAG 2.0)
XPath / selector
text: "PPS Level"
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r69 on 8 of 3575 scanned pages (72 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx?bc=7&contractorName=all&contractorNumber=all&lcdid=33393&lcdStatus=all&sortBy=title&ver=9.
  2. Locate the element: text: "PPS Level"
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r69 against WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

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

Moderate axe landmark-unique Best Practice Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/3575 pages · 2 instances Likely content
Bug ID
VS-46fc585c
Pattern ID
VS-8806389c
Combined ID
VS-46fc585c (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
XPath / selector
.views-field-field-topic[aria-label="Related search topics"][role="region"]:nth-child(1)
History
first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W36 (12 wk)

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

<span class="views-field views-field-field-topic" role="region" aria-label="Related search topics">
<a href="/newsroom/search?about[]=33506&amp;keys= " data-once="linkMatch">Administration</a>
</span>

Description

Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c. Detected by axe-core rule landmark-unique on 2 of 3575 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/contact/newsroom.
  2. Locate the element: .views-field-field-topic[aria-label="Related search topics"][role="region"]:nth-child(1)
  3. 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

Moderate alfa sia-r80 WCAG 2.x AAA Scrollable element is keyboard accessible (WCAG 1.4.8) 1/3575 pages · 12 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-efdbd4db
Pattern ID
VS-388b5438
Combined ID
VS-efdbd4db (pattern VS-388b5438) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation
aspirational
Handling
review
WCAG SC
1.4.8 Visual Presentation (Level AAA, WCAG 2.0)
XPath / selector
<p style="line-height: 14.15pt;">
History
first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W36 (12 wk)

Description

Scrollable element is keyboard accessible. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r80 on 23 of 3575 scanned pages (265 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=59244&articleStatus=all&bc=4&contractorName=all&contractorNumber=all&sortBy=title&ver=17.
  2. Locate the element: <p style="line-height: 14.15pt;">
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r80 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-r80

Moderate alfa sia-r53 Undetermined Headings are structured hierarchically (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/3575 pages · 9 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-091efbb3
Pattern ID
VS-f054f4a4
Combined ID
VS-091efbb3 (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
XPath / selector
<h3 id="h3DocumentInformationHeader" class="document-view-section-header">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Headings are structured hierarchically. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r53 on 228 of 3575 scanned pages (229 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx?lcdid=40334&ver=3.
  2. Locate the element: <h3 id="h3DocumentInformationHeader" class="document-view-section-header">
  3. 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

Moderate alfa sia-r68 WCAG 2.0 A Presentational children of an element are not focusable (WCAG 1.3.1) 1/3575 pages · 9 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-04ffb1a2
Pattern ID
VS-d6097011
Combined ID
VS-04ffb1a2 (pattern VS-d6097011) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation
required
Handling
review
WCAG SC
1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
XPath / selector
<tr>
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

Description

Presentational children of an element are not focusable. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r68 on 68 of 3575 scanned pages (236 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://cms.gov/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0007.html.
  2. Locate the element: <tr>
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r68 against WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

Moderate alfa sia-r11 WCAG 2.0 A Link has accessible name (WCAG 2.4.4) 1/3575 pages · 2 instances · possible duplicate Likely content
Bug ID
VS-b3a1773a
Pattern ID
VS-28ebd979
Combined ID
VS-b3a1773a (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)
XPath / selector
<a href="/media/665791" data-once="linkMatch">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (11 wk)
Possible duplicate
Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-61f8c5fd (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 1 of 3575 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/clinical-laboratory-improvement-amendments.
  2. Locate the element: <a href="/media/665791" data-once="linkMatch">
  3. 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

Moderate axe landmark-banner-is-top-level Best Practice Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/3575 pages · 1 instances Likely content
Bug ID
VS-11b3ee9c
Pattern ID
VS-30db094d
Combined ID
VS-11b3ee9c (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
XPath / selector
.Header
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (10 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 1 of 3575 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/cms-fast-facts.
  2. Locate the element: .Header
  3. 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

Moderate alfa sia-r7 WCAG 2.0 AA Element with lang attribute has correct language (WCAG 3.1.2) 1/3575 pages · 1 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)
XPath / selector
@lang="X-NONE"
History
first seen 2026-W26, last seen 2026-W36 (5 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 1 of 3575 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.cms.gov/data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings.
  2. Locate the element: @lang="X-NONE"
  3. 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

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

Moderate alfa sia-r87 Undetermined First focusable element is link to main content (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/3575 pages · 1 instances Likely content
Bug ID
VS-9368d6dd
Pattern ID
VS-aa242c2d
Combined ID
VS-9368d6dd (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
XPath / selector
{"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History
first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W36 (8 wk)

Description

First focusable element is link to main content. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r87 on 1 of 3575 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/cms-fast-facts.
  2. Locate the element: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
  3. 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

Minor axe empty-table-header Best Practice Table header text should not be empty (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/3575 pages · 3 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-180349a5
Pattern ID
VS-d69fc059
Combined ID
VS-180349a5 (pattern VS-d69fc059) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
Best Practice
Obligation
advisory
Handling
review
WCAG SC
Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
XPath / selector
.TableGrid1[border="1"]:nth-child(91) > tbody > tr:nth-child(1) > th:nth-child(1)
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W36 (13 wk)

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

<th scope="col">&nbsp;</th>

Description

Table header text should not be empty. Detected by axe-core rule empty-table-header on 10 of 3575 scanned pages (27 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open http://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?bc=AAgAAAAACAAA&ncaid=273&proposed=Y.
  2. Locate the element: .TableGrid1[border="1"]:nth-child(91) > tbody > tr:nth-child(1) > th:nth-child(1)
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule empty-table-header.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

Deque axe-core findings

Rule-level axe-core summary (22 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-W36, by pages affected
RuleImpactPages affectedInstancesExample pagesAll affected
Links must be distinguishable without relying on color [link-in-text-block] serious 345 849 /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 345 pages (CSV)
Heading levels should only increase by one [heading-order] moderate 212 216 /medicare-coverage-database/reports/local-coverage-final-lcds-contractor-report.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/reports/local-coverage-final-lcds-alphabetical-report.aspx		 all 212 pages (CSV)
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements [list] serious 195 846 /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 195 pages (CSV)
All page content should be contained by landmarks [region] moderate 176 3990 /icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0629.html
/icd10m/FY2025-NPRM-Version42-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0282.html
/icd10m/FY2026-fr-v43.1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0163.html		 all 176 pages (CSV)
<html> element must have a lang attribute [html-has-lang] serious 175 175 /icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0629.html
/icd10m/FY2025-NPRM-Version42-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0282.html
/icd10m/FY2026-fr-v43.1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0163.html		 all 175 pages (CSV)
Document should have one main landmark [landmark-one-main] moderate 175 175 /icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0629.html
/icd10m/FY2025-NPRM-Version42-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0282.html
/icd10m/FY2026-fr-v43.1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0163.html		 all 175 pages (CSV)
Headings should not be empty [empty-heading] minor 168 168 /icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0629.html
/icd10m/FY2025-NPRM-Version42-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0282.html
/icd10m/FY2026-fr-v43.1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0163.html		 all 168 pages (CSV)
Images must have alternative text [image-alt] critical 164 164 /icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0629.html
/icd10m/FY2025-NPRM-Version42-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0282.html
/icd10m/FY2026-fr-v43.1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0163.html		 all 164 pages (CSV)
accesskey attribute value should be unique [accesskeys] serious 51 153 /icd10m/FY2026-fr-v43.1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0163.html
/icd10m/fy2025-version42.0-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0948.html
/icd10m/fy2025-version42.0-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0016.html		 all 51 pages (CSV)
scope attribute should be used correctly [scope-attr-valid] moderate 31 999 /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx		 all 31 pages (CSV)
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds [color-contrast] serious 20 171 /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx		 all 20 pages (CSV)
Page should contain a level-one heading [page-has-heading-one] moderate 18 18 /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P1136.html
/search/cms/help
/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0073.html		 all 18 pages (CSV)
Form elements must have labels [label] critical 11 11 /icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P1136.html
/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0073.html
/icd10m/version33-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0494.html		 all 11 pages (CSV)
Table header text should not be empty [empty-table-header] minor 10 27 /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx		 all 10 pages (CSV)
<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol> [listitem] serious 5 75 /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/medcac-meeting.aspx		 all 5 pages (CSV)
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combination [landmark-unique] moderate 2 2 /about-cms/contact/newsroom
/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2015-Press-releases-items/2015-07-29.html		 all 2 pages (CSV)
Links must have discernible text [link-name] serious 1 2 /medicare/quality/clinical-laboratory-improvement-amendments all 1 pages (CSV)
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as text [image-redundant-alt] minor 1 2 /medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-decision-memo.aspx all 1 pages (CSV)
Table cell headers attributes must refer to other <th> elements in the same table [td-headers-attr] serious 1 1 /medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2020-transmittals all 1 pages (CSV)
Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark [landmark-banner-is-top-level] moderate 1 1 /data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/cms-fast-facts all 1 pages (CSV)
lang attribute must have a valid value [valid-lang] serious 1 1 /data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings all 1 pages (CSV)
Scrollable region must have keyboard access [scrollable-region-focusable] serious 1 1 /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx all 1 pages (CSV)

Siteimprove Alfa findings

Rule-level Alfa summary (25 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-W36, by pages affected
RuleImpactPages affectedInstancesExample pagesAll affected
Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) [sia-r111] n/a 504 16547 /newsroom/press-releases/hhs-seeks-public-comments-advance-equity-reduce-disparities-organ-transplantation-improve-life
/medicare/coordination-benefits-recovery/overview/non-group-health-plan-recovery
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 504 pages (CSV)
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73] n/a 502 5432 /newsroom/press-releases/hhs-seeks-public-comments-advance-equity-reduce-disparities-organ-transplantation-improve-life
/medicare/coordination-benefits-recovery/overview/non-group-health-plan-recovery
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 502 pages (CSV)
Form field label is visible [sia-r61] n/a 463 463 /newsroom/press-releases/hhs-seeks-public-comments-advance-equity-reduce-disparities-organ-transplantation-improve-life
/medicare/coordination-benefits-recovery/overview/non-group-health-plan-recovery
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 463 pages (CSV)
Text has enhanced contrast [sia-r66] n/a 235 1566 /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 235 pages (CSV)
Link is distinguishable without relying on color [sia-r74] n/a 233 18229 /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 233 pages (CSV)
Accessible name of link or button matches visible label [sia-r14] n/a 233 579 /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 233 pages (CSV)
Headings are structured hierarchically [sia-r53] n/a 228 229 /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 228 pages (CSV)
Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard [sia-r57] n/a 141 142 /newsroom/press-releases/hhs-seeks-public-comments-advance-equity-reduce-disparities-organ-transplantation-improve-life
/medicare/regulations-guidance/transmittals/2023-transmittals/r12338pace
/medicare/coordination-of-benefits-and-recovery/beneficiary-services/medicares-recovery-process/medicares-recovery-process-items/nghp-interest-calculation-estimator-tool		 all 141 pages (CSV)
Table header has scope [sia-r78] n/a 133 212 /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0007.html		 all 133 pages (CSV)
Target size is at least 24×24 CSS pixels or has spacing (Minimum) [sia-r113] n/a 119 314 /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx		 all 119 pages (CSV)
Presentational children of an element are not focusable [sia-r68] n/a 68 236 /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0007.html
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/nca.aspx		 all 68 pages (CSV)
Image has accessible name [sia-r2] n/a 39 39 /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0007.html
/icd10m/fy2025-version42.0-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0948.html
/icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0069.html		 all 39 pages (CSV)
Document has a valid lang attribute [sia-r4] n/a 39 39 /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0007.html
/icd10m/fy2025-version42.0-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0948.html
/icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0069.html		 all 39 pages (CSV)
Element has required owned roles [sia-r64] n/a 39 39 /icd10m/version39-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0007.html
/icd10m/fy2025-version42.0-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0948.html
/icd10m/version38-0-R1-fullcode-cms/fullcode_cms/P0069.html		 all 39 pages (CSV)
Element has required aria-owns [sia-r46] n/a 33 58 /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx		 all 33 pages (CSV)
Scrollable element is keyboard accessible [sia-r80] n/a 23 265 /medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 23 pages (CSV)
iframe element is not empty [sia-r71] n/a 11 72 /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 11 pages (CSV)
Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) [sia-r69] n/a 8 72 /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/cms-fast-facts		 all 8 pages (CSV)
Duplicate role landmark is labeled [sia-r79] n/a 4 4 /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 4 pages (CSV)
Link in text block is visually distinguishable without color [sia-r62] n/a 3 6 /medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/lcd.aspx		 all 3 pages (CSV)
Table cell has header [sia-r77] n/a 2 20 /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx
/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx		 all 2 pages (CSV)
Link has accessible name [sia-r11] n/a 1 2 /medicare/quality/clinical-laboratory-improvement-amendments all 1 pages (CSV)
Keyboard trap does not exist [sia-r85] n/a 1 2 /medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx all 1 pages (CSV)
First focusable element is link to main content [sia-r87] n/a 1 1 /data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/cms-fast-facts all 1 pages (CSV)
Element with lang attribute has correct language [sia-r7] n/a 1 1 /data-research/monitoring-programs/improper-payment-measurement-programs/exchange-improper-payment-measurement-eipm/improper-payment-findings 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 (4828 raw engine findings → 4709 unique).

Unique issues (rule × page)
4709
Caught by both engines
119 highest confidence
axe only
1645
Alfa only
2945
5 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-W36, by pages affected.
IssuePagesRule references
<html> element must have a lang attribute175axe html-has-lang · Alfa sia-r4 · ACT b5c3f8
Headings should not be empty168axe empty-heading · Alfa sia-r64 · ACT ffd0e9
Images must have alternative text164axe image-alt · Alfa sia-r2 · ACT 23a2a8
Links must have discernible text1axe link-name · Alfa sia-r11 · ACT c487ae
lang attribute must have a valid value1axe valid-lang · Alfa sia-r7 · ACT de46e4