vital-scans open quality ledger

www.medicare.gov: Accessibility — week 2026-W24

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
2.5.5 WCAG 2.5.5 684 1
1.4.8 WCAG 1.4.8 660 2
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (ARIA) 580 2
1.4.6 WCAG 1.4.6 55 1
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) 17 1

Bug reports

6 issue type(s) are shown by default out of 19 total. Prioritized by severity, key pages, WCAG level, and prevalence; use the toggle to show everything.

Overall severity mix: 3 serious, 15 moderate, 1 minor. By WCAG category: 2 WCAG 2.0 A, 1 WCAG 2.0 AA, 1 WCAG 2.1 A, 4 WCAG 2.x AAA, 5 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 6 prioritized issue type(s); 13 more are available if you switch to "Show everything".

Findings needing review

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

Serious axe frame-title WCAG 2.0 A Frames must have an accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 7/1171 pages · 7 instances
Bug ID
VS-6a98e01e
Pattern ID
VS-3f76c7ea
Combined ID
VS-6a98e01e (pattern VS-3f76c7ea) — 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
iframe[height="100%"]
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

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

<iframe data-src="https://surveys.cms.gov/jfe/form/SV_9LbdFueyKSYZ2nk?Q_CHL=si&amp;Q_CanScreenCapture=1" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" name="survey-iframe-SI_6tbIx8xW9ShoDfU" data-name="e

Description

Frames must have an accessible name. Detected by axe-core rule frame-title on 7 of 1171 scanned pages (7 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/.
  2. Locate the element: iframe[height="100%"]
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule frame-title against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Give every <iframe> a descriptive title attribute.

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

Serious alfa sia-r111 WCAG 2.x AAA Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) (WCAG 2.5.5) 684/1171 pages · 25254 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-c199cd3d
Pattern ID
VS-cb53cc4d
Combined ID
VS-c199cd3d (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="https://www.medicare.gov/about-us" data-listener-attached="true">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r111 on 684 of 1171 scanned pages (25254 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/sso/authorize?client_id=mct&Lang=es-mx&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicare.gov%2Fplan-compare%2Fsls-callback&relay=eyJsYW5nIjoiZW4ifQ%3D%3D.
  2. Locate the element: <a href="https://www.medicare.gov/about-us" data-listener-attached="true">
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r111 against WCAG 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced).

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 684 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

Serious alfa sia-r73 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 (WCAG 1.4.8) 657/1171 pages · 6941 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-bcdee59b
Pattern ID
VS-2208081b
Combined ID
VS-bcdee59b (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="csp-login-card-description">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r73 on 657 of 1171 scanned pages (6941 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/sso/authorize?client_id=mct&Lang=es-mx&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicare.gov%2Fplan-compare%2Fsls-callback&relay=eyJsYW5nIjoiZW4ifQ%3D%3D.
  2. Locate the element: <p class="csp-login-card-description">
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r73 against WCAG 1.4.8 Visual Presentation.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 657 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

Moderate alfa sia-r17 WCAG 2.0 A aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements (WCAG 4.1.2) 573/1171 pages · 584 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-0239d7e6
Pattern ID
VS-f6cf30ff
Combined ID
VS-0239d7e6 (pattern VS-f6cf30ff) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation
required
Handling
review
WCAG SC
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
XPath / selector
<div class="search-block__content" aria-hidden="true" id="search_form_block-content">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r17 on 573 of 1171 scanned pages (584 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/emergency-department-services.
  2. Locate the element: <div class="search-block__content" aria-hidden="true" id="search_form_block-content">
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r17 against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

…and more — all 573 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

Moderate alfa sia-r69 WCAG 2.0 AA Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) (WCAG 1.4.3) 17/1171 pages · 122 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-233abdbd
Pattern ID
VS-f7e99f4b
Combined ID
VS-233abdbd (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: "For finding the care you need"
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r69 on 17 of 1171 scanned pages (122 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/mental-health-substance-use-disorder.
  2. Locate the element: text: "For finding the care you need"
  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 alfa sia-r14 WCAG 2.1 A Accessible name of link or button matches visible label (WCAG 2.5.3) 12/1171 pages · 12 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-0f4c6e89
Pattern ID
VS-f7dba940
Combined ID
VS-0f4c6e89 (pattern VS-f7dba940) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.1 A
Obligation
required
Handling
review
WCAG SC
2.5.3 Label in Name (Level A, WCAG 2.1)
XPath / selector
<button class="video-embed-field-lazy-play" aria-label="Play video">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

Accessible name of link or button matches visible label. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r14 on 12 of 1171 scanned pages (12 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/prescription-payment-plan.
  2. Locate the element: <button class="video-embed-field-lazy-play" aria-label="Play video">
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r14 against WCAG 2.5.3 Label in Name.

Impact

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

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

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

Moderate alfa sia-r78 Undetermined Table header has scope (WCAG criterion undetermined) 229/1171 pages · 266 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-292e110a
Pattern ID
VS-2cd767ca
Combined ID
VS-292e110a (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
<h2 class="text-align-center ds-u-padding-x--4 ds-u-md-padding-x--0 ds-u-margin-bottom--0">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

Table header has scope. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r78 on 229 of 1171 scanned pages (266 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/emergency-department-services.
  2. Locate the element: <h2 class="text-align-center ds-u-padding-x--4 ds-u-md-padding-x--0 ds-u-margin-bottom--0">
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r78.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 229 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-r78

Moderate alfa sia-r66 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has enhanced contrast (WCAG 1.4.6) 55/1171 pages · 612 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-3a61213c
Pattern ID
VS-646b1e0b
Combined ID
VS-3a61213c (pattern VS-646b1e0b) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category
WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation
aspirational
Handling
review
WCAG SC
1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) (Level AAA, WCAG 2.0)
XPath / selector
text: "Paso 1 de 3"
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

Text has enhanced contrast. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r66 on 55 of 1171 scanned pages (612 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/account/create-account?Lang=es-mx.
  2. Locate the element: text: "Paso 1 de 3"
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r66 against WCAG 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced).

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 55 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

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

Moderate alfa sia-r87 Undetermined First focusable element is link to main content (WCAG criterion undetermined) 31/1171 pages · 31 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-c091ca6a
Pattern ID
VS-aa242c2d
Combined ID
VS-c091ca6a (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-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

First focusable element is link to main content. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r87 on 31 of 1171 scanned pages (31 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare?providerType=Hospice.
  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

…and more — all 31 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-r87

Moderate axe heading-order Best Practice Heading levels should only increase by one (WCAG criterion undetermined) 27/1171 pages · 27 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-99e6ff9b
Pattern ID
VS-d25f622d
Combined ID
VS-99e6ff9b (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
.layout__column.ds-l-col--12 > h3:nth-child(1)
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

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

<h3>Polish</h3>

Description

Heading levels should only increase by one. Detected by axe-core rule heading-order on 27 of 1171 scanned pages (27 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://medicare.gov/publications/search/all-non-english-pubs?page=4.
  2. Locate the element: .layout__column.ds-l-col--12 > h3:nth-child(1)
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule heading-order.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 27 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: Use heading levels in order (h1 → h2 → h3) without skipping; structure, not size.

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

Moderate alfa sia-r53 Undetermined Headings are structured hierarchically (WCAG criterion undetermined) 11/1171 pages · 11 instances Likely template
Bug ID
VS-2ec54c2d
Pattern ID
VS-f054f4a4
Combined ID
VS-2ec54c2d (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>
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

Headings are structured hierarchically. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r53 on 11 of 1171 scanned pages (11 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://medicare.gov/publications/search/all-non-english-pubs.
  2. Locate the element: <h3>
  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 axe page-has-heading-one Best Practice Page should contain a level-one heading (WCAG criterion undetermined) 6/1171 pages · 6 instances
Bug ID
VS-3d69c650
Pattern ID
VS-fa44f293
Combined ID
VS-3d69c650 (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-W24 (1 wk)

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

<html lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#" class=" js">

Description

Page should contain a level-one heading. Detected by axe-core rule page-has-heading-one on 6 of 1171 scanned pages (6 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://medicare.gov/publications/search/item/112376.
  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-r18 Undetermined aria attribute is permitted for element role (WCAG criterion undetermined) 5/1171 pages · 5 instances
Bug ID
VS-b9cde055
Pattern ID
VS-e05344b9
Combined ID
VS-b9cde055 (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
XPath / selector
@aria-invalid="false"
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

aria attribute is permitted for element role. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r18 on 5 of 1171 scanned pages (5 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/account/create-account?Lang=es-mx.
  2. Locate the element: @aria-invalid="false"
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r18.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

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

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

Moderate alfa sia-r57 Undetermined Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard (WCAG criterion undetermined) 4/1171 pages · 17 instances
Bug ID
VS-fb383d8e
Pattern ID
VS-c18be945
Combined ID
VS-fb383d8e (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: "Find a Medigap policy that works for you"
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r57 on 4 of 1171 scanned pages (17 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/medigap-supplemental-insurance-plans.
  2. Locate the element: text: "Find a Medigap policy that works for you"
  3. Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r57.

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-r57

Moderate alfa sia-r80 WCAG 2.x AAA Scrollable element is keyboard accessible (WCAG 1.4.8) 3/1171 pages · 6 instances
Bug ID
VS-5523cc85
Pattern ID
VS-388b5438
Combined ID
VS-5523cc85 (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 class="ds-text-heading--sm">
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

Description

Scrollable element is keyboard accessible. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r80 on 3 of 1171 scanned pages (6 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/account/create-account?Lang=es-mx.
  2. Locate the element: <p class="ds-text-heading--sm">
  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 axe region Best Practice All page content should be contained by landmarks (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/1171 pages · 6 instances Likely content
Bug ID
VS-5e90e434
Pattern ID
VS-f18df681
Combined ID
VS-5e90e434 (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
#maincontent
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

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

<h1 class="ds-text-heading--3xl my-u-mb--20" id="maincontent" tabindex="-1">Medicare Complaint Form</h1>

Description

All page content should be contained by landmarks. Detected by axe-core rule region on 2 of 1171 scanned pages (6 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://medicare.gov/my/medicare-complaint.
  2. Locate the element: #maincontent
  3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule region.

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

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) 2/1171 pages · 2 instances Likely content
Bug ID
VS-926f7c8f
Pattern ID
VS-d5d82446
Combined ID
VS-926f7c8f (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-W24 (1 wk)

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

<html lang="en" data-react-helmet="lang">

Description

Document should have one main landmark. Detected by axe-core rule landmark-one-main on 2 of 1171 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://medicare.gov/my/medicare-complaint.
  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

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

Moderate alfa sia-r61 Undetermined Form field label is visible (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/1171 pages · 2 instances Likely content
Bug ID
VS-2b8bf24c
Pattern ID
VS-7118fead
Combined ID
VS-2b8bf24c (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-W24 (1 wk)

Description

Form field label is visible. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r61 on 2 of 1171 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/medigap/ready-to-buy/spanish-medigap-open-enrollment.
  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

Minor axe empty-table-header Best Practice Table header text should not be empty (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/1171 pages · 2 instances Likely content
Bug ID
VS-3a2f2791
Pattern ID
VS-d69fc059
Combined ID
VS-3a2f2791 (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
thead > tr > th:nth-child(1)
History
first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W24 (1 wk)

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

<th class="">&nbsp;</th>

Description

Table header text should not be empty. Detected by axe-core rule empty-table-header on 2 of 1171 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open https://medicare.gov/account/login/help.
  2. Locate the element: thead > tr > 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 (6 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-W24, by pages affected
RuleImpactPages affectedInstancesExample pagesAll affected
Heading levels should only increase by one [heading-order] moderate 27 27 /publications/search/all-non-english-pubs
/publications/search/all-non-english-pubs
/publications/search/all-non-english-pubs		 all 27 pages (CSV)
Frames must have an accessible name [frame-title] serious 7 7 /
/publication-ordering/12219
/coverage/behavioral-health-integration-services		 all 7 pages (CSV)
Page should contain a level-one heading [page-has-heading-one] moderate 6 6 /publications/search/item/112376
/publications/search/item/112371
/health-drug-plans/medigap/ready-to-buy/spanish-medigap-open-enrollment		 all 6 pages (CSV)
All page content should be contained by landmarks [region] moderate 2 6 /my/medicare-complaint
/my/medicare-complaint		 all 2 pages (CSV)
Table header text should not be empty [empty-table-header] minor 2 2 /account/login/help
/account/login/help		 all 2 pages (CSV)
Document should have one main landmark [landmark-one-main] moderate 2 2 /my/medicare-complaint
/my/medicare-complaint		 all 2 pages (CSV)

Siteimprove Alfa findings

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

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

Alfa rules failing in 2026-W24, by pages affected
RuleImpactPages affectedInstancesExample pagesAll affected
Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) [sia-r111] n/a 684 25254 /sso/authorize
/medical-equipment-suppliers/note-for-suppliers
/coverage/emergency-department-services		 all 684 pages (CSV)
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73] n/a 657 6941 /sso/authorize
/medical-equipment-suppliers/note-for-suppliers
/coverage/emergency-department-services		 all 657 pages (CSV)
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements [sia-r17] n/a 573 584 /coverage/emergency-department-services
/health-drug-plans/medigap/basics/compare-plan-benefits/wisconsin
/coverage/hospital-beds		 all 573 pages (CSV)
Table header has scope [sia-r78] n/a 229 266 /coverage/emergency-department-services
/coverage/hospital-beds
/prescription-payment-plan		 all 229 pages (CSV)
Text has enhanced contrast [sia-r66] n/a 55 612 /account/create-account
/care-compare
/care-compare		 all 55 pages (CSV)
First focusable element is link to main content [sia-r87] n/a 31 31 /care-compare
/care-compare
/care-compare		 all 31 pages (CSV)
Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) [sia-r69] n/a 17 122 /coverage/mental-health-substance-use-disorder
/providers-services/claims-appeals-complaints/appeals/original-medicare
/providers-services/claims-appeals-complaints/appeals/medicare-health-plans		 all 17 pages (CSV)
Accessible name of link or button matches visible label [sia-r14] n/a 12 12 /prescription-payment-plan
/basics/get-started-with-medicare/get-more-coverage/your-coverage-options
/basics/get-started-with-medicare/sign-up/when-does-medicare-coverage-start		 all 12 pages (CSV)
Headings are structured hierarchically [sia-r53] n/a 11 11 /publications/search/all-non-english-pubs
/publications/search/all-non-english-pubs
/publications/search/all-non-english-pubs		 all 11 pages (CSV)
aria attribute is permitted for element role [sia-r18] n/a 5 5 /account/create-account
/account/create-account
/account/create-account		 all 5 pages (CSV)
Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard [sia-r57] n/a 4 17 /medigap-supplemental-insurance-plans
/my/medicare-complaint
/plan-compare		 all 4 pages (CSV)
Scrollable element is keyboard accessible [sia-r80] n/a 3 6 /account/create-account
/account/create-account
/account/create-account		 all 3 pages (CSV)
Form field label is visible [sia-r61] n/a 2 2 /health-drug-plans/medigap/ready-to-buy/spanish-medigap-open-enrollment
/publications/search/item/112371		 all 2 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.

Unique issues (rule × page)
2329
Caught by both engines
0 highest confidence
axe only
46
Alfa only
2283

No issues were flagged by both engines on the same pages this week.