Accessibility at VA

Our commitment under the Section 508 law

Section 508 is a federal law that requires all U.S. government agencies to make their electronic and information technology and data accessible to everyone. By law, agencies must provide people with disabilities the same level of access as those without disabilities. For example, a person who uses a screen reader to read a government website must get the same information as a person who reads the site visually.

Learn more about our commitment on our Section 508 Office page

Our digital accessibility statement

We design our websites and other digital tools to meet or exceed the Section 508 technical requirement standards. 

We also follow guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This international public-interest non-profit organization works with the public to develop web standards. We work to meet their industry standard web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. Our modernized VA.gov pages meet Level AA standards, which means that our content is accessible to most people in most circumstances. We continue to work to improve all our content and tools so we can increase access for everyone, including people with a range of disabilities.

Learn more about the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) on their website

Read the WCAG 2.2 guidelines on the W3C website

Our Section 508 program manager

Our Section 508 program manager is Chet Frith. If you have questions for our program manager, email us at  Section508@VA.gov. The subject line should say Section 508 program manager.

What to do if you find an accessibility issue

Tell us right away if you find an issue on a VA website or mobile app related to any of these needs:

• Reading information about benefits, services, or health care
• Completing an online form
• Using links to get to different sections of a website or app

When you report issues, you help us fix them for everyone in the future. And we’re always here if you need information or help now.

Report the issue to our Section 508 office

Send us an email at Section508@VA.gov. The subject line should say Section 508 support request.

Be sure to include these details:

• Where you found the issue. If you can, include the webpage address (or URL) of the page.
• The type of assistive technology you were using when you found this issue. For example, tell us if you were using a screen reader, magnifier, refreshable Braille display, speech recognition software, haptic device, or switch.
• The format you’d like to get any follow-up materials in. Not all reports may result in follow-up materials.
• Your contact information (if you want us to contact you if we need more details).
• Any other information you think will help us fix the issue.

Call us to get information or help now

If you can’t get the information you need, or can’t complete an action you need to take, because of the issue, call us at 800-698-2411 (TTY: 711). We’re here anytime, day or night.

If you need an interpreter, select 0. We’ll connect you with a VA call center agent. Tell the agent that you want a language interpreter to join the call.

What to expect after you report an issue to our 508 office

We’ll assess the issue and assign it to the responsible team to fix it. If we need more details, we’ll reply to your email.

We fix all accessibility issues as quickly as we can. But some issues may take several weeks or longer to fix. Know that even if we can’t fix an issue right away, your report helps us make the issue a priority. This helps us fix it for Veterans and family members who’ll use our website and apps in the future. And remember, if you need help sooner, call us at 800-698-2411 (TTY: 711). We’re here anytime, day or night.

What to know about disability discrimination

We’re also committed to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under this law, U.S. government agencies can’t discriminate against any person based on their disabilities.

For example, a VA program can’t deny you services or benefits simply because of a disability. And staff must make a reasonable effort to provide free aids and services to help you communicate effectively. This includes aids like large-print documents or services like an interpreter.

Learn more about your civil rights and how to file a discrimination complaint