Accessibility Statement

Our commitment

Vet Hub is built for veterans, service members and their families, and many of us use assistive technology, large text, a keyboard, a screen reader or voice control. We want everyone to be able to use Vet Hub. Our target is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Level AA.

This statement covers vethub.app and, when they are published, the Vet Hub apps for iPhone and Android, which are built from the same code.

Conformance status

We have not yet completed a full evaluation of Vet Hub against WCAG 2.2 Level AA, so we do not claim that Vet Hub conforms. We are working toward it. Sections 3 and 4 say what we have done and what we know is still open.

What we do today

• Skip link. The first control on a page is a "Skip to main content" link. At up to 300% zoom on a 320-pixel-wide screen, we test that it stays off-screen until you tab to it and does not cover the Veterans Crisis Line bar.
• Visible keyboard focus. The control you have selected with the keyboard is outlined.
• Two languages. Vet Hub is available in English and Spanish, and the page's language setting changes when you change language, so a screen reader uses the right voice.
• Labels and announced errors. Form fields have visible labels, and error messages on the sign-in and contact forms are announced to screen readers.
• Password managers work. Password fields use the standard settings that password managers rely on.
• Reduced motion. Animations on the home page check your device's "reduce motion" setting.
• Plain-text community. Members cannot upload images or video to RallyPoint, so member posts contain no pictures that need a text description.
• Crisis help stays reachable. The Veterans Crisis Line is one tap from the top of the screen. Dial 988 then Press 1, or text 838255.
• Pop-up windows. The report window closes with the Escape key and returns focus to where you were when it closes.
• Automated checks. Our tests include accessibility checks (axe-core) on most signed-in screens and on the legal pages, and our code is checked with an accessibility linter.

Known limitations

1. No complete manual evaluation yet. We have not yet completed and recorded a full manual check with a keyboard alone, with screen readers (such as VoiceOver and TalkBack), with zoom and large text, and with small touch targets, across all screens.
2. Automated checks cover only part of the product. They cover most signed-in screens (dashboard, benefits, travel, discounts, community, messages, notifications, assistant, the phone-app profile hub, onboarding), the VETSITY page, the How We Verify page, the legal pages, the password pages and the not-found page. They do not yet cover the home page, the partners page, the contact page or the sign-in and sign-up pages. They also run in a simulated browser without a real page layout. Tools like these can help find problems; they cannot decide that a page is accessible.
3. Color contrast. We chose our colors for strong contrast between text and background, and the main pairs are documented (gold on navy 9.0 to 1, cream on navy 15.5 to 1, red on white 5.6 to 1). We have not yet recorded a check of every color combination on every screen.
4. WCAG 2.2 criteria still to be checked by hand. These include: that the fixed Veterans Crisis Line bar at the top never hides the control you have selected with the keyboard (2.4.11); that every button and link is large enough to touch (2.5.8); that help is always in the same place (3.2.6); and that no step of signing in depends on solving a puzzle or remembering something (3.3.8).
5. Pop-up windows. Some pop-up windows, including the report window, move your keyboard focus into the window but do not yet keep the Tab key inside it, and while one is open a screen reader may not read the rest of the page, including the Veterans Crisis Line bar.
6. Content from others. Sponsor logos, offers and descriptions are supplied by sponsors, and links take you to other sites (such as VA.gov and state agencies) that we do not control. We cannot promise those are accessible.
7. The apps. The iPhone and Android apps have not yet been checked with VoiceOver and TalkBack across the main tasks.

Technical information

Vet Hub relies on HTML, CSS, JavaScript and the WAI-ARIA attributes used in our components. It needs JavaScript to run, and shows a short notice in English and Spanish when JavaScript is off.

Tell us about a problem, or ask for an accommodation

If something on Vet Hub is hard or impossible for you to use, or you need information in another format, tell us. Include the page, what you were trying to do, and the device, browser and assistive technology you use, if you can.

• Contact form: vethub.app/contact, topic Other. Start your message with the word Accessibility.
• What to expect: we will reply and tell you what we can do and when.

If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, do not wait for us. Help is available 24/7. Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988 then Press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255.

About this statement

Vet Hub prepared this statement. It was written from our own records and tests and has not been reviewed by an outside accessibility auditor. We will update it when we complete a full evaluation, and each time we fix or find a significant barrier.