The Section 504 web accessibility deadline for health centers and clinics
The short answer: health providers that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must make their websites, mobile apps and online documents meet WCAG 2.1 level AA. Providers with 15 or more employees must comply by May 11, 2027; providers with fewer than 15 employees by May 10, 2028.
The rule
HHS adopted the rule on May 9, 2024, under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. It is in the Code of Federal Regulations at 45 CFR part 84, subpart I, "Web, Mobile, and Kiosk Accessibility". It applies to recipients of federal financial assistance from HHS, which includes many health centers, clinics and hospitals, and doctors' offices paid through Medicare Part B, even if they take no other federal money: HHS treats Part B payments as federal financial assistance (89 FR 37522, May 6, 2024). On May 11, 2026, HHS published an interim final rule, effective May 7, 2026, that moved the compliance dates:
- 15 or more employees: from May 11, 2026 to May 11, 2027.
- Fewer than 15 employees: from May 10, 2027 to May 10, 2028.
A lawsuit filed in May 2026 (National Federation of the Blind v. Department of Justice, D. Md., case 1:26-cv-02007) asks a federal court to undo the one-year extension. There has been no ruling. If the dates change, we will update this page.
The standard: WCAG 2.1 AA
The rule adopts the success criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), version 2.1, level AA, published in June 2018, for the web content and mobile apps that a provider makes available "directly or through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements". Content that a vendor or contractor provides for you counts. Web content includes documents posted on a website, such as PDFs. The rule also describes some circumstances in which certain content does not have to meet the standard; read the rule text for those.
What to do before your date
- List your website's pages, and your patient forms and documents, such as intake forms, notices and price lists. Documents posted before your date are exempt only if no one uses them any more: a form patients still use "to apply for, gain access to, or participate in" your services must be accessible too (45 CFR 84.85(b)).
- Test them against WCAG 2.1 AA.
- Fix the pages, and rebuild or replace documents that do not work with a screen reader.
- Keep a written record of what was tested and what was fixed.
- Test again after changes, and whenever you publish something new.
Source: HHS interim final rule, Federal Register, May 11, 2026.
EveryRamp tests websites and PDFs against WCAG 2.1 AA and writes the fixes. You can start with a free scan of your website, see a sample report, or compare the packages.
This page is general information, not legal advice.