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Section 504 rule for health and human services programs

Also called
Section 504 (HHS rule)
Last reviewed

Due , Section 504 (HHS rule), recipients of HHS funding with 15 or more employees

Key facts

Jurisdiction
United States
Sector
Public and private sectors
Applies to
Hospitals, clinics, medical practices, insurers, state Medicaid and social service agencies, and any other organization that receives funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including their websites, patient portals, and mobile apps.
Standard
WCAG 2.1 Level AA
Dates
  • : Recipients of HHS funding with 15 or more employees
  • : Recipients of HHS funding with fewer than 15 employees

What it requires

Organizations that receive HHS funding must make sure the web content and mobile apps they provide, directly or through vendors, meet WCAG 2.1 Level A and Level AA.

The 2024 rule took effect on July 8, 2024 and covers more than websites. The web and app requirement has its own dates: organizations with 15 or more employees have until May 11, 2027, and smaller ones have until May 10, 2028.

How it is enforced

The HHS Office for Civil Rights takes complaints and investigates. The May 2026 interim final rule moved only the web and app dates. It did not change what the rule requires.

Sources

  1. Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial AssistanceU.S. Department of Health and Human Services, published in the Federal Register, 2024. Checked .
  2. Extension of Compliance Dates for Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Applications of Recipients of Departmental Financial AssistanceU.S. Department of Health and Human Services, published in the Federal Register, 2026. Checked .
  3. Extension of Section 504 web and mobile app compliance datesU.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Checked .

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