BVA has long been a strong advocate for accessible information and forms across all Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) digital platforms in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Ongoing collaborative efforts have assisted VA in improving the accessibility features of its Health and Benefits Mobile Application, educating veterans, family members, and caregivers about accessibility policies, and streamlining the reporting of accessibility barriers. 

Passage of the VA Website Accessibility Act of 2019 marked the first of many victories, both large and small for BVA, that have benefited blind and low vision veterans. More recently, the Association successfully campaigned for the creation of a Chief Accessibility Officer position within VA to lead enterprise-wide accessibility solution initiatives. The new position became possible through language included in the 2023 MILCON VA Appropriations Act. BVA remains hopeful that VA Secretary Denis McDonough will proactively embrace this opportunity to ensure that no veteran is left behind due to digital, or physical, accessibility barriers.

Regular meetings with VA’s Section 508 and Digital Services Teams have resulted in the identification of broken links, an attachment button in “Secure Messaging” that did not function for users of screen readers, accessibility failures in the travel reimbursement portal, and many more. As a result, VA teams have established a new VA Accessibility Webpage that clearly defines accessibility and how to report issues in a clear and concise manner.

For more information about improvements in the VA mobile app and BVA’s role publicized in a recent Nextgov article, click here. To learn more about the meaning of accessibility, VA’s commitment to maintaining it, or to report a problem with any digital communications tool such as the mobile app, click here.