VA systems lack accessibility standards needed by disabled veterans, IG says

The Department of Veterans Affairs shortchanged veterans with disabilities in its procurement of IT systems that lack accessibility standards required by law, according to a new audit from the agency’s inspector general.

A team in the VA’s Office of the Inspector General audited a sample of 30 “bedrock and critical” IT systems to verify their compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal agencies to make their technology systems accessible to people with disabilities. Of those 30, just four were compliant with the law.

“Based on that review, the OIG concluded VA officials did not take steps to ensure the sampled information technology systems they procured would meet the accessibility standards required by law,” states the IG’s report, published Tuesday. “This occurred because VA did not establish a control environment that makes accessibility a priority.”

Section 508 compliance is particularly important for the VA because of its large population of veterans with disabilities: 5.2 million with military service-connected disabilities and 4.6 million general disabilities in 2023, according to Labor Department data.

By procuring and operating technology that doesn’t meet accessibility standards, the VA has “increased the risk that veterans cannot access the services they need,” the report says.  

And it’s not a new issue for the VA. The inspector general issued a report in January 2024 that found the VA was falling short in making sure its websites were accessible for people with disabilities. Five of six recommendations from that audit still remain open, the IG explains in the report this week. 

Ultimately, the IG found the latest accessibility issues to stem from poor procurement practices, as officials did not validate during the process if the systems met 508 standards, nor did they reach out to the department’s Office of 508 Compliance for approval. 

Digging deeper, the IG found the VA’s training on the procurement of 508-compliant tech was also lacking, claiming that “contracting officers, contracting officer’s representatives, and program managers who procured information and communication technology were unaware of applicable federal and VA requirements because they were not adequately trained, and VA officials did not effectively communicate these requirements.”

Instead, they fell back on language in contracting documents and vendor self-declarations, the report explains.

The IG found the VA’s ignorance of 508 standards to be pervasive even in higher levels of the department. 

The deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Acquisition and Logistics is required by VA policy to work with the Office of 508 Compliance on setting policies and procedures for the acquisition of 508-compliant tech.  However, the official in that role “did not do so. She told the audit team that she was unaware of the requirement,” the audit revealed.

While the VA did update its acquisition regulation policy in 2023 to include Section 508 standards, an official in the department’s Office of Information and Technology told the audit team that “VA does not prioritize Section 508 compliance.” 

“VA’s Office of 508 Compliance is not involved in the procurement process for information technology and has limited or no interactions with contracting officials to ensure Section 508 requirements are met before VA accepts final deliverables,” the official said, according to the audit report.

Eddie Pool, the VA’s acting CIO, agreed with the recommended plan set forth by the IG to remediate the issues laid out in its report.