HHS Submits Interim Final Rule that Could Extend Website Accessibility Compliance Deadline

On April 17^th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) submitted an Interim Final Rule on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Section 504 prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance - including health centers, PCAs and other grantees - from discriminating on the basis of disability.

In 2024, OCR issued a Final Rule updating the Section 504 regulations, including requirements to ensure accessibility of websites, mobile apps and kiosks. Under that Rule, recipients were given two years to bring web content and mobile apps into compliance with Level A and Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, with a current compliance deadline of May 11, 2026.

OCR submitted the Interim Final Rule just weeks before that deadline. While we don’t yet know whether the Interim Final Rule will extend the compliance deadlines or modify other compliance obligations under Section 504, the U.S. Department of Justice recently issued an Interim Final Rule extending by one year the compliance deadline for states and local governments to meet WCAG 2.1 under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A similar extension for Section 504 would provide temporary relief for recipients working toward compliance; however, any such extensions may face legal challenges from disability advocacy groups arguing there is an insufficient basis to justify the use of an Interim Final Rule.

Check out a related Powers Knowledge Drop that shares five frequently asked questions from health centers as they prepare for these new accessibility requirements.