Accessibility statement

This statement covers vbgps.org and the Veteran Benefits GPS™ tool.

Veteran Benefits GPS LLC runs both, and in this statement "I" and "me" mean that company.

I want every Veteran and every family member to be able to use the tool.

That includes people who use a keyboard, a screen reader, larger text, or a small phone.

This page says what I have checked, how I checked it, and what I have not.

I aim to meet Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.

WCAG is the international standard for accessible websites.

No outside auditor has reviewed the site.

So I do not claim that it fully meets WCAG.

I claim only what the checks below found.

The checks below were run on copies of the site's pages on my own computer, built from the same files that are published.

Software did the testing.

An artificial intelligence (AI) assistant ran the test reviews and wrote them up.

A testing tool.

A free tool called axe-core tests a page against the WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 rules it has at Levels A and AA.

My latest run, on 2026-11-10 with axe-core version 4.14.0, covered 22 pages.

It tested them at phone size in the browser engines behind Safari and Chrome, and at desktop size in the engine behind Chrome, with the menu closed and open.

It reported no violations.

A tool like this finds only some problems.

It cannot tell whether a label makes sense, whether the reading order is right, or how the site sounds with a screen reader.

Section 3 lists what I have not checked.

Keyboard.

The menu opens with Enter or Space and closes with Escape.

While it is open, the Tab key stays inside it.

When it closes, focus goes back to the Menu button.

The tool's pages begin with a "Skip to main content" link.

Focus outlines.

In September I measured the outline that shows which control has focus.

Several controls had none.

I fixed them.

Phone and zoom.

I checked 22 pages at 320 pixels wide.

None scrolled sideways, with or without the wider text spacing that WCAG tests.

I also checked the menu in a window 320 pixels wide and 256 pixels tall, which is the size of a screen at 400% zoom.

Color.

I measured text colors with the WCAG formula.

Normal text needs a ratio of at least 4.5 to 1.

In September, teal text on light backgrounds measured between 2.7 and 3.4 to 1.

I changed it to a darker teal that measures at least 4.5 to 1.

The gold used on cream measured 4.31 to 1.

I darkened it to 4.94 to 1.

The color check in axe-core passed on all 22 pages in my latest run.

Page structure.

Each page I checked has its language set to English.

On the 15 screens of the tool I checked in September, each had one main heading, and each had header, main and footer regions.

The map and territory screens each set their own page title.

Links.

Sponsor links and social links that open in a new tab say so for a screen reader.

I have not tested every other link.

Reduced motion.

If your device asks sites to reduce motion, the blinking cursor, the filling progress ring and the glow on opened map tiles stop.

I tested those three.

I have not tested every motion on the site.

These are open today.

If something on this site does not work for you, write to me at casey@vbgps.org.

Tell me the page, what you were trying to do, and what got in the way.

You do not need to tell me anything about your health or your disability.

I use your email to answer you and to act on what you wrote, such as fixing an error you report, and for nothing else.

The Privacy Policy, section 6, says who reads that mailbox.

The tool links to official pages run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) and by other agencies.

I do not run those pages, and this statement does not cover them.

The Sources page lists them.

Veteran Benefits GPS LLC · casey@vbgps.org · PO Box 2, Herod, IL 62947