Pilot stage

This was a point-in-time planning document in April-May 2021, to help us scope the pilot.

In scope

What are the core services we want the eRegs pilot to offer to fulfill stakeholder needs?

What do we need to provide to deliver that?

(See out-of-scope concepts at Potential capabilities.)

Web application fundamentals

• Site meets CMS accessibility requirements
• Site works or gracefully degrades on browsers CMS staff use
• Site is responsive for various sizes of screen CMS staff use
• Site has helpful pages for errors (404, 500, etc)
• There's a way for people using this to give us feedback, suggestions, report bugs, etc
• There is basic print styling for reg content
• Mobile view works for reading reg text (not full features)

Reg content that people read and trust

• Use content versions directly from eCFR (not homebrewed by interpreting rules)
• Display complete reg content (including Federal Register citations, "Authority", "Scope", and "Editorial Note" info from the CFR, etc.)
• Footnotes, formulas, and tables are readable
• Nested paragraphs are indented
• Always tells you when the reg content was last updated
• Always displays appropriate disclaimer

Usable navigation of parts, subparts, and sections

• Default view of reg content is by subpart, with full part view as a fallback when needed (such as sections that aren't within a subpart)
• Within a part, you can jump to another section or another part
• For any specific reg content you're looking at (more specific than a part), you can use "next" and "previous" buttons to navigate
• In any content view, you can find out where you are by seeing location information (including both the part number and the part name)
• You can get more room to read reg text by collapsing other info
• Each paragraph can be independently referenced by an anchor link in the URL
• The reg part homepage center column has a table of contents for the latest version, marked with the version/date of the content
• Each reg part homepage can have custom content in the center column (such as a brief part summary)
• While reading reg content, there's a way to see an expanded Table of Contents for that part, for skimming
• There's a way to copy the URL (that's not just copying the URL bar)
• When you receive a link to a specific piece of reg on eRegs, the text you were linked to is highlighted (in an unobtrusive way)
• Each reg part homepage can display an automated list of recent changes (recent rules) and proposed changes affecting the part
• Print button for the reg content you're looking at

Integration of key supplemental content in context with regs

• Ability to display supplemental content that has a link, a title, a category, one or many section + date pairs
• A policy SME can write content in a structured way that the system can incorporate (reflecting the content model)
• Categories of supplemental content have names, weight, and descriptions (captions)
• Automated list of related rules

Usable keyword search across and within parts

• Global search is available from every page
• In search results, there's an option to search for your keyword in other tools with a wider scope of information (such as beta eCFR and Medicaid.gov)
• There's a way to filter search results by part, no matter how you started the search
• You can search within current part
• Search includes search for simple plurals
• Literal keywords in search results are highlighted

Usable navigation of past reg versions and comparisons between versions (timeline / history)

• Ability to view a past version of a regulation
• Ability to compare a reg part from one past date to another (including comparing to the present version)
• For any past or current version you're looking at, you can access a link to the Final Rule (including preamble) that gives context for that version in the Federal Register
• You can see the number of differences counted up for you
• You can go to the next difference
• The left nav table of contents includes indicators for subparts and sections that have changed
• You're able to view a reg part as it was effective on a past date, using the annual editions (the official data from the GPO) plus data from eCFR (monthly)

Maybe:

• We tell the user when there is a final rule that has content that will become effective in the future for the part they're looking at

Helpful and accurate cross-reference links (basic)

• When reg text says a reference to a piece of reg that eRegs contains, it links you to it within eRegs (part, section number, and paragraph or subparagraph, like (a)(1)) - not considering ranges
• In reg end-of-section citations, Federal Register notice citations links you to the Federal Register website
• When reg text says a reference to a piece of reg that eRegs does not contain, it links you to that piece of reg in eCFR (just part and section number)
• Basic tooltips for links

Helpful site homepage

• The homepage has customizable content areas (separate from the list of parts)
• The homepage displays a list of parts that are within eRegs
• The homepage displays an automated list of recent changes (recent rules) and proposed changes affecting the in-scope parts