Enclosure (11) to COMDTINST 5230.60A
SECTION 508 DETERMINATION AND CERTIFICATION FOR ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY (EIT) PURCHASE REQUESTS
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE REQUIRING OFFICIAL (PURCHASE REQUESTOR)
National Security Exemption Policy
5. Policy:
a. The USCG recognizes that persons with disabilities have made and will continue to make
significant contributions to the national security. As a matter of policy, all USCG national
security exemption claims must pass a review for legal sufficiency. Claims for the national
security exemption, excepting afloat, deployable and operational units and joint Department of
Defense and Other Government Agency systems, must also indicate in the exemption certification
how the USCG will compromise the national security by complying with the provisions of the
Section 508 standards. If a cost issue related to the standards, rather than the standards
themselves, is the compromising factor use the Undue Burden exemption (Enclosure 12).
b. In every case, the requiring official seeking to procure new EIT must decide whether the EIT
should conform to the provisions of the standard or seek to an exemption. Approval of the
national security exemption under Section 508 does not relieve the Coast Guard of the obligation
to accommodate individuals with disabilities under Sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act or to provide alternate means of access under Section 508. As a matter of policy, the USCG
encourages program managers and requiring officials to comply with the Access Board's EIT
standards, even when an exemption applies, in order to facilitate accommodation of disabilities
under Section 501 and Section 504.
6. Documentation:
The requiring official must decide if the national security exemption applies. The decision must be