Federal Labor Guidance
Free plain-English summaries of opinion letters, administrative policies, and interpretive notices from the U.S. Department of Labor, with the current status and the official source on every page.
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Using separate YouthBuild grant awards
ETA clarified how YouthBuild grantees should keep participants and costs separate when grants from different program years overlap. A participant generally cannot receive services under two award…
2016 workforce labor market information grants
ETA set 2016 requirements for state Workforce Information Grants, including labor market information products, delivery and reporting. Two attachments consolidate deliverables and provide…
Negotiating 2016-2017 WIOA performance goals
ETA gave states a process for negotiating 2016 and 2017 performance goals for WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth programs and Wagner-Peyser employment services. Its attachments include a…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance for mid-2016
ETA sent state unemployment agencies the minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from July through September 2016. The attachment lists each state's…
OMB approval of revised UI resource model
ETA announced OMB approval of revised data collection for the Resource Justification Model that state unemployment agencies use to justify administrative resources. It sent a revised Employment and…
Bloodborne-pathogen training and tattoo-parlor worker status
A tattoo-industry requester asked whether online bloodborne-pathogen training can satisfy federal OSHA and whether artists called independent contractors are covered. OSHA said training must include…
First quarter of PY 2016 SCSEP national grantee plans
ETA gave existing Senior Community Service Employment Program national grantees funding allocations and application instructions for the first quarter of Program Year 2016, July through September…
U.S. importer details on chemical labels and safety data sheets
A chemical-information company asked whether imported hazardous chemicals must list a U.S. contact on labels and safety data sheets. OSHA said yes: the importer is the responsible party and must…
2015 Work Opportunity Tax Credit reauthorization
ETA instructed state workforce agencies on the 2015 reauthorization of Work Opportunity Tax Credit target groups and Empowerment Zones, including a new long-term unemployment target group. It also…
National Farmworker Jobs Program operating guidance and housing assistance
ETA replaced TEGL 35-14 with operating guidance for National Farmworker Jobs Program grantees under WIOA. Change 1 clarifies which housing assistance may be provided and updates its definition of…
Hazard labels for domestic and international chemical shipments
A chemical maker asked how to label containers destined for U.S. customers, export and temporary storage. OSHA said U.S. shipments require compliant labels on each immediate container; export…
Program Year 2016 Indian and Native American program allotments
ETA gave Indian and Native American Section 166 grantees their Program Year 2016 comprehensive services and youth services allotments and grant application instructions. The attached tables show…
High risk determinations for ETA grant recipients after award
ETA explained how it evaluates the risk that a grant recipient will fail to meet award requirements after receiving an award. It describes the review, notice, and additional conditions that may…
2015 and 2016 workforce data validation and reporting deadlines
ETA reminded workforce programs of participant data validation and performance reporting duties for Program Years 2014 and 2015 and set submission dates. Six attachments supply validation rules,…
Recognized engineering practices in process-safety enforcement
OSHA gave inspectors guidance on how to evaluate generally accepted engineering practices under the process-safety standard. Employers choose applicable practices, but must document that covered…
Physician qualifications under the noise standard
A hearing-conservation organization asked who counts as a physician under OSHA’s noise standard. OSHA said testing may be performed by listed qualified professionals or a competent technician under…
Goatees and tight-fitting respirators
A requester asked whether a worker with a neatly trimmed goatee may wear a respirator after passing a fit test. OSHA said facial hair is allowed only if it does not come between the face and sealing…
Fiscal Year 2016 Trade Adjustment Assistance state allocations
ETA set out states’ initial Fiscal Year 2016 Trade Adjustment Assistance funding for training and related services. It explained the allocation method and how states could request reserve funds; the…
Fiscal Year 2016 WOTC state funding allotments
ETA allocated the remainder of Fiscal Year 2016 funds to state workforce agencies for Work Opportunity Tax Credit administration. Attachment I lists each state’s allotment and Attachment II sets the…
Hearing-loss recordkeeping and hearing protector attenuation
A hearing professional asked whether estimated protection below 85 decibels automatically excuses recording a worker’s hearing shift. OSHA said protection may be considered in assessing…
ApprenticeshipUSA grant application number correction
ETA corrected the federal assistance catalog number that states had to enter when applying for ApprenticeshipUSA State Accelerator Grants: 17.285 replaces 17.201. It also updated the contact for…
Sleep time for domestic service workers
WHD explained when an employer can exclude sleep time for live-in and other domestic-service employees, how much may be excluded, and when interruptions must be paid. It provides examples and a…
ApprenticeshipUSA State Accelerator Grants
ETA announced State Accelerator Grants of up to $250,000 to help states expand and diversify registered apprenticeships. It set eligibility, application, budget, and planning requirements; its…
Shipyard competent persons and non-OSHA exposure limits
A marine chemist asked whether a shipyard competent person may direct protective measures when a chemical exceeds a recommended exposure limit but has no OSHA permissible exposure limit. OSHA said…
Unemployment compensation changes for ex-servicemembers
ETA told state workforce agencies how the 2015 defense law changed unemployment compensation for ex-servicemembers. For reservists whose active service began on or after November 25, 2015,…
Program Year 2016 SCSEP state and territory grants
ETA gave Senior Community Service Employment Program state and territory grantees their Program Year 2016 allotments and application instructions. Four attachments set funding, narrative, assurance,…
Program Year 2016 WIOA and Wagner-Peyser allotments
ETA gave states Program Year 2016 allotments for WIOA adult, dislocated worker, and youth activities, Wagner-Peyser employment services, and workforce information grants. Eight attachments provide…
2016 benefit accuracy measurement reporting schedule
ETA gave state workforce agencies deadlines for completing and checking their 2016 unemployment insurance benefit accuracy data. States were asked to report discrepancies, which ETA staff would…
Fiscal year 2016 sequestration for unemployment programs
ETA explained how federal sequestration would affect unemployment insurance and related programs in fiscal year 2016. It described reductions for extended benefits, residual emergency unemployment…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for April–June 2016
ETA sent state workforce agencies the minimum Disaster Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts for major disasters declared from April through June 2016. Its attached table gives each state's…
SCSEP four-year state plan requirements for 2016–2019
ETA explained what Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees needed in their four-year state plans for Program Years 2016–2019, including how to submit SCSEP as part of a combined WIOA…
Fiscal Year 2016 foreign labor certification grant planning
ETA gave state workforce agencies the annual grant planning and management instructions for Fiscal Year 2016 foreign labor certification work. Its attachments provide the planning package, annual…
Needleless vascular connectors and sharps protection
A requester asked whether healthcare employers must use needleless vascular connectors and whether a safety needle could be used instead or inserted into a needleless system. OSHA said needleless…
Restoration of Program Year 2015 WIOA advance allotments
ETA restored the reduction in 2015 WIOA adult and dislocated worker advance allotments and decided not to reallot certain Program Year 2015 funds based on prior year obligations. Two attachments…
WIOA unified and combined state plan requirements
ETA explained how states should prepare and submit unified or combined plans under WIOA, including content, deadlines, participating programs, and modifications. The guidance applied to the initial…
Fiscal year 2016 state unemployment insurance allocations
ETA gave state unemployment insurance agencies their fiscal year 2016 base allocations and instructions for above-base funding and supplemental budget requests. The letter describes administrative…
State unemployment confidentiality law submissions
ETA reminded state workforce agencies to submit their unemployment compensation confidentiality laws, policies and key decisions for federal conformity review using Form MA 8-7. The letter asked for…
On-the-job training wage caps and reimbursement waivers
ETA updated the state hourly wage caps used to reimburse employers for on-the-job training under named workforce grants. It also explained how reimbursement rate waivers applied during the…
2016 SCSEP poverty and income guidelines
ETA issued the 2016 federal poverty figures and 125 percent income limits used to determine Senior Community Service Employment Program eligibility. Grantees were instructed to use the attached…
Respirator fit tests for alternative head harnesses
A respirator maker asked whether switching between head harnesses on the same facepiece requires separate fit tests. OSHA said yes: harness material or attachment configuration can change the seal.…
2016 interest rate on federal unemployment advances
ETA told state workforce agencies that Treasury would charge 2.2256 percent interest on repayable Title XII unemployment advances during calendar year 2016. It also reminded states that interest is…
2016 pension adjustments and unemployment benefit offsets
ETA told state workforce agencies that Social Security survivor and retirement annuities and federal civilian pensions had no cost-of-living increase for 2016. States whose unemployment laws offset…
Fiscal year 2016 UI reemployment service grants
ETA invited state workforce agencies to apply for fiscal year 2016 grants for unemployment reemployment services and eligibility assessments. It set program, reporting and proposal requirements and…
2016 federal salary rates for unemployment claims
ETA pointed state workforce agencies to the 2016 federal General Schedule salary rates for 31 locality pay areas. It said states could use those rates with other documentation to estimate…
2016 military pension cost-of-living adjustments
ETA told state workforce agencies that military retirement pay had no cost-of-living increase for 2016. It provided an attachment detailing retired pay and survivor annuity adjustments, for states…
WIOA transition guidance for Indian and Native American grantees
ETA explained how Indian and Native American Section 166 grantees should move from WIA to WIOA, including program operations, participant services, and planning. The attachments provide references…
Corrected 2015 lower living standard income levels
ETA explained how states should use corrected 2015 Lower Living Standard Income Level figures when deciding eligibility for WIOA programs. People already found eligible under the earlier figures…
Lodging credit toward FLSA wages
WHD explained the conditions for counting employer-provided lodging as wages under FLSA section 3(m), including reasonable cost, records, and employee acceptance. It gives examples involving live-in…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for early 2016
ETA sent state workforce agencies the minimum Disaster Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts for major disasters declared from January through March 2016. The attachment lists each state's…
Hazard labels for absorbent clay containing silica
An industry group asked how to label absorbent clay products that may contain crystalline silica. OSHA said manufacturers must first classify the mixture; hazardous products then need labels on…
Extended WIOA training provider eligibility transition
ETA allowed governors to extend the period during which WIA-eligible training providers could remain eligible under WIOA to June 30, 2016, or an earlier date they chose. It amended specified parts…
Hazard labels for sealed products shipped only abroad
A maker of clay-based products asked whether sealed packages prepared only for export need U.S. hazard labels. OSHA described accommodations when the containers are sealed and sent directly abroad…
Federal unemployment code for 2020 census workers
ETA assigned Federal Identification Code 914 for temporary workers hired for the 2020 census so state agencies could charge their federal unemployment benefits correctly. Permanent Census Bureau…
Unemployment claims for temporary 2020 census workers
ETA told state workforce agencies to expect unemployment claims from temporary workers hired for the 2020 census. It assigned Federal Identification Code 914 for benefits paid to those temporary…
WOTC certification requests for Empowerment Zone residents
ETA told state workforce agencies when to process Work Opportunity Tax Credit certification requests for people in Empowerment Zones after an extension of zone designations. It identified the…
New approval expiration for Work Opportunity Tax Credit forms
ETA notified states that four Work Opportunity Tax Credit reporting and certification forms had been approved without changes through August 31, 2018. The four forms are attached. ETA now labels the…
Second WIOA youth program transition guidance
ETA gave states and local workforce areas a second set of transition instructions for the WIOA Title I youth program. It addresses program design and serving in-school and out-of-school youth as…
Interim hazard-communication enforcement discretion for distributors
A chemical-distributor association asked whether OSHA’s 2015 transition discretion applied beyond makers of mixtures. OSHA said later interim guidance expanded the limited policy to certain…
Reduced Fiscal Year 2016 WIOA advance funding
ETA reduced the WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker Fiscal Year 2016 advance allotments under a continuing appropriations measure. Its attachments list revised state amounts. Change 4 later restored…
Program Year 2014 WIA annual report narrative
ETA told states what to include in their Program Year 2014 WIA annual report narratives, including service to veterans, customer satisfaction, and submission procedures. The report was due December…
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These are official interpretive documents from the U.S. Department of Labor: opinion letters answering questions from employers and workers, administrative policies, and interpretive notices. They show how the agency applies wage-and-hour and workplace law to real situations, but they are guidance, not statutes or court decisions, and the agency can supersede or withdraw them. Every page above shows the document's current status, when that status was last verified, and a link to the official source.