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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Sharing unemployment data with health insurance exchanges
ETA explained how state unemployment agencies share confidential wage and claims information with health insurance exchanges for eligibility decisions. The letter treats exchanges as participants in…
Ground hazards and crane modifications in railroad work
A railroad association asked when buried objects must be disclosed as ground hazards to equipment operators and whether past crane modifications need new approval. OSHA said hazard status depends on…
Combining skin-corrosion and eye-damage hazard statements
A chemical-label provider asked whether a separate “Causes serious eye damage” statement is needed beside “Causes severe skin burns and eye damage.” OSHA said the latter conveys the eye hazard and…
Revised FY 2015 WIA advance allotments after funding reduction
ETA revised the October 2014 advance allotments for state Workforce Investment Act Adult and Dislocated Worker programs to reflect a 0.0554 percent funding reduction. It said the reduction did not…
Asbestos bulk content and worker air exposure
A consultant asked whether OSHA changed its bulk-sample point-counting requirements and whether disturbing material below one-percent asbestos can expose workers. OSHA said its bulk-analysis rule…
Electronic display of required OSHA notices
An employer asked whether required OSHA notices could appear in a repeating loop on break-room television monitors while paper copies sat in human resources. OSHA said that arrangement does not…
Hexavalent chromium on eating-area surfaces
An employer asked whether it must take dust-wipe samples in eating areas where hexavalent chromium is present, and whether a specific surface concentration decides compliance. OSHA said the rule…
Confidentiality of unemployment appeal records
ETA reminded states that unemployment appeal information is generally confidential. If state law allows, an advance hearing docket may identify the parties and hearing time and place; the rest of…
Rescission of older worker bulletins
ETA formally rescinded older bulletins used by Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees, including bulletins with obsolete material or guidance replaced by later TEGLs. It directed…
2014 WIA funds for WIOA transition activities
ETA explained how states and other WIA grant recipients could use program year 2014 funds to plan for WIOA. It set a two percent transition limit for specified state formula allotments and required…
Credit-history restrictions in public workforce job banks
ETA and DOL’s Civil Rights Center addressed employer credit-history screens in job postings handled by federally funded workforce programs. The letter explains how those screens may raise…
Unemployment-status restrictions in public job banks
ETA and DOL’s Civil Rights Center addressed job postings that exclude applicants because they are unemployed. It explained how this practice may raise nondiscrimination concerns in publicly funded…
Fiscal year 2015 sequestration of unemployment programs
ETA explained how fiscal year 2015 sequestration affected mandatory unemployment programs. It described a 7.3 percent reduction for specified federal funding, including the federal share of extended…
Combined-wage claim employer response and charging rules
ETA answered state questions about combined-wage unemployment claims involving more than one state. It explains when an employer's repeated failure to answer agency requests can prevent relief from…
Drug testing of certain unemployment applicants
ETA explained that states may require a drug test for an initial unemployment applicant only if the applicant was fired by the most recent employer for unlawful controlled substance use, or suitable…
2013 WIA annual report narrative instructions
ETA told states what to include in their program year 2013 WIA annual report narrative and how to submit it by November 14, 2014. It covered veterans' services and customer satisfaction reporting,…
SCSEP state plan modification instructions
ETA told Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees how to modify unified, integrated, or stand-alone state plans approved in 2012. Its attachments set out the modification requirements…
Technical citations for coal mine safeguards
An underground coal mine operator can ask the district manager for a technical citation when it wants Commission review of a safeguard notice. MSHA says the district manager may first try to resolve…
XRF screening for lead exposure scenarios
A consultant asked whether x-ray fluorescence screening could identify high-lead paint areas to plan initial exposure determinations for demolition or renovation work. OSHA said that approach…
Minimum disaster assistance amounts for late 2014
ETA transmitted a state-by-state attachment showing 50 percent of the average weekly benefit amount, rounded to the minimum Disaster Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit, for major disasters…
Construction Plus training in YouthBuild
ETA explained how eligible YouthBuild grantees could add occupational training outside construction through Construction Plus. It described approval, program design, and credential considerations…
Using EUC funds for unemployment benefits to laid-off staff
ETA told state agencies that Emergency Unemployment Compensation administrative funds could pay unemployment benefits for employees who worked full time on EUC activities and were laid off directly…
2013–2015 performance reporting and data validation timelines
ETA reminded states and grantees of performance reporting and data validation requirements for WIA, Wagner-Peyser, veterans, trade assistance, farmworker, and Indian and Native American programs. It…
Nurses conducting respirator medical evaluations
A nurse asked whether registered nurses in Wisconsin may conduct medical evaluations required for respirator use. OSHA said eligibility turns on the services allowed under the professional’s state…
WIA Youth Program guidance for program year 2014
ETA gave states and local areas guidance for using WIA Youth funds in program year 2014 after reviewing monitoring findings. It discussed youth councils, eligibility documentation, case management,…
Trade Adjustment Assistance data integrity
ETA required state agencies to include data integrity checks in quarterly Trade Adjustment Assistance reporting. It set measures and targets, described state reviews and possible corrective action,…
Planning the FY 2015 state UI service plan
ETA gave state unemployment agencies supplemental instructions for their FY 2015 State Quality Service Plans. The letter identifies national priorities, performance measures and corrective action…
Hard hats and heat risk for roofing workers
A senator relayed a roofer’s concern about wearing a hard hat in hot weather. OSHA said its head-protection rules require a hard hat where there is a risk of head injury, though an employer may have…
Implementing a job-driven workforce system
ETA described seven elements of job-driven employment and training, including employer input, work-based learning, data, outcomes, career steps, access, and regional partnerships. It encouraged…
Completing 2014 UI benefit accuracy data
ETA set procedures and deadlines for state agencies to complete and verify 2014 Benefit Accuracy Measurement cases before federal publication of improper payment data. The letter also describes the…
FY 2015 state UI resource planning targets
ETA sent state agencies preliminary FY 2015 funding and staff year targets for unemployment administration, together with the data inputs and allocation methods used to calculate them. The letter…
Fall protection for utility pole climbing
A utility asked whether pole climbers could use a BuckSqueeze work-positioning system without a separate self-retracting lanyard. OSHA said the system could provide required protection when used as…
Confined-space entry staffing and rescue
A maintenance company asked how many workers a permit-required confined-space entry needs and whether a supervisor may also be the attendant or entrant. OSHA said dual roles are possible when…
FY 2014 grants to detect worker misclassification
ETA announced FY 2014 supplemental grants for states to prevent and detect worker misclassification in unemployment insurance tax administration. It described eligible activities, application…
DACA participants in WIA and Wagner-Peyser programs
ETA told states and grantees that DACA participants with employment authorization could access Workforce Investment Act services for which they otherwise qualified. It addressed documentation for…
FY 2014 funds for UI reemployment assessments
ETA offered state agencies FY 2014 funds to expand an existing unemployment reemployment and eligibility assessment program or start one. The change to UIPL 13-14 explains application instructions,…
FY 2014 TAA second distribution and reserve fund requests
ETA identified each state’s second distribution of fiscal year 2014 Trade Adjustment Assistance funds and explained the formula used. It also described what state agencies had to document when…
Meaning of permanent place of employment
A safety consultant asked what “permanent place of employment” meant in the then-current walking-working-surfaces rule. OSHA said it was a fixed place and that mobile service workers could have one…
Revised UI state quality service plan handbook
ETA transmitted Change 3 of Employment and Training Handbook 336, the state unemployment quality service planning and reporting guide. The letter summarizes modifications to the planning…
Fixed-ladder rung design under former rule
A grain-equipment maker asked whether its proposed textured metal rungs met the then-current fixed-ladder rule. OSHA said the stated rung diameter, spacing and clear length met specified dimensions,…
Unemployment coverage for Public Health Service officers
ETA clarified for state unemployment agencies that commissioned officers of the U.S. Public Health Service are covered by Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees, rather than the…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for summer 2014
ETA sent state agencies a table of 50 percent of each state’s average weekly unemployment benefit, rounded for use as the minimum Disaster Unemployment Assistance weekly amount. The figures covered…
Joint employment in Medicaid-funded home care
WHD examined when public entities, managed care organizations, agencies, and consumers could be joint employers of home care workers in consumer-directed Medicaid programs. It said the answer…
Windsor ruling and unemployment programs
After United States v. Windsor, ETA said the federal unemployment tax exclusion for services by an employee spouse includes a same-sex spouse whose marriage was lawful where celebrated, regardless…
Same-sex marriages and Trade Adjustment Assistance after Windsor
Following the Supreme Court's Windsor decision, ETA announced its policy of recognizing marriages valid where celebrated, including same-sex marriages, for Trade Adjustment Assistance. It encouraged…
FY 2014 grants for UI integrity and systems
ETA described FY 2014 supplemental funds for states to prevent improper unemployment payments, improve program performance and modernize aging information systems. The letter sets required and…
Replacing material safety data sheets
An employer asked when older material safety data sheets had to be replaced with the newer format. OSHA said employers must keep and provide the most recent sheet they receive for each hazardous…
Lifting compressed-gas cylinders with a sling
A manufacturer asked whether its nylon gas-cylinder carrier could lift compressed-gas cylinders vertically by crane. OSHA said the described device fits its definition of a sling, and the…
2014 UI benefit-year earnings integrity targets
ETA gave states 2014 acceptable performance targets for the benefit-year earnings measure, which tracks unemployment overpayments associated with unreported work and earnings. The letter describes…
Treasury offsets for unemployment debts
ETA explained that states must use the Treasury Offset Program to collect covered unemployment debts that remain unpaid a year after final determination. Covered debts include certain benefit…
Asbestos training for pipeline wrap work
A training provider asked how many hours supervisors and workers need for removal of asbestos-containing pipeline wrap. OSHA said Class II supervisors generally need a course equivalent to EPA’s…
Reviewing UI claimant data for discrimination
ETA reminded state unemployment agencies to collect and analyze claimant demographic data for possible signs of systemic discrimination and investigate any indications the analysis reveals. It sets…
Negotiating 2014 WIA and Wagner-Peyser performance goals
ETA gave states the measures and process for negotiating program year 2014 WIA and Wagner-Peyser performance goals. It explained how results would be assessed against negotiated levels and announced…
Application process for WIA incentive grants based on 2012 performance
ETA told eight eligible states how to apply for WIA Section 503 incentive grants based on program year 2012 performance. It listed each award, described authorized uses, and required application and…
2012 industry codes for qualifying farmwork
ETA gave National Farmworker Jobs Program grantees an updated list of 2012 NAICS industry codes that counted as qualifying farmwork and those excluded. It said the list did not change the underlying…
Combining OSHA and consumer chemical labels
A chemical seller asked whether consumer-product warnings and OSHA hazard-communication labels could share a package. OSHA said the required workplace elements must remain prominent and…
2013 WIA Dislocated Worker fund reallotment
ETA adjusted program year 2013 Dislocated Worker allotments after one jurisdiction had excess unobligated funds. It said $56,422 would be recaptured and reallotted, and explained how states should…
Veterans ages 18–24 eligible for DVOP specialist services
ETA and the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service designated veterans ages 18 to 24 for intensive services from Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program specialists. This change removed the words…
Process-safety coverage for hydrogen-fluoride cylinders
A bottle-treatment company asked whether separate hydrogen-fluoride cylinders in one warehouse could each count as a separate process. OSHA said cylinder design, sprinklers and distance alone would…
2014 Workforce Information Grants to States
ETA gave states program and application instructions for 2014 Workforce Information Grants. It described required labor market databases, employment projections, reports, customer consultation, and…
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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.