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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FY 2013 EUC sequestration questions
ETA answered state questions about how FY 2013 sequestration affected Emergency Unemployment Compensation. Its attachment gives questions and answers on reductions, claimant notices and program…
Service contractor and unsafe customer forklifts
A forklift service company asked whether it must mark customer-owned trucks out of service when its technicians find defects. OSHA said the powered-truck operation and maintenance provisions…
Extended 2013 self-employment grant deadline
ETA extended the deadline for states to apply for Self-Employment Assistance program grants from June 30 to August 14, 2013. The change describes the categories of grants available and directs…
2013 agricultural outreach plan guidance
ETA instructed states on agricultural outreach plans for migrant and seasonal farmworkers for program year 2013 and designated significant farmworker states. It attached plan guidance and…
2012 WIA dislocated worker fund reallotment
ETA announced adjusted program year 2012 Workforce Investment Act dislocated worker funding after recapture and reallotment under section 132(c). Its attachments give state calculations and revised…
FY 2013 funds for EUC sequestration changes
ETA told states that supplemental funds were available through the budget request process for implementing FY 2013 sequestration changes to Emergency Unemployment Compensation. The letter explains…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for spring 2013
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…
Updated WIA youth and adult allocation data
ETA advised states to use updated economically disadvantaged youth and adult population data in Workforce Investment Act within-state allocation formulas beginning with program year 2013. The data…
Rescission of 2011 dislocated worker reallotment
ETA rescinded TEGL 25-11 and told states that recaptured program year 2011 Workforce Investment Act dislocated worker funds would not be reallotted. ETA now labels this period-specific advisory Canceled.
2013 farmworker housing grant planning
ETA notified National Farmworker Jobs Program housing grantees that the biennial grant competition was waived and gave planning instructions for program year 2013. ETA now labels this expired…
2013 farmworker employment grant planning
ETA waived the biennial grant competition for satisfactorily performing National Farmworker Jobs Program employment and training grantees in program year 2013, except in seven service areas where…
Company address and trade name on chemical labels
A chemical company asked whether its website could replace a physical or mailing address on a hazard label and whether its trade name could replace its legal name. OSHA said a website is…
Veteran Gold Card data collection extension
ETA extended the timeline for states to collect data on intensive employment services provided to post-9/11 veterans through the Wagner-Peyser Gold Card Initiative. It supplemented TEGL 35-11 and…
Reporting for temporary agency miners
MSHA clarifies that workers supplied by a temporary employment agency are miners for Part 50 reporting while working at a mine. The mine operator controls and supervises them and must report their…
Crane-hoisted boatswain chairs in boat repair
A marine trade association asked whether boatyards may hoist workers in boatswain chairs using a crane. OSHA said a safer conventional access method should be used where possible; crane hoisting…
State services for migrant and seasonal farmworkers
ETA explained state workforce agency duties to serve migrant and seasonal farmworkers through American Job Centers and the oversight responsibilities of State Monitor Advocates. It attached…
FY 2013 sequestration of federal UI programs
ETA advised states how FY 2013 sequestration would be applied to federally funded unemployment programs, including Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits. It described reductions…
On-the-job training grant restriction exemptions
ETA explained how states could request exemptions from restrictions on Workforce Investment Act dislocated worker reserve grants for on-the-job training at specified facilities, including gambling…
TAA services through American Job Centers
ETA instructed states to deliver Trade Adjustment Assistance benefits and services through the American Job Center network. It superseded Attachment B of TEGL 5-00 and attached service guidance. ETA…
2013 military pay schedule for UCX claims
ETA provided an updated federal military remuneration schedule for ex-servicemember unemployment claims beginning in April 2013. States use it to calculate military wages when the federal claims…
2013 military pension cost-of-living adjustments
ETA told states that federal military retired pay and survivor annuities had cost-of-living adjustments effective December 2012. States whose unemployment laws reduce benefits for pension income…
2013 SCSEP poverty and income guidelines
ETA issued the 2013 federal poverty and low-income thresholds used to determine Senior Community Service Employment Program eligibility. It rescinded TEGL 16-11 and attached the income table; TEGL…
Work search rules in UI demonstration projects
ETA clarified that unemployment claimants in approved demonstration projects who are in training meet the work search requirement through that training, while the requirement does not apply to…
ETA-9130 quarterly financial reporting guidance
ETA gave grant recipients supplemental guidance for the quarterly ETA-9130 financial report, including selected reporting lines and common issues. It said the official form instructions remain the…
Cleared swap margin and ERISA fiduciary status
A securities association asked about ERISA duties when a pension plan defaults on a cleared swap. EBSA said margin held by a clearing member or central counterparty is not a plan asset on the…
2013 interest on federal UI trust advances
ETA announced that Treasury would charge 2.5765 percent interest on repayable Title XII unemployment trust fund advances during calendar year 2013. States planning to borrow were asked to arrange…
Replacing prescription safety-glasses lenses
A worker asked whether replacing prescription lenses in existing safety-glasses frames required buying new frames. OSHA said the key question is whether the completed eye protection meets the…
Marking laboratory faucets as nonpotable
A laboratory asked whether deionized, reverse-osmosis or ordinary faucets had to be marked nonpotable. OSHA said the marking turns on whether the water meets applicable drinking-water standards,…
Transporting contaminated reusable surgical instruments
A hospital asked whether its sealed, labeled containers for transporting used surgical instruments met the bloodborne-pathogens rule. OSHA said the described labels appeared to satisfy one…
Supplemental hazard labels and safety-data-sheet details
A safety-data company asked a series of questions about supplemental chemical warnings, label symbols and information in safety data sheets. OSHA said extra material may be included if it does not…
Retaining old safety sheets for legacy chemicals
An employer asked whether it had to create a new safety data sheet for a chemical whose manufacturer no longer exists. OSHA said no: the employer should retain the most recent sheet received and…
Unemployment integrity performance measures
ETA defined two core state unemployment integrity measures: the improper payment rate and recovery of established overpayments. The letter describes calculations, performance periods and acceptable…
2013 federal civilian salary rates for UI claims
ETA told state agencies that 2012 General Schedule rates would remain in effect until new 2013 federal civilian locality pay rates began in April 2013. States could use posted salary rates with…
Assigning federal civilian wages for UI claims
ETA explained that federal civilian service and wages generally belong to the state of a claimant’s last official station before the first unemployment claim. It describes exceptions for later…
2013 pension adjustments and UI benefit offsets
ETA told state agencies that Social Security survivor and retirement annuities and federal civilian pensions increased by 1.7 percent for 2013. States whose unemployment laws offset weekly benefits…
Federal UI work search and overpayment offsets
ETA advised states that permanent federal unemployment law now required claimants to be able and available for work and actively seeking it as a condition of regular unemployment eligibility. It…
2013 extension of temporary EUC and EB benefits
ETA told states how the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 extended temporary Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits provisions. The letter gives revised dates and operational…
2011 WIA customer satisfaction survey weights
ETA gave states a table of weights to calculate program year 2011 Workforce Investment Act participant and employer customer satisfaction scores and attached calculation materials. It rescinded TEGL…
Wagner-Peyser funds for intensive services
ETA reminded states that Wagner-Peyser Act section 7(a) funds must support core workforce services and may also pay for intensive services as defined by the Workforce Investment Act, subject to its…
Model state law for work-sharing programs
ETA provided model state legislation for short-time compensation, also called work sharing, under the 2012 federal law. The letter explains the revised federal definition, discusses state options…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for early 2013
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…
Pictograms and immediate-container hazard labels
A chemical company asked about unused pictogram frames, adhesive pictograms, DOT symbols and which shipping containers need labels. OSHA said empty red frames are not allowed, but fully blacked-out…
Enforcement cases for flame-resistant clothing in oil and gas
OSHA instructed its staff how to handle potential flame-resistant-clothing citations in oil and gas operations. It said the listed operations do not create an automatic duty to wear the clothing: an…
Pine straw work under farmworker and wage laws
WHD considered workers who rake, bale, and load pine straw from timber stands. It generally treats their work as covered agricultural employment under MSPA and field sanitation rules, but as…
WOTC applications for expired Recovery Act target groups
ETA instructed state agencies how to process timely Work Opportunity Tax Credit certification requests for two Recovery Act target groups whose hiring eligibility ended December 31, 2010. It…
Temporary federal work-sharing program financing
ETA invited states without a qualifying state short-time compensation law to enter an agreement to administer a temporary federal work-sharing program. It explained financing, staffing, reporting…
EUC reemployment service reporting, Change 2
ETA transmitted reporting forms and instructions for reemployment services and reemployment eligibility assessments provided to Emergency Unemployment Compensation claimants. The letter supplements…
Valve inspection records under process-safety rules
A chemical distributor asked whether inspecting and testing valves on returned chlorine and sulfur-dioxide cylinders counted as process-safety mechanical-integrity work. OSHA said yes when those…
Revised state UI data validation operations guide
ETA transmitted a revised Employment and Training Operations Guide 411 for state unemployment data validation. The letter summarizes changes to the guide and directs states to distribute the…
EUC reemployment service questions, Change 1
ETA answered state questions about reemployment services and reemployment eligibility assessments required for certain Emergency Unemployment Compensation claimants under the 2012 law. It…
2011 workforce performance reporting timelines
ETA updated performance reporting and data validation requirements and deadlines for program year 2011 and fiscal year 2012 workforce programs, including WIA Title IB and National Emergency Grants.…
Workforce services for trafficking survivors
ETA advised workforce agencies on providing employment, training, and referral services to victims of human trafficking under the Workforce Investment Act and trafficking protection laws. It…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for late 2012
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…
Veterans retraining outreach and reporting
ETA instructed the public workforce system on outreach to Veterans Retraining Assistance Program participants, offering employment help, and reporting outcomes. It attached reporting materials. TEGL…
Revised review handbook for UI determinations
ETA transmitted the sixth edition of Employment and Training Handbook 301 for reviewing the quality of state nonmonetary unemployment determinations. The letter summarizes revisions and directs…
Managing a bloodborne-pathogens exposure plan
A requester asked whether a bloodborne-pathogens exposure-control-plan manager needs a particular certification and whether a designated infection officer is required. OSHA said the rule specifies…
Veterans reporting changes in labor exchange data
ETA instructed states on changes to the Labor Exchange Reporting System for veterans-related reporting requirements under the VOW to Hire Heroes Act and the 2012 unemployment legislation, including…
Labor-management cooperation fund outside ERISA plan status
A Hawaii labor-management cooperation fund asked whether it was an ERISA welfare plan. EBSA said the fund, as operated and described, did not provide the kinds of benefits to participants or…
Digital chest radiography for asbestos surveillance
A Veterans Affairs physician received an update about chest imaging under OSHA’s asbestos medical-surveillance rules. OSHA said digital radiography may be used instead of film, though it is not…
EUC work search requirements and audits
ETA explained 2012 federal work search requirements for Emergency Unemployment Compensation recipients and state duties to audit a random sample of work search records. The attachments include…
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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.