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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Facial hair at respirator sealing surfaces
A fire department asked whether hair at a worker’s temples is allowed with a tight-fitting respirator. OSHA said facial hair may remain outside the sealing surface if it does not interfere with the…
2013 areas of substantial unemployment designations
ETA requested states to designate areas of substantial unemployment so it could calculate Workforce Investment Act formula allotments for the period beginning July 1, 2013. It explained the…
Working alone on telecommunications poles
A telecommunications worker asked whether OSHA requires two people when climbing poles in remote areas. OSHA said there is no blanket two-worker rule, but employers must provide required fall…
Carcinogenicity classification of calcined diatomaceous earth
A minerals consultant asked OSHA to treat lightly calcined diatomaceous earth with less than one percent crystalline silica like natural, uncalcined material. OSHA declined, saying it lacked…
Detecting and recovering emergency unemployment overpayments
ETA told state unemployment agencies to use their regular program tools to find and recover overpayments in the temporary EUC, federally funded EB and FAC programs. It recommended wage and new-hire…
2012 funding opportunity for a UI Integrity Center
ETA offered one lead state up to $15 million in FY 2012 supplemental funding to establish a national UI Integrity Center of Excellence, operated with a state consortium. The letter sets application…
WIA waiver policy clarifications and decisions
ETA updated Workforce Investment Act waiver policy from TEGL 26-09, addressed Work-Flex quarterly reporting and announced renewed OMB approval for plan submissions and quarterly reports, and…
2011 TAA operating instruction answers
ETA answered questions from state agencies administering Trade Adjustment Assistance under the 2011 amendments, supplementing the operating instructions in TEGL 10-11. ETA now labels this advisory…
Short-time compensation grant funding
ETA invited states with qualifying short-time compensation laws to seek federal grants to implement or improve their programs and to promote employer enrollment. The letter explains eligibility,…
Grandfathered manlift enforcement policy
OSHA told inspectors that manlifts installed on or before August 27, 1971, were exempt from its manlift standard under the cited agency policy. Serious recognized hazards on those older lifts could…
American Job Center branding in 2012 state plans
ETA gave states that adopted the American Job Center brand instructions for reflecting that brand in 2012 workforce plans. It supplements TEGL 21-11 and includes planning material. ETA now labels it…
Questions on unemployment program integrity amendments
This change to UIPL 02-12 answers state agencies’ questions about the 2011 unemployment program integrity amendments. ETA explains the mandatory fraud overpayment penalty, when an employer may no…
Program year 2012 WIA youth guidance
ETA provided program year 2012 guidance for Workforce Investment Act youth funded activities, focusing on assessments, individual service strategies, engagement, retention, follow-up and mentoring.…
Helicopter work on electric transmission lines
An electrical workers’ union asked which safety rules apply when helicopters are used on power transmission systems. OSHA said FAA authority may limit its own enforcement over aircraft crew working…
Revised WOTC forms for veteran groups
ETA issued revised Work Opportunity Tax Credit forms and instructions to implement veteran target group changes in the VOW to Hire Heroes Act and other program changes. It attached six forms and…
WARN notice and potential 2013 federal sequestration
ETA concluded that federal contractors did not owe WARN notices 60 days before the proposed January 2, 2013 sequestration solely because across-the-board cuts might occur: specific contract losses…
FY 2013 state UI resource planning targets
ETA gave state unemployment agencies preliminary FY 2013 administrative funding and staff planning targets for their State Quality Service Plans. It explained the data and allocation methods,…
2013 TAA participant reporting instructions
ETA issued revised 2013 Trade Adjustment Assistance Trade Activity Participant Report instructions and edit checks following the 2011 TAA amendments and veterans legislation. It rescinded TEGL 6-09,…
Employer real property in a pension trust
A company asked whether contributing or selling parcels of its real estate through a pension trust would violate ERISA transaction rules. EBSA said a contribution could qualify for an exemption if…
Questions on state UI demonstration projects
This change to UIPL 15-12 answers state questions about proposed unemployment insurance demonstration projects under the 2012 law. ETA explains which trust fund and administrative funds may pay…
Minimum disaster unemployment benefits for July–September 2012
ETA provided state agencies with the minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from July 1 through September 30, 2012. The attached table shows each…
Ammonia hazards from diesel exhaust fluid
A safety consultant asked how employers should communicate ammonia hazards from diesel exhaust fluid used in trucks. OSHA said vehicle-mounted tanks were treated differently from portable refill…
Bloodborne-pathogen controls during umbilical cord cutting
A medical-device maker asked whether blood splashes during umbilical cord cutting are covered by OSHA’s bloodborne-pathogens standard. OSHA said labor and delivery work can involve reasonably…
ETA grant fraud and abuse incident reporting
ETA instructed grant recipients on reporting suspected fraud, program abuse, or criminal conduct involving ETA funds and attached incident reporting forms. It rescinded TEGL 6-84; TEGL 15-23 later…
FY 2012 second TAA funding distribution
ETA explained the formula for a second fiscal year 2012 Trade Adjustment Assistance funding distribution to states and the process for requesting reserve funds. It attached state amounts. ETA now…
FY 2013 state UI quality service planning guidance
ETA told state unemployment agencies how to prepare their FY 2013 State Quality Service Plans, including program integrity, performance, reemployment and worker misclassification priorities. It…
HAZWOPER coverage for hazardous-site project officers
A state hazardous-site project officer challenged the use of an earlier OSHA letter to end training and medical surveillance for all project officers. OSHA said the earlier letter covered only three…
Protective footwear for a worker with diabetes
A security guard with diabetes asked what OSHA requires after a doctor advised against steel-toe boots. OSHA said employers must protect workers from identified foot hazards, but the protective…
Protecting personally identifiable information in grants
ETA directed grant recipients to protect personally identifiable information in program records, including limits on access, secure handling, and incident response. Its appendix summarizes federal…
State UI data disclosure for DOL evaluations
ETA interprets federal law to require states, when asked, to disclose unemployment wage and claim information needed for OMB-approved DOL evaluations of unemployment programs. It says DOL oversight…
2012 federal short-time compensation provisions
ETA explained the 2012 federal definition of short-time compensation, or work sharing, and what state programs needed to satisfy it. The letter covered transition rules, temporary federal…
2012 WIA and Wagner-Peyser performance goals
ETA gave states program year 2012 guidelines for negotiating Workforce Investment Act and Wagner-Peyser performance goals and attached supporting materials. It rescinded TEGL 29-10 and Change 1;…
Funding for veterans labor exchange reporting
ETA offered $60,000 to each eligible jurisdiction through Wagner-Peyser state grants to modify Labor Exchange Reporting System data systems for veterans-related reporting. ETA now labels the…
American Job Center network announcement
ETA announced the American Job Center network as a common identity for online and in-person publicly funded workforce services and encouraged states to adopt the brand. It attached branding…
Early veteran Gold Card service data collection
ETA instructed states on early collection of data about intensive employment services to post-9/11 veterans through Wagner-Peyser Employment Service. Change 1 later extended its timeline. ETA now…
2012 Indian and Native American grant planning
ETA allowed selected Workforce Investment Act Section 166 Indian and Native American grantees to extend or modify 2011 strategic plans through program year 2013 and gave funding instructions and…
2012 WIA adult and dislocated worker guidance
ETA set program year 2012 priorities and guidance for Workforce Investment Act adult and dislocated worker programs and Wagner-Peyser Employment Service. It attached program material. ETA now labels…
Revised 2012 SCSEP national grant planning
ETA revised program year 2012 Senior Community Service Employment Program national grantee planning and first-quarter allotments. It rescinded the base TEGL 26-11 and attached funding and…
Program year 2010 WIA incentive grant applications
ETA updated how eligible states could apply for Workforce Investment Act Section 503 incentive grants based on program year 2010 performance. The letter states the statutory $750,000 to $3 million…
Plans for spending the Recovery Act $500 million UI distribution
ETA asked states to submit detailed plans for spending their shares of a $500 million Recovery Act distribution for unemployment insurance administration and reemployment services. States were to…
State UI verification for veterans’ rehabilitation applications
ETA told state unemployment agencies how to answer VA requests about a veteran’s regular unemployment eligibility for an additional rehabilitation program under the 2011 VOW Act. With a signed VA…
Criminal record restrictions in workforce job banks
ETA and DOL's Civil Rights Center warned federally assisted workforce agencies that blanket criminal record exclusions in job banks or referrals may have an unlawful disparate impact based on race…
Multiple employers’ retirement program as separate ERISA plans
A retirement program provider asked whether unrelated employers using its arrangement would share one ERISA pension plan. EBSA said the provider was neither an employee organization nor a bona fide…
Abandoned-plan retirement arrangement as separate ERISA plans
A company proposed combining assets from abandoned employer retirement plans and asked if the result would be a single ERISA plan. EBSA said the company lacked the employment or association…
403(b) safe harbor and separate employer contributions
An adviser asked whether an employer’s separate money purchase plan would cause its salary-deferral 403(b) program to lose an ERISA safe harbor. EBSA said merely maintaining the separate plan does…
2012 self-employment assistance program guidance
ETA explained how the 2012 law expanded state self-employment assistance from regular unemployment compensation to Extended Benefits and Emergency Unemployment Compensation recipients. It set…
VOW Act veteran Work Opportunity Tax Credit guidance
ETA explained how the VOW to Hire Heroes Act expanded the veteran groups eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for hires from November 22, 2011 through 2012. State workforce agencies received…
Distributor duties for chemical safety sheets
A distributor asked whether it must keep safety sheets for products it no longer stocks or that manufacturers ship directly to customers. OSHA said it need not keep those sheets, but must ensure…
Disclosing confidential UI data to private intermediaries
ETA explained when state unemployment agencies may disclose confidential wage or claim information to private intermediaries that verify borrowers for lenders. The individual must give informed…
Identifying coal mine electrical circuits
MSHA clarifies how coal mines should identify electrical circuits so workers can see that equipment power is disconnected. The breaker, receptacle, and trailing cable plug must carry similar labels…
Voluntary wage assignments under H-2A
WHD told investigators that H-2A wage deductions generally must be disclosed in the job offer, reasonable, and free of employer profit or coercion. It distinguishes voluntary payments to third…
Program year 2011 WIA annual report narrative
ETA told states what to include in the narrative portion of their program year 2011 Workforce Investment Act annual reports, including performance, evaluations, cost, waivers, and veterans'…
Selective Service registration for WIA Title I programs
ETA tells Workforce Investment Act Title I grantees how to check Selective Service registration before enrolling male applicants. For men aged 26 or older who did not register, grantees may require…
Assessing respirator exposure in spray-foam work
A spray-foam installer asked whether worker air sampling was required when employees already wore full-face respirators. OSHA said personal monitoring is the most reliable method but is not…
FY 2012 supplemental UI integrity funding
ETA invited state unemployment agencies to apply for FY 2012 supplemental funding for improper payment prevention, performance improvements, technology modernization and reemployment assessments. It…
Weekly and preshift bleeder examinations
MSHA explains how underground coal mine operators must evaluate bleeder ventilation systems at least every seven days and address relevant preshift examination duties. The policy ties examination to…
Communications during mine fan or power outages
MSHA explains that approved two way communication and tracking systems in underground coal mines must remain operational during fan stoppages or mine power outages. The general de energization rule…
Reporting unplanned coal mine roof falls
MSHA explains which unplanned roof falls underground coal mine operators must report as accidents. The policy covers specified falls involving injury or entrapment, roof or rib falls affecting…
SIDES employer messaging toolkit
ETA announced a communications toolkit for state unemployment agencies to explain the State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) and E-Response to employers and third-party administrators. It…
2011–12 workforce performance reporting timelines
ETA set program year 2011 and fiscal year 2012 reporting and data validation deadlines for several workforce programs, including WIA Title IB, Wagner-Peyser services, Trade Adjustment Assistance,…
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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.