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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End of new pandemic overpayment blanket-waiver scenario requests
ETA stops accepting new state applications for additional blanket-waiver scenarios for recovery of overpayments in expired pandemic unemployment programs. States may continue using the seven…
State paid family leave and substitution of employer paid leave
An employer asked whether FMLA rules for substituting accrued paid leave apply while an employee receives state paid family or medical leave. WHD said qualifying leave must be designated as FMLA…
Restaurant managers and shift leads in a tip pool
A restaurant asked whether managers may join a tip pool when working a service shift, and whether a shift lead may join when the most senior employee present. WHD said managers who meet the…
Deadline and participation instructions for national UI identity verification
ETA originally set December 31, 2025 as the deadline for states to deploy national identity verification services and retain federal coverage of transaction costs. It also described policy review,…
Retention of records for pandemic unemployment programs
ETA directs state unemployment agencies to keep records for the listed pandemic benefit programs until the Department gives further notice. It replaces earlier three-year retention instructions for…
WIOA core program performance negotiations and sanctions, Change 2
ETA and the Education Department update how WIOA core programs negotiate performance targets, submit annual reports, and face sanctions for performance or reporting failures. The change aligns the…
Isolation of utility piping in permit-required confined spaces
A university asked whether it must drain every water or steam line passing through a permit-required utility vault before entry. OSHA said the employer’s evaluation controls: piping must be isolated…
2025 locality pay rates for federal employees and unemployment claims
ETA points state unemployment agencies to the 2025 federal General Schedule locality pay rates published by the Office of Personnel Management. It says agencies may use those rates, with other…
2024 SCSEP national grantee allocations, Change 1
ETA issued final program year 2024 allocations for Senior Community Service Employment Program national and set-aside grantees and explained grant amendments, optional requests, and revised…
Indiana college consortium health plan under ERISA
An Indiana college consortium asked if its health plan would be a single ERISA welfare plan sponsored by a group of employers. EBSA said the participating employers, including the nonprofit…
Brewery owner who tends bar may not take pooled tips
A brewery asked whether an owner who manages bartenders and also tends bar can share their pooled tips. WHD said an owner with at least a 20 percent interest who actively manages the business is a…
Educational assistance and wage garnishment earnings
WHD considered an employer’s payments and reimbursements under a tax-free educational assistance program described in Internal Revenue Code Section 127. On the facts given, it said those benefits…
Minimum Disaster Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts, January–March 2025
ETA gives state workforce agencies the minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from January 1 through March 31, 2025. States use half their average…
2025 federal military pension cost-of-living adjustments
ETA tells state unemployment agencies about cost-of-living increases to federal military retired pay and survivor benefits effective December 1, 2024. Where state law reduces unemployment benefits…
National Dislocated Worker Grant program guidance
ETA explains how state and local workforce systems may seek and administer National Dislocated Worker Grants after disasters or major employment dislocations. The letter covers grant types,…
2025 cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security and federal civilian pensions
ETA tells state unemployment agencies about the 2025 cost-of-living increases for Social Security annuities and federal civilian pensions. Where a state's law reduces unemployment benefits based on…
Initial FY 2025 WOTC administration allotments
ETA gives state workforce agencies their initial FY 2025 allotments to administer the Work Opportunity Tax Credit under a continuing resolution. It explains the allotment formula and required…
Program Year 2024 National Farmworker Jobs Program Youth grants
ETA offered up to $925,200 in program year 2024 National Farmworker Jobs Program Youth grants to eligible career services and training grantees. The letter sets applicant and participant…
Sixty-day application deadline for Disaster Unemployment Assistance
ETA tells state unemployment agencies that people affected by major disasters declared on or after March 23, 2024 generally have 60 days to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. The clock runs…
Asbestos precautions during disaster cleanup of homes
A property remediation requester asked how OSHA’s construction asbestos standard applies to damaged drywall and other materials in homes after disasters. OSHA said a comprehensive survey of every…
FMLA leave for treatment during a clinical trial
A research organization asked whether workers can use FMLA leave for treatment of a serious health condition in a clinical trial. WHD said eligible employees may do so when the usual FMLA…
Tool reimbursements in pipeline inspectors' overtime rate
A pipeline inspection company asked whether it could raise daily tool and equipment payments from $25 to $150–$200 and exclude them from inspectors' overtime rate. WHD said only actual expenses or a…
Ongoing administrative funding for expired pandemic unemployment programs
ETA explains how states can request continuing workload-based administrative funding for four expired pandemic unemployment programs: PUA, PEUC, FPUC and MEUC. States must use separate grants and…
Retirement of the combined-wage claim interstate notification application
ETA retires a rarely used application that let states report an employer's failure to answer questions about a combined-wage unemployment claim. Paying states still must tell the state where the…
Paraffin wax heat therapy and injury recordkeeping
A requester asked whether heated paraffin wax treatment makes a work-related injury recordable. OSHA said paraffin wax used alone as heat therapy counts as first aid and does not make a case…
Inspection guidance for animal slaughter and processing
OSHA instructed inspectors how to assess hazards in animal slaughtering and processing establishments, including machinery, lockout, slips, noise, chemicals and ergonomics. The memorandum expands…
ETA grant implementation of 2024 OMB financial assistance rules
ETA tells its grant recipients and subrecipients when the 2024 revisions to OMB's federal financial assistance rules apply. Awards and new funding issued on or after October 1, 2024 generally use…
Fiscal year 2025 sequestration of mandatory unemployment programs
ETA tells state unemployment agencies which federally funded programs were subject to the 5.7 percent fiscal year 2025 sequestration cut. It says the federal share of Extended Benefits, certain…
Minimum Disaster Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amounts, October–December 2024
ETA gives state workforce agencies the minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from October 1 through December 31, 2024. States use half their average…
End of health coverage tax credit data submissions by states
ETA tells state workforce agencies to stop sending Health Coverage Tax Credit data through the interstate system because the credit expired and the IRS closed its related operations. States must…
End of Health Coverage Tax Credit data submissions
ETA tells state workforce agencies to stop sending Health Coverage Tax Credit data through the ICON system because the credit ended in 2021 and the IRS is closing related operations. States must…
Preliminary fiscal year 2025 state unemployment insurance planning targets
ETA gave state unemployment agencies preliminary fiscal year 2025 funding and staffing targets based on the President's Budget request, along with allocation methods and grant instructions. The…
Elimination of the initial interstate unemployment claim form IB-1
ETA eliminates Form IB-1, once used to pass an initial unemployment claim from a claimant's state of residence to the state responsible for paying benefits. All states can now accept applications…
Supplemental funding for ongoing CARES Act unemployment program administration
ETA offered up to $182.38 million in supplemental funding for state agencies still administering or closing out four CARES Act unemployment programs. The money was for work such as reporting,…
Veterans grant staff roles at American Job Centers
ETA explains how American Job Center staff and Jobs for Veterans' State Grants staff should coordinate services to veterans. It describes screening, referral, case management, and limits on what…
FY 2024 community project grant application instructions
ETA gives the named FY 2024 Community Project Funding recipients instructions for applying for their designated workforce grants. It lists eligible applicants and award amounts in an appendix and…
Rim wheel rules for European commercial metric tires
A tire association asked whether OSHA’s rim wheel servicing standard covers commercial van tires marked “C” rather than “LT.” OSHA said the standard applies to C-type tires, although a deviation in…
FY 2024 Trade Adjustment Assistance training fund distribution
ETA gives states their FY 2024 Trade Adjustment Assistance Training and Other Activities allocations and explains how to request and manage the funds. Each state receives at least $100,000, with…
Fiscal year 2025 unemployment insurance State Quality Service Plans
ETA told state unemployment insurance agencies how to prepare their fiscal year 2025 State Quality Service Plans and submit them by deadlines set by their regional offices. The letter covers…
Move unemployment insurance validation and tax applications to UIRS
ETA directed state unemployment insurance agencies to send Data Validation and Tax Performance System data through the new Unemployment Insurance Reporting System beginning July 15, 2024. The older…
Revised military discharge forms for unemployment claims
ETA told state unemployment insurance agencies how revised military discharge forms affect claims by former service members. States may use DD Forms 214 and 215 to determine eligibility for…
Fiscal year 2024 state unemployment insurance resource allocations
ETA gave state unemployment insurance agencies their fiscal year 2024 base allocations and instructions for resource planning, above-base funding and supplemental budget requests. The letter…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance amounts for July–September 2024
ETA provided the minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amount for each state for major disasters declared from July 1 through September 30, 2024. State agencies use the attached table when…
Program Year 2024 WIOA Native American program allotments
ETA gives WIOA Indian and Native American grantees their program year 2024 Comprehensive Services and Supplemental Youth Services allotments. It explains the Grants.gov application documents and how…
Reporting suspected fraud and program abuse in ETA grants
ETA directs recipients and subrecipients of its federal assistance awards to document and immediately report suspected or known fraud, program abuse, or criminal misconduct involving grant funds.…
WIOA core program performance accountability, Change 3
ETA and the Education Department update performance reporting guidance for WIOA's six core programs. They align the employer-effectiveness measure with retention by the same employer and clarify…
2024 workforce and labor market information grant deliverables
ETA tells state workforce agencies what labor market information products and activities their program year 2024 grants must support. The letter requires a workforce information database, public…
Unemployment benefit payments through state debit cards
ETA reminded state agencies that people receiving unemployment benefits must have reasonable access to each full payment without a fee and cannot be forced to use a particular debit card or bank.…
Program Year 2024 SCSEP allotments and grant applications
ETA gave Senior Community Service Employment Program state, territorial, and national grantees program year 2024 allotments and application instructions. National grantees received funding for a…
FY 2024 WOTC final allotments and backlog funding, Change 2
ETA gives state workforce agencies the remaining FY 2024 Work Opportunity Tax Credit administration allotments. It also identifies 13 states selected for extra funding to reduce certification…
Program Year 2024 WIOA and Employment Service allotments
ETA gives states and outlying areas program year 2024 allotments for WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth activities, the Wagner-Peyser Employment Service, and Workforce Information Grants. It…
Benefit Accuracy Measurement data for 2024 payment integrity reporting
ETA gave state unemployment insurance agencies deadlines and procedures for completing 2024 Benefit Accuracy Measurement claim samples and checking data before publication. States also had dates for…
Extended funding and agreement deadline for national identity verification
ETA extended the period for which it expected to pay identity verification transaction costs for states using its national offering. Coverage was expected for at least two years after state…
FY 2024 foreign labor certification grant allotments, Change 2
ETA updates state workforce agency instructions for foreign labor certification activities and announces FY 2024 grant allotments. The change includes annual planning and application materials,…
Corrected 2024 RESEA grant allocation table
ETA corrected the state formula allocation table for fiscal year 2024 Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments grants after finding an error in the hold harmless calculation. State…
Corrected FY 2024 RESEA state allotments, Change 1
ETA corrects the state-by-state maximum FY 2024 Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments grant awards in Attachment I of TEGL 11-23. It says an error occurred when applying the formula's…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance amounts for April–June 2024
ETA published each state’s minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amount for major disasters declared from April 1 through June 30, 2024. State agencies were to use the attached figures…
Revisions to the ETA 9128 RESEA quarterly workload report
ETA revised the quarterly report states use to count Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment activity. The added items capture later assessment meetings and claimants found ineligible…
Fiscal year 2024 RESEA grant funding and state plan guidance
ETA gave states fiscal year 2024 grant amounts, operating rules and state plan instructions for the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment program. Applications were due April 8, 2024. The…
Reducing administrative barriers in ETA grant programs
ETA directed workforce grant recipients to review intake, eligibility, documentation, and data validation practices to reduce unnecessary barriers for people seeking services. It covered WIOA,…
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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.