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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National Dislocated Worker Grant program guidance
ETA described the two National Dislocated Worker Grant types, eligible applicants, uses of funds, application procedures, and reporting. It replaced TEGL 12-19 and its Change 1. TEGL 09-24 later…
Section 511 services for workers with disabilities
WHD gave investigators more detail on the documentation and timing of career counseling and other services required by section 511 for workers paid under FLSA section 14(c) certificates. It also…
FY 2022 Trade Adjustment Assistance allocations and reserve funds
ETA gave state agencies their initial FY 2022 Trade Adjustment Assistance Training and Other Activities allocations. It explained the formula behind state amounts and how states could request…
FY 2022 Trade Adjustment Assistance grant applications
ETA instructed state agencies how to submit SF-424 applications through Grants.gov for FY 2022 Trade Adjustment Assistance Training and Other Activities funds. The funds could cover training, case…
COVID-19 protections in retail workplaces
OSHA told a retail industry association that employers must continue complying with applicable safety standards and the General Duty Clause while using layered controls to address COVID-19 risks.…
Trade Adjustment Assistance operations after June 2022
ETA explains how state agencies should administer Trade Adjustment Assistance if Congress did not reauthorize the program before its June 30, 2022 authorization deadline. It says the Department…
Foreign labor certification grants for FY 2022–2024
ETA gave state workforce agencies program and financial guidance for foreign labor certification grants through FY 2024. It described state roles in recruitment and application processing, budgets,…
Program Year 2022 SCSEP allotments and grant plans
ETA gave state, territorial, and national Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees their Program Year 2022 allotments and grant application instructions. It also addressed minority…
Chemicals associated with formaldehyde gas
An attorney asked what OSHA meant by chemicals associated with formaldehyde gas. OSHA said the term covers chemicals that can release the gas, such as substances heated during some work processes,…
Exit signs and ISO emergency exit symbols
An employer asked whether ISO emergency exit symbols and arrows could be used with OSHA compliant EXIT signs. OSHA said the symbols may be used in the circumstances described when the sign also…
Program Year 2022 farmworker grant planning
ETA gave National Farmworker Jobs Program career services, training, and housing grantees their Program Year 2022 allotments and application instructions. It also described performance target…
Revised fiscal year 2022 unemployment insurance funding targets
ETA revised the fiscal year 2022 funding and staffing targets for state unemployment insurance administration after Congress enacted a smaller amount than the preliminary budget request. The letter…
Program Year 2022 WIOA and Employment Service allotments
ETA gave states and outlying areas Program Year 2022 allotments for WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs, the Employment Service, and workforce information grants. It explained funding…
FY 2022 WOTC remaining allotments and backlog awards, Change 2
ETA gave state workforce agencies the remaining FY 2022 Work Opportunity Tax Credit administration funds under the full-year appropriation. It also named 18 states selected for extra funding to…
2022 retirement annuity cost-of-living adjustments for UI systems
ETA supplied the 2022 cost-of-living adjustment figures for federal civilian retirement annuities so states could update unemployment benefit calculations. States whose laws reduce weekly…
H-2B workers in unapproved job classifications
WHD addressed H-2B employers who assign workers to job classifications omitted from their temporary employment certification. It explains how investigators calculate back wages using the applicable…
Extended performance period for unemployment equity grants
ETA extended the period for state unemployment insurance equity grant projects and said grant funds had to be obligated by March 31, 2024 and liquidated within 90 days after that. States with…
Voting access through American Job Centers
ETA shared nonpartisan voting information and resources with American Job Centers and state workforce systems. It described how centers could work with state election officials to provide voter…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance amounts for spring 2022
ETA gave state workforce agencies a table of minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from April through June 2022. The amounts are derived from half of…
Retaliation protections across WHD laws
WHD instructed investigators on retaliation protections across the laws it enforces, including the FLSA, FMLA, farmworker laws, and several visa programs. It describes protected complaints and…
Focused COVID-19 inspections in healthcare
OSHA directed area offices to conduct a three-month focused inspection initiative at selected hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that treat or handled COVID-19 patients. The initiative…
Program Year 2021 dislocated worker fund reallotment
ETA adjusted Program Year 2021 WIOA dislocated worker funding after Oklahoma had more than 20 percent of its prior-year allotment unobligated. It recaptured $89,236 from Oklahoma and reallotted the…
First extension of Tiger Team grant interest deadline
ETA gave states until September 30, 2022 to express interest in a Tiger Team assessment and related unemployment insurance grants. States were told to contact their ETA regional office for this…
Training contract employees under process safety rules
A host employer asked whether it may train contract employees and prepare their training records. OSHA said a contract employer may rely on the host’s training and documentation if it verifies that…
SCSEP stand-alone state plan modifications for 2022–2023
ETA instructed states and territories with stand-alone Senior Community Service Employment Program plans to submit two-year modifications by March 15, 2022. States that included SCSEP in a combined…
Waivers of CARES Act unemployment overpayment recovery
ETA told states how to evaluate requests to waive recovery of overpaid CARES Act unemployment benefits, including seven limited situations where a blanket waiver may be used. States must first…
State grants for unemployment insurance navigator programs
ETA made a total of up to $15 million available for selected states' unemployment insurance navigator projects with community organizations; each state could apply for up to $3 million. The projects…
Fiscal year 2022 UI reemployment grants and state plans
ETA set fiscal year 2022 funding and operating instructions for state Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment programs. It covered which unemployment claimants to serve, minimum services,…
2022 federal civilian salary rates for unemployment calculations
ETA directed state unemployment agencies to the 2022 federal civilian pay schedules. When federal agencies did not respond promptly, states could use those salary rates with other records to…
Flexible bulk containers used as crane lifting devices
An employer asked whether a flexible intermediate bulk container may lift or move an electric utility transformer with a truck-mounted crane. OSHA said the employer must determine whether the device…
2022 NAICS industry codes for unemployment insurance accounts
ETA asked state unemployment agencies to convert existing employer accounts to 2022 NAICS industry codes and use those codes for new accounts starting January 1, 2022. States using industry…
FY 2022 WOTC second continuing-resolution allotments, Change 1
ETA gave state workforce agencies an additional $3,900,335 in FY 2022 Work Opportunity Tax Credit administration funds under a second continuing resolution. It listed state allotments and set a…
2022 military pension cost of living adjustments and UI benefits
ETA informed state unemployment agencies of military retired pay cost of living adjustments effective December 1, 2021, with detailed rates in its attachment. In states where unemployment law…
Fiscal 2021 RESEA outcome payments to state agencies
ETA identified 30 states eligible for a share of $20 million in fiscal 2021 Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments outcome payments. The letter explains how those states were to update…
Fiscal 2022 sequestration for mandatory unemployment programs
ETA instructed state unemployment agencies how to apply a 5.7 percent sequestration reduction in fiscal 2022. It explained which benefit programs were exempt, how the federal share of Extended…
Further extension of equitable access grant application deadline
ETA gave state unemployment agencies more time to apply for grants to improve equitable access to unemployment compensation. This second change to UIPL 23-21 extended the application deadline to…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance for January to March 2022
ETA gave state unemployment agencies a table of minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from January 1 through March 31, 2022. The figures are based on…
Loose-fitting respirators and facial-hair accommodations
A coalition asked whether employers may provide loose-fitting powered air-purifying respirators to workers who maintain facial hair for religious or medical reasons during COVID-19 exposure. OSHA…
WIOA state plan modifications for 2022–2023
ETA and the Education Department instructed states to update WIOA Unified or Combined State Plans for Program Years 2022 and 2023. The letter described required plan content, an online submission…
Overtime obligations in the H-2B program
WHD told investigators to compare an H-2B employer’s certified job order with federal, state, and local overtime requirements. Employers must disclose applicable overtime terms and pay the required…
Unemployment benefits during a federal funding lapse
ETA explained how state unemployment agencies and federal agencies should handle claims during a lapse in federal appropriations. Furloughed federal workers may qualify for benefits, while excepted…
Acetylene cylinders on inclined trolleys and carts
A requester asked whether acetylene cylinders can be used or stored on a trolley inclined 45 degrees from vertical, and what design rules apply to cylinder carts. OSHA said an inclined trolley…
FY 2022 initial Work Opportunity Tax Credit allotments
ETA gave state workforce agencies initial FY 2022 funds to administer the Work Opportunity Tax Credit under a continuing resolution through December 3, 2021. It listed state allotments and asked for…
Single knife gate valve for confined-space isolation
A safety professional asked whether a single knife gate valve with a bleed valve can isolate a permit-required confined space. OSHA said it cannot: the space must be completely protected from…
Grants for state unemployment insurance Tiger Team improvements
ETA offered state unemployment agencies up to $200 million in grants to carry out improvements recommended after a federal Tiger Team assessment. The work targeted fraud prevention, equitable…
Extension of equitable access grant application deadline
ETA extended the deadline for states to apply for equitable access grants under UIPL 23-21 from October 18 to November 30, 2021. It left the base grant guidance unchanged. A later Change 2 moved the…
State access to SSA incarceration data for unemployment claims
ETA announced a secure data exchange that lets state unemployment agencies compare claims with Social Security Administration incarceration records. The letter explains the approvals and agreements…
Noise exposure limits during extended work shifts
A requester asked OSHA to change its guidance for measuring noise exposure on shifts longer than eight hours. OSHA declined, explaining that its permissible exposure limit remains an eight-hour…
Combining hazard, transport and California warning labels
A label preparer asked whether one shipping label can combine OSHA hazard-communication elements, DOT pictograms and a California Proposition 65 warning. OSHA said it allows both pictograms for the…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance for October to December 2021
ETA gave state unemployment agencies a table of minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from October 1 through December 31, 2021. The figures use half of…
Extended deadline for pandemic UI fraud grants
ETA extended the deadline for state agencies to request pandemic unemployment fraud prevention grants under UIPL 28-20, Change 2, to October 31, 2021. The grants supported identity verification,…
Extended deadline for state unemployment fraud grants
ETA extended the deadline for states to apply for fraud prevention grants under UIPL 22-21 from September 13 to October 31, 2021. The funds covered identity verification and overpayment recovery…
Fall protection on fixed ladders and elevated platforms
An employer asked about fall protection on fixed ladders no taller than 24 feet, including ladders reached from elevated platforms. OSHA said the possible fall distance to a lower level matters: a…
Corrected 2021 farmworker career services allocations, Change 1
ETA corrected Attachment III of TEGL 23-20 for National Farmworker Jobs Program career services and training grantees operating in California. The state’s total allocation remained $22,613,160, but…
Updated Pandemic Unemployment Assistance operations and reporting
ETA gave state unemployment agencies further instructions for processing Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, including added eligibility reasons, application dates and claims involving more…
Fiscal 2022 state unemployment insurance resource planning targets
ETA gave state unemployment agencies preliminary fiscal 2022 administrative funding targets and explained how it calculated them. Agencies were asked to submit budget forms and a UI-1 report in…
Emergency rescue from rubber and plastics mills
A requester described four ways to free a worker caught in a rubber or plastics mill after an emergency stop. OSHA said its mill stopping rules do not prescribe emergency extrication and it could…
Fiscal 2022 State Quality Service Plan guidance
ETA gave state unemployment agencies extra instructions for their fiscal 2022 State Quality Service Plans. It set priorities including timely payments, equitable access, fraud prevention,…
CAREER dislocated worker grants increased to $90 million, Change 1
ETA increased funding available for CAREER National Dislocated Worker Grants to as much as $90 million, with individual awards up to $3 million. It left the other provisions of TEGL 25-20 unchanged.…
State grants to promote equitable access to unemployment benefits
ETA offered states up to $260 million for projects that improve equitable access to unemployment compensation, reduce backlogs and speed payments. States had to explain the problem, proposed work…
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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.