State and Federal Labor Guidance
Free state and federal labor-agency opinion letters, administrative policies, and interpretive notices, with plain-English summaries, current status, and the official source on every page.
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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 Unknown
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FY 2014 TAA second distribution and reserve fund requests Withdrawn
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 Unknown
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 Unknown
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Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for summer 2014 Withdrawn
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Joint employment in Medicaid-funded home care Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Unknown
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Rescinded
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 Unknown
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 Withdrawn
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 Rescinded
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 Withdrawn
ETA gave states program and application instructions for 2014 Workforce Information Grants. It described required labor market databases, employment projections, reports, customer consultation, and…
Sealing asbestos flooring before new installation
A contractor asked whether covering asbestos-containing flooring with a barrier film avoided asbestos-work rules. OSHA said no: vacuuming the existing floor can be Class IV work, and removing…
Replacing a damaged vacuum-cleaner plug
A maintenance manager asked whether a vacuum cleaner with a broken cord end needed an entire new cord. OSHA said an approved replacement plug could be used if the equipment is restored to its…
Round rungs on workplace ladders Unknown
A requester asked whether OSHA permits round rungs on bunk-bed and fire-escape ladders. OSHA said its rules apply to workplaces and do not prohibit round ladder rungs, provided the applicable…
FY 2014 Work Opportunity Tax Credit funding and reporting Withdrawn
ETA allocated fiscal year 2014 funds for state administration of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and set quarterly reporting instructions. During the authorization lapse beginning January 2014, it…
2014 SCSEP planning instructions and allotments Withdrawn
ETA instructed Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees how to apply for program year 2014 funding. It required a program narrative, signed assurances, budget forms, and service area…
Hazard statements and unknown toxicity in mixtures Unknown
A toxicology firm asked when a chemical label may omit a precautionary statement and how mixtures with unknown acute toxicity should be classified. OSHA said omission requires supporting data…
Remote monitoring of permit-required confined spaces
An employer asked whether a centralized control room could handle atmospheric testing, observation and attendant duties for permit-required confined-space entry. OSHA said remote testing and…
Submitting state UI work search rules
ETA reminded states to send the Department their work search laws, policies, procedures and precedential decisions in effect January 1, 2014, using Form MA 8-7. The letter explains that those…
DVOP specialist services for veterans ages 18–24 Rescinded
The Secretary of Labor designated veterans ages 18 to 24 for intensive services from Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program specialists upon request. ETA and the Veterans’ Employment and Training…
Veterans grant staff roles at American Job Centers Rescinded
ETA and the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service explained the roles of veterans grant staff and other American Job Center staff serving veterans. It focused Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program…
FY 2014 UI reemployment assessment grants Unknown
ETA invited state workforce agencies to apply for FY 2014 grants to start or continue unemployment reemployment and eligibility assessment programs. The letter lays out program design, proposal…
2014 WIA and Wagner-Peyser program allotments Withdrawn
ETA provided program year 2014 funding allotments for WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs, Wagner-Peyser employment services, and workforce information grants. It explained funding and…
OSHA standards for airline cabin crew in operation
OSHA told its regional offices that three of its standards would apply to cabin crew on aircraft in operation: noise, hazard communication and bloodborne pathogens. The memorandum excludes flight…
SCSEP wages excluded from housing and SNAP income tests
ETA told Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees that participants’ SCSEP wages are excluded when determining income eligibility for federally funded housing programs and SNAP. It…
Post accident communication and tracking systems
MSHA explains how underground coal mines can meet MINER Act emergency communication and tracking requirements. It describes system features, coverage, equipment approval, and mine specific review by…
FLSA rules for shared living and home care
WHD examined shared living arrangements where a caregiver lives with an older adult or person with a disability. It explains how to decide whether the provider is an employee, which time counts as…
2014 farmworker employment and training grant planning Withdrawn
ETA instructed National Farmworker Jobs Program employment and training grantees how to seek program year 2014 funding. It required plans addressing the service area, training, partnerships,…
2014 farmworker housing grant planning Withdrawn
ETA instructed National Farmworker Jobs Program housing grantees how to submit second-year grant plans for program year 2014. It required housing needs analysis, activities, partnerships, outcomes,…
State program funding after the 2013 federal shutdown Withdrawn
ETA answered state workforce and unemployment insurance agencies’ questions about the October 2013 federal funding lapse. Its attachment explains when states could seek interest on their own funds…
Safety belts and lines at metal and nonmetal mines
MSHA explains when workers at metal and nonmetal mines need safety belts and lines under its fall hazard standards. It says compliance with OSHA’s fall protection rule will often satisfy MSHA’s…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for spring 2014 Withdrawn
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…
Prompt access to workplace toilets
A worker’s family member asked about restrictions on toilet use at work. OSHA said its sanitation standard requires employers to make toilets available and allow employees prompt access;…
Combustible-dust labels and safety data sheets Unknown
A petroleum trade group asked how the 2012 hazard-communication rule applied to products that could form combustible dust during later processing. OSHA allowed certain added wording that does not…
Hazards not otherwise classified under HCS Unknown
A petroleum trade group asked what counts as a “hazard not otherwise classified” under the 2012 hazard-communication rule. OSHA said the effect must be a material impairment from a chemical’s…
Classifying and disclosing petroleum streams Unknown
A petroleum trade group asked how to classify crude-oil-derived streams and disclose their constituents on safety data sheets. OSHA explained that classifiers must use available hazard data and may,…
Target-organ toxicity classification for mixtures Unknown
A petroleum trade group asked whether a mixture containing 1% to less than 10% of a Category 1 target-organ-toxic ingredient could be classified as Category 2. OSHA said that may be acceptable in…
2014 agricultural outreach plans and farmworker offices Rescinded
ETA instructed state workforce agencies on 2014 agricultural outreach plans for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. It designated states and local offices with significant farmworker activity,…
2014 interest on federal UI trust advances Withdrawn
ETA announced that Treasury would charge 2.3874 percent interest on repayable Title XII unemployment trust fund advances during calendar year 2014. It told states planning to borrow to arrange funds…
Additional options for state work-sharing laws
ETA approved nine additional optional provisions that states may include in short-time compensation or work-sharing laws without creating a federal conformity issue. The options include excluding…
FY 2014 initial TAA allocations and reserve requests Withdrawn
ETA gave states their initial fiscal year 2014 Trade Adjustment Assistance training and related activity allocations and explained the allocation formula. It also set out how states could request…
Phaseout of health coverage tax credit data Rescinded
ETA told state agencies how to phase out data transmissions to the IRS after the Health Coverage Tax Credit expired at the start of 2014. It addressed transmission timing for eligible Trade…
2014 SCSEP poverty and income eligibility guidelines Withdrawn
ETA told Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees to use its attached 2014 federal poverty and 125 percent low-income thresholds when determining participant eligibility. It said the…
FY 2014 foreign labor certification grant planning Withdrawn
ETA told state workforce agencies how to apply for and manage fiscal year 2014 foreign labor certification grants. It set a 30-day application deadline and attached planning instructions, an annual…
2014 HCTC grant wind-down guidance Withdrawn
ETA instructed states on winding down Health Coverage Tax Credit National Emergency Grants after the credit's January 2014 expiration. It stopped accepting new or modified grant applications,…
How this guidance is useful
- See how the agency reads the law: An opinion letter shows how a state labor agency actually applied wage-and-hour law to a real employer's or worker's situation.
- Check the status before relying: Every page shows whether the document is still active or has been superseded, rescinded, or withdrawn, and when that status was last verified.
- Guidance, not law: These documents explain the agency's position but bind no court, and the agency can change its view. The official document linked on every page is the authoritative source.
- Research across states: Compare how different states treat the same question, from overtime and travel time to tips and independent-contractor status.
Browse guidance by state
This library covers 8 states plus federal guidance so far. Every document is checked against the agency's official source before it is published, so states are added as their labor departments' guidance is verified, not all at once. If your state is not listed yet, its labor department's own site is the place to check.