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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2011 WIA performance incentive grant application Withdrawn
ETA updated the application process for Workforce Investment Act Section 503 incentive grants based on program year 2011 performance. Qualifying states had to submit assurances, proposed uses,…
Revised WOTC reporting and processing forms Withdrawn
ETA transmitted revised Work Opportunity Tax Credit reporting and processing forms and instructions after the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. It addressed state certification procedures and…
Union-officer pension plan and collective-bargaining status Unknown
A union-officer pension plan asked whether it qualified as a collectively bargained multiemployer plan under ERISA. EBSA said the material supplied did not show a bona fide collective bargaining…
Program year 2013 WIA youth guidance Withdrawn
ETA gave states and local workforce areas program year 2013 guidance for Workforce Investment Act youth activities. It addressed service strategies for out-of-school youth, work experience,…
Blood contamination in metalworking fluids
A machining trade group asked whether ordinary lathe and mill work exposes operators to bloodborne pathogens if a worker could be cut. OSHA said the rule applies when contact with blood is…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for summer 2013 Withdrawn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…
FY 2013 state UI resource allocations Withdrawn
ETA gave states their FY 2013 unemployment administration base allocations and guidance on above-base funding and supplemental budget requests. Its attachment supplies state allocation figures. ETA…
Revised UI benefits data validation handbook
ETA transmitted a revised benefits portion of Employment and Training Handbook 361, which state unemployment agencies use to validate data they report to the federal government. The letter…
OSHA guidance on heavy manual lifting
A worker asked whether OSHA sets a maximum weight for lifting at work. OSHA said it has no standard setting a fixed lifting or carrying limit, and weight alone does not determine back-injury risk.…
Hazard labels on small chemical reference containers Unknown
A federal standards laboratory asked whether tiny chemical reference containers could use a numbered key or rely on labels on outer packaging. OSHA said no under the 2012 rule: required hazard…
National Farmworker Jobs Program reporting requirements Withdrawn
ETA updated National Farmworker Jobs Program reporting requirements and forms for budget, planning, program status, housing assistance, and participant records. It also required a grant plan…
Cutting bit maintenance and methane ignition
MSHA says continuous miners and longwall shearers operating with damaged or missing cutting bits or holding lugs violate the safe equipment rule. Replacing the parts reduces sparks that can ignite…
Social Security number limits in state UI work
ETA advised state unemployment agencies that federal law bars Social Security numbers, including masked derivatives, from appearing on government payment checks. It also bars agencies from using…
FY 2013 TAA state allocations and reserve requests Withdrawn
ETA explained the formula for fiscal year 2013 initial Trade Adjustment Assistance program allocations to states and the procedure to request reserve funds. It attached the state distribution…
FY 2013 WOTC state funding allotments Withdrawn
ETA distributed final fiscal year 2013 state funding allotments to administer the Work Opportunity Tax Credit through September 30, 2013. It explained allocation and grant conditions and attached…
2011 TAA operating instructions, Change 2 Withdrawn
ETA answered state agency questions about operating instructions in TEGL 10-11 for the 2011 Trade Adjustment Assistance amendments. Its questions and answers clarified implementation for affected…
Electronic delivery of safety data sheets Unknown
A diagnostic-products maker asked whether placing safety data sheets on its website and including a card with each shipment met the delivery rule. OSHA said the proposed arrangement did not satisfy…
2013 Workforce Information Grants to States Withdrawn
ETA gave states program year 2013 policy, application, and funding instructions for Workforce Information Grants to States. It specified labor market information deliverables and attached formula…
2013 SCSEP planning and allotments Withdrawn
ETA gave Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees application instructions, procedures, and allotments for program year 2013. It attached funding tables, assurances, and planning…
WIA and Wagner-Peyser funds administration flexibility Withdrawn
ETA explained administrative flexibility available to state and local Workforce Investment Act Title I and Wagner-Peyser programs, including waiver-related options and grant fund management. It…
FY 2013 UI reemployment assessment grants Unknown
ETA invited state agencies to apply for FY 2013 grants to start or continue unemployment reemployment and eligibility assessment programs. It sets program design, proposal, funding and reporting…
2013 WIA and Wagner-Peyser performance goals Withdrawn
ETA gave states guidelines for negotiating program year 2013 Workforce Investment Act Title IB and Wagner-Peyser performance goals, including schedules and data for negotiations. It rescinded TEGL…
2013 WIA and Wagner-Peyser state allotments Withdrawn
ETA announced program year 2013 allotments for Workforce Investment Act adult, dislocated worker, and youth programs, Wagner-Peyser Employment Service, and Workforce Information Grants to States. It…
2013 WOTC reauthorization and veteran groups Withdrawn
ETA told state workforce agencies how the 2012 tax law retroactively reauthorized Work Opportunity Tax Credit non-veteran groups and continued veteran groups under the VOW to Hire Heroes Act. It…
Egg processing and the agricultural exemption
WHD said egg-processing work generally loses the FLSA agricultural exemption when eggs come from another farm, processing resembles manufacturing, or the operation is independent of the farmer’s own…
Chemical hazards in radioactive laboratory standards Unknown
A laboratory asked whether shipped nuclear standards need OSHA chemical labels and safety data sheets. OSHA said radiation hazards themselves are excluded from the hazard-communication rule, but any…
Reissued UI benefit accuracy operations guide Unknown
ETA reissued the third edition of Employment and Training Operations Guide 400 for state Benefit Accuracy Measurement work. The letter directs users to replace the previous edition, and the…
FY 2013 EUC sequestration questions Unknown
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 Unknown
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 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…
Updated WIA youth and adult allocation data Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Unknown
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Rescinded
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 Withdrawn
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 Unknown
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 Withdrawn
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 Unknown
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 Unknown
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 Unknown
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 Withdrawn
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…
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.