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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Assigning federal civilian wages for UI claims
ETA explained that federal civilian service and wages generally belong to the state of a claimant’s last official station before the first unemployment claim. It describes exceptions for later…
2013 pension adjustments and UI benefit offsets Withdrawn
ETA told state agencies that Social Security survivor and retirement annuities and federal civilian pensions increased by 1.7 percent for 2013. States whose unemployment laws offset weekly benefits…
Federal UI work search and overpayment offsets
ETA advised states that permanent federal unemployment law now required claimants to be able and available for work and actively seeking it as a condition of regular unemployment eligibility. It…
2013 extension of temporary EUC and EB benefits Unknown
ETA told states how the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 extended temporary Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits provisions. The letter gives revised dates and operational…
2011 WIA customer satisfaction survey weights Withdrawn
ETA gave states a table of weights to calculate program year 2011 Workforce Investment Act participant and employer customer satisfaction scores and attached calculation materials. It rescinded TEGL…
Wagner-Peyser funds for intensive services Withdrawn
ETA reminded states that Wagner-Peyser Act section 7(a) funds must support core workforce services and may also pay for intensive services as defined by the Workforce Investment Act, subject to its…
Model state law for work-sharing programs
ETA provided model state legislation for short-time compensation, also called work sharing, under the 2012 federal law. The letter explains the revised federal definition, discusses state options…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for early 2013 Withdrawn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…
Pictograms and immediate-container hazard labels Unknown
A chemical company asked about unused pictogram frames, adhesive pictograms, DOT symbols and which shipping containers need labels. OSHA said empty red frames are not allowed, but fully blacked-out…
Enforcement cases for flame-resistant clothing in oil and gas Unknown
OSHA instructed its staff how to handle potential flame-resistant-clothing citations in oil and gas operations. It said the listed operations do not create an automatic duty to wear the clothing: an…
Pine straw work under farmworker and wage laws
WHD considered workers who rake, bale, and load pine straw from timber stands. It generally treats their work as covered agricultural employment under MSPA and field sanitation rules, but as…
WOTC applications for expired Recovery Act target groups Withdrawn
ETA instructed state agencies how to process timely Work Opportunity Tax Credit certification requests for two Recovery Act target groups whose hiring eligibility ended December 31, 2010. It…
Temporary federal work-sharing program financing Withdrawn
ETA invited states without a qualifying state short-time compensation law to enter an agreement to administer a temporary federal work-sharing program. It explained financing, staffing, reporting…
EUC reemployment service reporting, Change 2 Withdrawn
ETA transmitted reporting forms and instructions for reemployment services and reemployment eligibility assessments provided to Emergency Unemployment Compensation claimants. The letter supplements…
Valve inspection records under process-safety rules
A chemical distributor asked whether inspecting and testing valves on returned chlorine and sulfur-dioxide cylinders counted as process-safety mechanical-integrity work. OSHA said yes when those…
Revised state UI data validation operations guide
ETA transmitted a revised Employment and Training Operations Guide 411 for state unemployment data validation. The letter summarizes changes to the guide and directs states to distribute the…
EUC reemployment service questions, Change 1 Withdrawn
ETA answered state questions about reemployment services and reemployment eligibility assessments required for certain Emergency Unemployment Compensation claimants under the 2012 law. It…
2011 workforce performance reporting timelines Withdrawn
ETA updated performance reporting and data validation requirements and deadlines for program year 2011 and fiscal year 2012 workforce programs, including WIA Title IB and National Emergency Grants.…
Workforce services for trafficking survivors Withdrawn
ETA advised workforce agencies on providing employment, training, and referral services to victims of human trafficking under the Workforce Investment Act and trafficking protection laws. It…
Disaster unemployment assistance amounts for late 2012 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…
Veterans retraining outreach and reporting Rescinded
ETA instructed the public workforce system on outreach to Veterans Retraining Assistance Program participants, offering employment help, and reporting outcomes. It attached reporting materials. TEGL…
Revised review handbook for UI determinations Withdrawn
ETA transmitted the sixth edition of Employment and Training Handbook 301 for reviewing the quality of state nonmonetary unemployment determinations. The letter summarizes revisions and directs…
Managing a bloodborne-pathogens exposure plan
A requester asked whether a bloodborne-pathogens exposure-control-plan manager needs a particular certification and whether a designated infection officer is required. OSHA said the rule specifies…
Veterans reporting changes in labor exchange data Withdrawn
ETA instructed states on changes to the Labor Exchange Reporting System for veterans-related reporting requirements under the VOW to Hire Heroes Act and the 2012 unemployment legislation, including…
Labor-management cooperation fund outside ERISA plan status Unknown
A Hawaii labor-management cooperation fund asked whether it was an ERISA welfare plan. EBSA said the fund, as operated and described, did not provide the kinds of benefits to participants or…
Digital chest radiography for asbestos surveillance
A Veterans Affairs physician received an update about chest imaging under OSHA’s asbestos medical-surveillance rules. OSHA said digital radiography may be used instead of film, though it is not…
EUC work search requirements and audits Unknown
ETA explained 2012 federal work search requirements for Emergency Unemployment Compensation recipients and state duties to audit a random sample of work search records. The attachments include…
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 Withdrawn
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 Unknown
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 Unknown
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 Unknown
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Unknown
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 Unknown
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Unknown
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 Withdrawn
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 Unknown
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 Rescinded
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 Withdrawn
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 Withdrawn
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 Rescinded
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 Withdrawn
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…
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.