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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American Job Center network announcement Withdrawn
ETA announced the American Job Center network as a common identity for online and in-person publicly funded workforce services and encouraged states to adopt the brand. It attached branding…
Early veteran Gold Card service data collection Withdrawn
ETA instructed states on early collection of data about intensive employment services to post-9/11 veterans through Wagner-Peyser Employment Service. Change 1 later extended its timeline. ETA now…
2012 Indian and Native American grant planning Withdrawn
ETA allowed selected Workforce Investment Act Section 166 Indian and Native American grantees to extend or modify 2011 strategic plans through program year 2013 and gave funding instructions and…
2012 WIA adult and dislocated worker guidance Withdrawn
ETA set program year 2012 priorities and guidance for Workforce Investment Act adult and dislocated worker programs and Wagner-Peyser Employment Service. It attached program material. ETA now labels…
Revised 2012 SCSEP national grant planning Rescinded
ETA revised program year 2012 Senior Community Service Employment Program national grantee planning and first-quarter allotments. It rescinded the base TEGL 26-11 and attached funding and…
Program year 2010 WIA incentive grant applications Withdrawn
ETA updated how eligible states could apply for Workforce Investment Act Section 503 incentive grants based on program year 2010 performance. The letter states the statutory $750,000 to $3 million…
Plans for spending the Recovery Act $500 million UI distribution
ETA asked states to submit detailed plans for spending their shares of a $500 million Recovery Act distribution for unemployment insurance administration and reemployment services. States were to…
State UI verification for veterans’ rehabilitation applications Unknown
ETA told state unemployment agencies how to answer VA requests about a veteran’s regular unemployment eligibility for an additional rehabilitation program under the 2011 VOW Act. With a signed VA…
Criminal record restrictions in workforce job banks Withdrawn
ETA and DOL's Civil Rights Center warned federally assisted workforce agencies that blanket criminal record exclusions in job banks or referrals may have an unlawful disparate impact based on race…
Multiple employers’ retirement program as separate ERISA plans Unknown
A retirement program provider asked whether unrelated employers using its arrangement would share one ERISA pension plan. EBSA said the provider was neither an employee organization nor a bona fide…
Abandoned-plan retirement arrangement as separate ERISA plans Unknown
A company proposed combining assets from abandoned employer retirement plans and asked if the result would be a single ERISA plan. EBSA said the company lacked the employment or association…
403(b) safe harbor and separate employer contributions Unknown
An adviser asked whether an employer’s separate money purchase plan would cause its salary-deferral 403(b) program to lose an ERISA safe harbor. EBSA said merely maintaining the separate plan does…
2012 self-employment assistance program guidance
ETA explained how the 2012 law expanded state self-employment assistance from regular unemployment compensation to Extended Benefits and Emergency Unemployment Compensation recipients. It set…
VOW Act veteran Work Opportunity Tax Credit guidance Withdrawn
ETA explained how the VOW to Hire Heroes Act expanded the veteran groups eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for hires from November 22, 2011 through 2012. State workforce agencies received…
Distributor duties for chemical safety sheets Unknown
A distributor asked whether it must keep safety sheets for products it no longer stocks or that manufacturers ship directly to customers. OSHA said it need not keep those sheets, but must ensure…
Disclosing confidential UI data to private intermediaries
ETA explained when state unemployment agencies may disclose confidential wage or claim information to private intermediaries that verify borrowers for lenders. The individual must give informed…
Identifying coal mine electrical circuits
MSHA clarifies how coal mines should identify electrical circuits so workers can see that equipment power is disconnected. The breaker, receptacle, and trailing cable plug must carry similar labels…
Voluntary wage assignments under H-2A
WHD told investigators that H-2A wage deductions generally must be disclosed in the job offer, reasonable, and free of employer profit or coercion. It distinguishes voluntary payments to third…
Program year 2011 WIA annual report narrative Rescinded
ETA told states what to include in the narrative portion of their program year 2011 Workforce Investment Act annual reports, including performance, evaluations, cost, waivers, and veterans'…
Selective Service registration for WIA Title I programs
ETA tells Workforce Investment Act Title I grantees how to check Selective Service registration before enrolling male applicants. For men aged 26 or older who did not register, grantees may require…
Assessing respirator exposure in spray-foam work
A spray-foam installer asked whether worker air sampling was required when employees already wore full-face respirators. OSHA said personal monitoring is the most reliable method but is not…
FY 2012 supplemental UI integrity funding Withdrawn
ETA invited state unemployment agencies to apply for FY 2012 supplemental funding for improper payment prevention, performance improvements, technology modernization and reemployment assessments. It…
Weekly and preshift bleeder examinations
MSHA explains how underground coal mine operators must evaluate bleeder ventilation systems at least every seven days and address relevant preshift examination duties. The policy ties examination to…
Communications during mine fan or power outages
MSHA explains that approved two way communication and tracking systems in underground coal mines must remain operational during fan stoppages or mine power outages. The general de energization rule…
Reporting unplanned coal mine roof falls
MSHA explains which unplanned roof falls underground coal mine operators must report as accidents. The policy covers specified falls involving injury or entrapment, roof or rib falls affecting…
SIDES employer messaging toolkit
ETA announced a communications toolkit for state unemployment agencies to explain the State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) and E-Response to employers and third-party administrators. It…
2011–12 workforce performance reporting timelines Withdrawn
ETA set program year 2011 and fiscal year 2012 reporting and data validation deadlines for several workforce programs, including WIA Title IB, Wagner-Peyser services, Trade Adjustment Assistance,…
Reclassifying cleaned open-top tanks as non-permit spaces
An employer asked if employees could enter open-top cleaning tanks without a confined-space permit after locking out the water supply. OSHA said reclassification is possible only if there is no…
2012 workforce information grants to states Withdrawn
ETA instructed state workforce agencies how to use program year 2012 Workforce Information Grants to produce labor market information and support workforce planning. It set required products,…
2012 state and territorial SCSEP grant applications Rescinded
ETA told state and territorial Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees how to apply for program year 2012 funds. The letter lists required narratives, assurances, budget forms, service…
Private nonprofit participation in a state health plan Unknown
Connecticut asked whether allowing private nonprofit employees into its state health plan would preserve its governmental-plan exemption from ERISA. EBSA said the nonprofits do not become government…
Reallotment of 2011 dislocated worker funds Rescinded
ETA adjusted program year 2011 Dislocated Worker formula funding after one state had unobligated funds above the statutory threshold. It said $251,529 would be recaptured and reallotted to other…
Third-party approval of shielding gas regulators for arc welding
A manufacturer asked whether its shielding-gas regulators for arc welding must be approved or listed by a third-party laboratory. OSHA said no for the described regulators, which were not connected…
Unemployment benefits for people who volunteer
ETA encouraged states to let unemployment claimants volunteer without automatically losing benefits, as long as they remain available for work and meet state work search rules. States may consider…
2012 state UI demonstration project applications Unknown
ETA explained how states could apply to conduct unemployment demonstration projects under the 2012 law to test faster reemployment or improve state reemployment efforts. It limited projects to…
Monthly testing of conveyor emergency stops
MSHA says coal mine conveyor emergency stop devices, including pull cord switches and their mechanical arms, are electrical equipment under the cited rule. Qualified people must examine and test…
Minimum disaster unemployment benefits for April–June 2012 Withdrawn
ETA provided state agencies with minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from April 1 through June 30, 2012. The attachment lists each state’s average…
2012 foreign labor certification grant planning Withdrawn
ETA gave state workforce agencies fiscal year 2012 planning guidance and funding figures for foreign labor certification activities. It asked administrators to share the guidance with staff…
Medical surveillance for hospital first receivers
A hospital preparedness coordinator asked what medical exams HAZWOPER requires for workers who receive contaminated patients. OSHA said hospital first receivers generally do not need a baseline exam…
2012 farmworker housing grant plans Withdrawn
ETA instructed National Farmworker Jobs Program housing grantees how to prepare their program year 2012 grant plans. The letter requires application and budget forms, a housing analysis, prior-year…
2012 farmworker training grant plans Withdrawn
ETA instructed National Farmworker Jobs Program training grantees how to submit program year 2012 grant plans. It describes required application, budget and narrative materials, limited use of…
Requirements for 2012 state workforce plans Rescinded
ETA set options for states to obtain approved WIA and Wagner-Peyser workforce plans for program years 2012–2016, agricultural outreach plans, and SCSEP plans. It described integrated planning…
UI claimant and employer messaging toolkit
ETA announced a toolkit of messages and templates for state unemployment agencies to explain claimant work and earnings reporting, work search and employer information duties. The materials include…
Reemployment services for emergency unemployment claimants Withdrawn
ETA explained new reemployment service and eligibility assessment duties for states serving certain Emergency Unemployment Compensation claimants beginning March 23, 2012. It covered referrals,…
2012 workforce program formula allotments Withdrawn
ETA announced program year 2012 funding allotments for WIA adult, dislocated worker and youth programs, Wagner-Peyser Employment Service, and Workforce Information Grants. It explains the funding…
HAZWOPER training for train derailment response crews
A rail response company asked which HAZWOPER roles and training levels apply during hazardous train derailments. OSHA said re-railing crews may qualify as skilled support personnel, while workers…
Completion and publication of calendar year 2011 Benefit Accuracy Measurement data Withdrawn
ETA gave state workforce agencies deadlines and procedures for closing 2011 unemployment benefit accuracy cases, checking the resulting data and submitting corrections before federal publication.…
Fiscal year 2012 state unemployment insurance administration funding Withdrawn
ETA gave state workforce agencies their FY 2012 unemployment insurance administration allocations and explained above-base reimbursement, supplemental requests and limits on flexible use of grant…
Revoking respirable dust sampler certifications
MSHA explains when a district manager may revoke a person’s certification to take respirable dust samples or maintain and calibrate sampling devices. It describes notice, review, and possible…
2012 extension and changes to emergency unemployment compensation Unknown
ETA told state workforce agencies how the 2012 law extended and changed Emergency Unemployment Compensation and temporary extended benefits. It addressed tier triggers and amounts, work search and…
Process safety coverage of interconnected pharmaceutical operations
A pharmaceutical employer asked whether production equipment below a hazardous-chemical threshold was covered when connected to distillation and storage equipment. OSHA said the connected equipment…
Improving youth literacy and numeracy gains Withdrawn
ETA clarified how WIA Youth Program staff and providers should serve out-of-school youth with basic skills deficiencies and report literacy and numeracy gains. The letter explains the performance…
Enforcement of 2011 tip-credit rules Superseded
WHD’s 2012 bulletin called for nationwide enforcement of its 2011 tip-credit rules, including restrictions on tip pools when an employer took no tip credit. An official notice now says Congress…
Additional duties for firefighters outside an interior fire
A fire captain asked what other work the second firefighter stationed outside an interior fire may perform. OSHA said one outside firefighter must actively monitor the inside crew without other…
2012 Work Opportunity Tax Credit administration funds Withdrawn
ETA gave state workforce agencies final fiscal year 2012 allotments to administer the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program through September 30, 2012. It explains the allocation formula and attaches…
H-2A abandonment and termination for cause
WHD explained when an H-2A employer may be relieved of transportation, subsistence, and three-fourths guarantee duties after a worker abandons a job or is terminated for cause. Investigators must…
2012 poverty guidelines for SCSEP eligibility Rescinded
ETA instructed Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees to use the attached 2012 poverty and low-income guidelines to determine or recertify participant eligibility. It set January 26,…
Fiscal year 2012 reemployment and eligibility assessment grants Unknown
ETA invited state workforce agencies to seek FY 2012 grants for unemployment insurance reemployment and eligibility assessments. It set proposal, service and reporting requirements, including four…
Interest rate on Title XII advances during calendar year 2012 Withdrawn
ETA announced that Treasury would charge 2.9430 percent interest on repayable Title XII unemployment insurance advances during calendar year 2012. It reminded states how to fund interest payments…
2012 Trade Activity Participant Report instructions Rescinded
ETA updated the Trade Activity Participant Report instructions for Trade Adjustment Assistance programs. It replaced the prior reporting handbook with a 2012 edition and supplied a table of…
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.