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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Hexavalent chromium exposure and surface monitoring
A contractor asked whether infrequent chromium work must be staged to meet scheduled air-monitoring intervals and whether every cleaned surface needs wipe sampling. OSHA said jobs need not be…
Minimum disaster unemployment benefits for late 2010 Withdrawn
ETA sent state workforce agencies a table of minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared October 1 through December 31, 2010. Most amounts use half a…
WIA annual report narrative guidance Rescinded
ETA told states what to include in the narrative part of their WIA annual performance reports and how to submit it. It rescinded TEGL 14-00 Changes 2 and 3. TEGL 7-11 later rescinded this guidance.
Changed federal assistance catalog numbers Withdrawn
ETA told grantees that new WIA Dislocated Worker grants issued after June 30, 2010 would use four more specific Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance numbers in place of 17.260. Older grants…
Bloodborne pathogens training outside regular shifts
A paramedic asked whether annual bloodborne pathogens training had to occur during a regularly scheduled shift. OSHA said the standard requires training during working hours, which it interpreted as…
Overtime, sleep time, and wage deductions for live-in home health care workers
A home care company asked DLS how to calculate overtime for live-in caregivers working 24-hour shifts, whether their sleep and meal time is compensable, and whether it may deduct pay for…
Proposed effective audit measure for unemployment employer audits Superseded
ETA proposed changing how state unemployment insurance employer audits are evaluated, including detection of worker misclassification, and asked states for comments. The attachment shows sample…
2011 substantial unemployment area designations Withdrawn
ETA instructed states to designate areas of substantial unemployment for WIA funding beginning July 1, 2011. It specified the 6.5 percent unemployment threshold, geographic rules and October 8, 2010…
Recovery Act workforce performance reporting Withdrawn
ETA clarified and consolidated Recovery Act performance reporting for WIA and Wagner-Peyser programs, including youth work experiences, self-service participants and revised data fields. Four…
Clothing and decontamination for Class II asbestos work
An asbestos contractor asked whether workers may wear street clothes under protective suits during Class II work and what decontamination is needed. OSHA said this can be permissible for the work…
2010 guidance on interstate emergency unemployment benefits Unknown
ETA answered questions about EUC08 extensions and clarified which state should assess a claimant’s possible regular unemployment entitlement when more than one state is involved. Three attachments…
2010 poverty guidelines for SCSEP Rescinded
ETA directed Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees to use the attached 2010 federal poverty guidelines, multiplied by 125 percent where required, to determine or recertify participant…
Voluntary smoke escape hoods at work Unknown
A manufacturer asked whether employers could let workers use smoke escape hoods only to evacuate during a fire. OSHA said the answer depends on the work conditions and distinguished voluntary escape…
Equivalent barriers for controlled decking zones
A construction questioner asked what barriers can substitute for control lines around a controlled decking zone. OSHA said an alternative must restrict access, clearly mark the boundary, and be…
YouthBuild match and construction costs Withdrawn
ETA explained which construction materials and related costs may be charged to a YouthBuild grant or counted toward its required 25 percent match. An attachment classifies selected costs as…
Recovery Act on-the-job training grants Withdrawn
ETA described the one-time Recovery Act funding for On-the-Job Training National Emergency Grants, including participant and employer rules, grant planning, and reporting. The attachment provides an…
Tax Performance System handbook updates for SUTA dumping reviews Unknown
ETA sent states replacement pages for the Tax Performance System handbook. They revise reviews of state systems for detecting unemployment tax-rate manipulation and sampling employer payments. ETA…
Construction safety training in languages workers understand
A construction questioner asked whether workers must communicate in English to understand safety instructions. OSHA said its construction standards do not require English, but employers must present…
2010 extension of emergency unemployment compensation and extended benefits Unknown
ETA explained the 2010 extension of EUC08 and federal funding for Extended Benefits, as well as the phaseout of Federal Additional Compensation. Attachments provide key dates, questions and answers,…
2010 workforce information grants Withdrawn
ETA set program year 2010 application, spending and deliverable rules for Workforce Information Grants to States. Seven attachments include state allocations, grant procedures, required work…
Second 2010 TAA training fund distribution Withdrawn
ETA supplemented TEGL 9-09 with the formula and state amounts for the second fiscal year 2010 distribution of Trade Adjustment Assistance training funds. The attached table gives state allocations.…
Separate YouthBuild grant-year funds Withdrawn
ETA clarified that YouthBuild grantees with overlapping 2007 or 2008 and 2009 awards must operate separate participant cycles, allocate costs by award, and file separate reports. A participant…
TAA merit staffing and training fund rule Withdrawn
ETA guided state agencies on the 2010 rule requiring merit staffing for Trade Adjustment Assistance functions and setting the formula for distributing training funds. Attachment A is a fact sheet on…
Structural ramps and trench egress in excavations
A construction questioner asked who may design excavation ramps and whether steps cut into sloped soil can serve as trench exits. OSHA said a competent person may qualify for multiple tasks if…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance for July through September 2010 Withdrawn
ETA sent states a table of minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared July 1 through September 30, 2010. Most amounts use half the jurisdiction’s average…
2010–2011 Native American workforce grants Withdrawn
ETA announced final two-year WIA section 166 grantee designations and program year 2010 funding allocations for Indian and Native American adult and youth services. Attachments A and B list the…
Recovery of fraudulent unemployment debts from federal tax refunds Unknown
ETA revised procedures for states to recover certain fraudulent unemployment debts from federal income tax refunds. Before referral, the state must establish that the debt is legally enforceable and…
Fiscal year 2011 state unemployment insurance resource planning targets Withdrawn
ETA gave states preliminary fiscal year 2011 funding and staffing targets for unemployment insurance administration and explained how it calculated them. Three attachments contain state allocations,…
Clothes changing under FLSA section 3(o) Superseded
WHD interpreted the section 3(o) exclusion for changing clothes under a collective bargaining agreement and said qualifying clothes changing can still begin the compensable workday. The official PDF…
Winding stairways, railings and containment dikes Unknown
An engineer asked OSHA about landings, tread dimensions, railings, and open sides on winding industrial stairs, plus whether storage-tank dikes are confined spaces. OSHA answered each under the…
2010 funding for state unemployment system improvements Unknown
ETA offered states one-time supplemental funds for technology projects to improve unemployment services for claimants and employers. The letter explains project scoring, spending deadlines and grant…
2009 workforce reporting and validation timelines Rescinded
ETA set program year 2009 and fiscal year 2010 reporting deadlines for several workforce programs and data-validation deadlines for specified programs. The Native American section describes…
2010 funding for automated unemployment overpayment controls Unknown
ETA offered states one-time supplemental funds for technology to prevent, detect and recover unemployment overpayments. It described eligible projects, scoring and spending deadlines; three…
Layoff aversion and incumbent worker training Withdrawn
ETA defined when a layoff is averted and described strategies for using incumbent worker training to retain jobs. It instructed states with approved WIA waivers on using local or Rapid Response…
Native American workforce plan extension Withdrawn
ETA gave designated WIA section 166 Indian and Native American grantees the option to extend their 2008–2009 adult and youth strategic plans through program year 2010. Five attachments provide plan,…
Reporting asbestos bulk sample percentages
A state health official asked whether OSHA accepted a federal environmental agency’s rounding method for bulk asbestos sample results. OSHA said that interpretation does not apply in every…
Federal Additional Compensation nonreduction rule Unknown
ETA answered state questions about the nonreduction rule for the former $25 Federal Additional Compensation supplement. The attached questions and answers distinguish changes to a weekly benefit…
WOTC youth self-attestation clarification Withdrawn
ETA clarified how employers may submit the Youth Self-Attestation Form for the Recovery Act Disconnected Youth target group and how state workforce agencies may process it. The attachments provide…
2010 SCSEP grant planning and allotments Rescinded
ETA instructed Senior Community Service Employment Program grant applicants on program year 2010 applications, allotments, deadlines and required forms. Ten linked attachments include funding…
Electrical protective clothing and heat stress Unknown
An electrician asked whether workers could switch from heavy flame-resistant uniforms to lighter clothing for routine tasks in hot weather. OSHA said employers must protect workers from electrical…
2010 WIA youth program guidance Withdrawn
ETA guided states and local workforce boards on program year 2010 WIA youth activities, drawing on 2009 Recovery Act summer employment experience. It discusses work experience design, employer…
2009–2010 WIA waiver policy and decisions Withdrawn
ETA explained WIA waiver authority, decisions and conditions for program years 2009 and 2010, including youth employment and reporting flexibility. It gave states procedures for requests and…
Using state unemployment funds for costs of nonfederal benefit loans
ETA clarified when states may use particular unemployment fund transfers to pay interest and administrative costs on nonfederal loans taken to pay benefits. It says Reed Act money and modernization…
2008 WIA incentive grant applications Withdrawn
ETA updated the application process for states eligible for Workforce Investment Act section 503 incentive grants based on program year 2008 performance. It specifies eligible uses, award amounts…
Fiscal year 2011 state unemployment quality service plans Withdrawn
ETA gave state workforce agencies supplemental instructions and requirements for their fiscal year 2011 Unemployment Insurance State Quality Service Plans. Two attachments provide planning and…
Health coverage tax credit emergency grants Withdrawn
ETA explained Health Coverage Tax Credit National Emergency Grant resources for health insurance premiums and support services for eligible TAA recipients and others. It covered application,…
Storage position of empty compressed gas cylinders
A construction questioner asked whether empty compressed gas cylinders may lie on the ground during storage. OSHA said the upright-storage rule applies to empty as well as full cylinders, with a…
Falling-object protection for off-road truck cabs
A construction company asked whether an off-road truck with an ISO-rated falling-object protective cab met OSHA’s cab shield requirement. OSHA said it would comply for the described use if the…
Arc welding machines in wet weather
A construction questioner asked whether portable arc welders can be used during rain or other wet weather. OSHA said the cited welding standards do not prohibit it, but employers must address…
Control lines for leading-edge construction work
A construction questioner asked if a control line could be tied to a temporary stanchion ten feet from a leading edge. OSHA said a controlled access zone is available only if conventional fall…
2010 additional SCSEP funding plans Withdrawn
ETA instructed selected SCSEP grantees on implementing one-time fiscal year 2010 additional funding, including participant enrollment, service areas, separate financial reports and grant plans.…
2010 WIA performance goal negotiations Rescinded
ETA instructed states on negotiating program year 2010 WIA and Wagner-Peyser performance and customer-satisfaction goals, including proposed levels and negotiation procedures. Seven attachments…
Monitoring states with delayed unemployment payments and appeals Withdrawn
ETA described how it would identify states with chronic delays in first unemployment payments or first-level appeal decisions and give their 2011 quality service plans extra attention. The letter…
2010 farmworker job training plans Withdrawn
ETA gave National Farmworker Jobs Program grantees program year 2010 job-training grant plan instructions under WIA section 167. Two attachments provide state and California sub-state allocation…
Audiometer calibration using an updated ANSI coupler Unknown
An audiometer supplier asked whether a newer artificial-ear coupler and ANSI calibration values could be used under OSHA’s noise standard. OSHA said a letter cannot adopt a newer standard without…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance for April through June 2010 Withdrawn
ETA sent states minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared April 1 through June 30, 2010. The attached table computes the amounts using half of each state’s…
April 2010 extension of temporary unemployment benefits Unknown
ETA told states how an April 2010 law extended EUC08, Federal Additional Compensation and temporary federal funding for Extended Benefits. The attachment lists the revised dates for those temporary…
2010 WIA and Wagner-Peyser state plans Rescinded
ETA explained options for states to maintain approved WIA and Wagner-Peyser plans and waivers for program year 2010 and when plan modifications were required. It also sought volunteers to test a…
Revised ETA 191 report for federal employee unemployment costs Withdrawn
ETA sent states replacement handbook pages for the ETA 191 quarterly report, which records unemployment benefits charged to federal agencies for former federal employees and service members. The…
Baluster spacing on an industrial truck work platform
A construction questioner asked how many guardrail balusters were needed on a truck work platform with an entry gate. OSHA could not give an exact count without the gate’s location and protective…
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.
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- 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.