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.
No documents match your search
Try different keywords or clear a filter.
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance amounts for spring 2022
ETA gave state workforce agencies a table of minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from April through June 2022. The amounts are derived from half of…
Retaliation protections across WHD laws
WHD instructed investigators on retaliation protections across the laws it enforces, including the FLSA, FMLA, farmworker laws, and several visa programs. It describes protected complaints and…
Focused COVID-19 inspections in healthcare Unknown
OSHA directed area offices to conduct a three-month focused inspection initiative at selected hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that treat or handled COVID-19 patients. The initiative…
Program Year 2021 dislocated worker fund reallotment
ETA adjusted Program Year 2021 WIOA dislocated worker funding after Oklahoma had more than 20 percent of its prior-year allotment unobligated. It recaptured $89,236 from Oklahoma and reallotted the…
First extension of Tiger Team grant interest deadline
ETA gave states until September 30, 2022 to express interest in a Tiger Team assessment and related unemployment insurance grants. States were told to contact their ETA regional office for this…
Training contract employees under process safety rules
A host employer asked whether it may train contract employees and prepare their training records. OSHA said a contract employer may rely on the host’s training and documentation if it verifies that…
SCSEP stand-alone state plan modifications for 2022–2023 Withdrawn
ETA instructed states and territories with stand-alone Senior Community Service Employment Program plans to submit two-year modifications by March 15, 2022. States that included SCSEP in a combined…
Waivers of CARES Act unemployment overpayment recovery
ETA told states how to evaluate requests to waive recovery of overpaid CARES Act unemployment benefits, including seven limited situations where a blanket waiver may be used. States must first…
State grants for unemployment insurance navigator programs
ETA made a total of up to $15 million available for selected states' unemployment insurance navigator projects with community organizations; each state could apply for up to $3 million. The projects…
Fiscal year 2022 UI reemployment grants and state plans Unknown
ETA set fiscal year 2022 funding and operating instructions for state Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment programs. It covered which unemployment claimants to serve, minimum services,…
2022 federal civilian salary rates for unemployment calculations
ETA directed state unemployment agencies to the 2022 federal civilian pay schedules. When federal agencies did not respond promptly, states could use those salary rates with other records to…
Flexible bulk containers used as crane lifting devices
An employer asked whether a flexible intermediate bulk container may lift or move an electric utility transformer with a truck-mounted crane. OSHA said the employer must determine whether the device…
2022 NAICS industry codes for unemployment insurance accounts
ETA asked state unemployment agencies to convert existing employer accounts to 2022 NAICS industry codes and use those codes for new accounts starting January 1, 2022. States using industry…
Agricultural Labor Standards — Meal Periods, Rest Periods, and Rates of Pay
This L&I administrative policy covers pay, meal-period, and rest-period rules specific to Washington agricultural employees, including dairy workers. It distinguishes "piece-rate active time" (paid…
FY 2022 WOTC second continuing-resolution allotments, Change 1
ETA gave state workforce agencies an additional $3,900,335 in FY 2022 Work Opportunity Tax Credit administration funds under a second continuing resolution. It listed state allotments and set a…
2022 military pension cost of living adjustments and UI benefits
ETA informed state unemployment agencies of military retired pay cost of living adjustments effective December 1, 2021, with detailed rates in its attachment. In states where unemployment law…
Fiscal 2021 RESEA outcome payments to state agencies
ETA identified 30 states eligible for a share of $20 million in fiscal 2021 Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments outcome payments. The letter explains how those states were to update…
Fiscal 2022 sequestration for mandatory unemployment programs Unknown
ETA instructed state unemployment agencies how to apply a 5.7 percent sequestration reduction in fiscal 2022. It explained which benefit programs were exempt, how the federal share of Extended…
Further extension of equitable access grant application deadline
ETA gave state unemployment agencies more time to apply for grants to improve equitable access to unemployment compensation. This second change to UIPL 23-21 extended the application deadline to…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance for January to March 2022
ETA gave state unemployment agencies a table of minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from January 1 through March 31, 2022. The figures are based on…
Loose-fitting respirators and facial-hair accommodations
A coalition asked whether employers may provide loose-fitting powered air-purifying respirators to workers who maintain facial hair for religious or medical reasons during COVID-19 exposure. OSHA…
WIOA state plan modifications for 2022–2023 Withdrawn
ETA and the Education Department instructed states to update WIOA Unified or Combined State Plans for Program Years 2022 and 2023. The letter described required plan content, an online submission…
Overtime obligations in the H-2B program
WHD told investigators to compare an H-2B employer’s certified job order with federal, state, and local overtime requirements. Employers must disclose applicable overtime terms and pay the required…
Recordkeeping and Access to Payroll Records (Agricultural Employment)
This L&I administrative policy sets recordkeeping duties for agricultural employers: names, addresses, occupations, pay rates (including separate piece-rate active/down time and rest-period rates),…
Unemployment benefits during a federal funding lapse
ETA explained how state unemployment agencies and federal agencies should handle claims during a lapse in federal appropriations. Furloughed federal workers may qualify for benefits, while excepted…
Acetylene cylinders on inclined trolleys and carts
A requester asked whether acetylene cylinders can be used or stored on a trolley inclined 45 degrees from vertical, and what design rules apply to cylinder carts. OSHA said an inclined trolley…
FY 2022 initial Work Opportunity Tax Credit allotments
ETA gave state workforce agencies initial FY 2022 funds to administer the Work Opportunity Tax Credit under a continuing resolution through December 3, 2021. It listed state allotments and asked for…
Single knife gate valve for confined-space isolation
A safety professional asked whether a single knife gate valve with a bleed valve can isolate a permit-required confined space. OSHA said it cannot: the space must be completely protected from…
Grants for state unemployment insurance Tiger Team improvements
ETA offered state unemployment agencies up to $200 million in grants to carry out improvements recommended after a federal Tiger Team assessment. The work targeted fraud prevention, equitable…
Extension of equitable access grant application deadline
ETA extended the deadline for states to apply for equitable access grants under UIPL 23-21 from October 18 to November 30, 2021. It left the base grant guidance unchanged. A later Change 2 moved the…
State access to SSA incarceration data for unemployment claims
ETA announced a secure data exchange that lets state unemployment agencies compare claims with Social Security Administration incarceration records. The letter explains the approvals and agreements…
Noise exposure limits during extended work shifts
A requester asked OSHA to change its guidance for measuring noise exposure on shifts longer than eight hours. OSHA declined, explaining that its permissible exposure limit remains an eight-hour…
Combining hazard, transport and California warning labels
A label preparer asked whether one shipping label can combine OSHA hazard-communication elements, DOT pictograms and a California Proposition 65 warning. OSHA said it allows both pictograms for the…
Minimum disaster unemployment assistance for October to December 2021
ETA gave state unemployment agencies a table of minimum weekly Disaster Unemployment Assistance amounts for major disasters declared from October 1 through December 31, 2021. The figures use half of…
Extended deadline for pandemic UI fraud grants
ETA extended the deadline for state agencies to request pandemic unemployment fraud prevention grants under UIPL 28-20, Change 2, to October 31, 2021. The grants supported identity verification,…
Extended deadline for state unemployment fraud grants
ETA extended the deadline for states to apply for fraud prevention grants under UIPL 22-21 from September 13 to October 31, 2021. The funds covered identity verification and overpayment recovery…
Fall protection on fixed ladders and elevated platforms
An employer asked about fall protection on fixed ladders no taller than 24 feet, including ladders reached from elevated platforms. OSHA said the possible fall distance to a lower level matters: a…
Corrected 2021 farmworker career services allocations, Change 1
ETA corrected Attachment III of TEGL 23-20 for National Farmworker Jobs Program career services and training grantees operating in California. The state’s total allocation remained $22,613,160, but…
Updated Pandemic Unemployment Assistance operations and reporting
ETA gave state unemployment agencies further instructions for processing Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, including added eligibility reasons, application dates and claims involving more…
Fiscal 2022 state unemployment insurance resource planning targets Unknown
ETA gave state unemployment agencies preliminary fiscal 2022 administrative funding targets and explained how it calculated them. Agencies were asked to submit budget forms and a UI-1 report in…
Emergency rescue from rubber and plastics mills
A requester described four ways to free a worker caught in a rubber or plastics mill after an emergency stop. OSHA said its mill stopping rules do not prescribe emergency extrication and it could…
Fiscal 2022 State Quality Service Plan guidance Unknown
ETA gave state unemployment agencies extra instructions for their fiscal 2022 State Quality Service Plans. It set priorities including timely payments, equitable access, fraud prevention,…
CAREER dislocated worker grants increased to $90 million, Change 1
ETA increased funding available for CAREER National Dislocated Worker Grants to as much as $90 million, with individual awards up to $3 million. It left the other provisions of TEGL 25-20 unchanged.…
State grants to promote equitable access to unemployment benefits
ETA offered states up to $260 million for projects that improve equitable access to unemployment compensation, reduce backlogs and speed payments. States had to explain the problem, proposed work…
Single safety data sheet for similar consumer products
A company asked whether one safety data sheet can cover variants of consumer products handled by its employees. OSHA said a single sheet can cover similar mixtures with the same hazards if it…
Additional pandemic UI fraud funding and identity verification guidance
ETA offered states a third round of funds to prevent and detect fraud and recover overpayments in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs. It…
State grants for unemployment fraud prevention and recovery
ETA offered state unemployment agencies up to $140 million for identity verification, fraud detection, cybersecurity and overpayment recovery across unemployment programs. States applying for funds…
OSHA requirements and machinery design
A requester asked OSHA how manufacturers should design machinery to meet federal safety rules and incorporated standards. OSHA declined to give design advice. It explained that employers must meet…
State referrals and disclosure of unemployment fraud information to DOL OIG
ETA told state unemployment agencies to refer reasonably suspected fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement and misconduct to the Labor Department’s inspector general. It also required disclosure of…
Updated high-poverty area lookup for WIOA youth eligibility, Change 1
ETA updated the directions for using Census data to decide whether a young person lives in a high-poverty area for WIOA youth program eligibility. The Census website had changed since TEGL 21-16, so…
Hazardous waste rules for homeless-camp cleanup
A requester asked whether homeless-encampment cleanup can trigger OSHA’s hazardous-waste operations standard. OSHA said coverage depends on the site, hazards and government recognition; biological…
Hours Worked
This L&I administrative policy defines "hours worked" as time an employee is authorized/required to be on duty on the employer's premises or a prescribed workplace, and applies that three-part test…
Minimum Wage Act - Employment Relationships
This L&I administrative policy explains who counts as an "employer" under the Minimum Wage Act, including when a corporate officer, owner, or manager can be personally and jointly liable for wage…
State duties after pandemic unemployment programs end
ETA explained what state unemployment agencies still had to do after their pandemic benefit programs ended, whether by early state termination or the September 6, 2021 expiration. States had to keep…
National Farmworker Jobs Program eligibility, Change 1 Rescinded
ETA clarified National Farmworker Jobs Program eligibility, including how grantees could account for seasonal work and irregular income. It also addressed low-income calculations and participant…
FY 2021 second Trade Adjustment Assistance fund distribution Withdrawn
ETA gave state agencies their second distribution of FY 2021 Trade Adjustment Assistance Training and Other Activities funds. It explained the formula and how states could request reserve funds for…
The executive, administrative, and professional exemptions from COMPS
This Division notice details the duties tests for the Executive, Administrative, and Professional ("EAP") exemptions from Colorado's COMPS wage-and-hour Order, which the Division construes narrowly…
Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Unknown
OSHA updated its 2021 instructions for inspecting COVID-19 hazards in workplaces outside the healthcare emergency standard. It prioritized serious cases and high-risk settings, described onsite and…
Limits on temporary unemployment flexibilities during COVID-19
ETA told states to reassess COVID-19 emergency flexibilities for work search and employer experience rating and end them when no longer needed to respond to the disease. It also said states could…
Program Year 2021 workforce and labor market information grants
ETA set Program Year 2021 requirements for state Workforce and Labor Market Information Grants. It described required databases, public data products, staff training, schedules, and other permitted…
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.