US Department of Labor launches opinion letter program across five agencies to expand compliance assistance

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of its opinion letter program. This expands the department’s longstanding commitment to providing meaningful compliance assistance that helps workers, employers and other stakeholders understand how federal labor laws apply in specific workplace situations.

The program spans five key enforcement agencies within the department:

• The Wage and Hour Division will issue opinion letters.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will provide letters of interpretation.
• The Employee Benefits Security Administration will release advisory opinions and information letters.
• The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service will issue opinion letters.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration will provide compliance assistance resources through its new MSHA Information Hub, a centralized platform offering guidance, regulatory updates, training materials and technical support.

“Opinion letters are an important tool in ensuring workers and businesses alike have access to clear, practical guidance,” said Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “Launching this program is part of our broader effort to empower the public with the information they need to understand and comply with the laws the department enforces.”

Opinion letters provide official written interpretations from the department’s enforcement agencies, explaining how laws apply to specific factual circumstances presented by individuals or organizations. By addressing real-world questions, they promote clarity, consistency, and transparency in the application of federal labor standards.

To support this effort, the department has launched a landing page at dol.gov/opinion-letters. The new site allows users to explore past guidance and provides an easy way to submit new requests to the appropriate agency.

For general questions about federal labor laws, individuals can visit dol.gov or call the department’s toll-free helpline at 1-866-4-USA-DOL (1-866-487-2365).