Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, DOL NEWS—New opinion letter program intends to expand compliance assistance, (Jun 2, 2025)
Organizations Mentioned:Employee Benefits Security Administration | U.S. Department of Labor
By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.
The program covers WHD, OSHA, EBSA, MSHA, and VETS.
Today, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that it is launching an opinion letter program intended to expand its “longstanding commitment to providing meaningful compliance assistance that helps workers, employers and other stakeholders understand how federal labor laws apply in specific workplace situations.”
It will include the following enforcement agencies under its umbrella: the Wage and Hour Division, which will issue opinion letters; OSHA, which will provide letters of interpretation; the Employee Benefits Security Administration, which will release advisory opinions and information letters; the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, which will issue opinion letters; and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which will provide compliance assistance resources through its new MSHA Information Hub.
“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.”
Additionally, the department has launched a landing page at dol.gov/opinion-letters, intended to allow users to explore past guidance and submit new requests to the appropriate agency.
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