by On June 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the expansion of its Opinion Letter Program. Opinion letters issued by the DOL are official publications that explain how the DOL enforces various laws and regulations under specific scenarios submitted by a requesting party. They do not amend or override statutes or regulations but provide valuable information on how the agency is likely to handle violation claims.
The expanded program covers five DOL enforcement agencies:
- The Wage and Hour Division
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- The Employee Benefits Security Administration
- The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service
- The Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Wage and Hour Division will issue opinion letters, as it has in the past. However, other agencies may provide guidance in the form of interpretation letters, fact sheets, or other tools.
The website for the new program includes information on making requests for interpretation and how to find existing interpretations:
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasp/compliance-initiatives/opinion-letters
