News & Analysis as of

Opinion Letter

Fisher Phillips

Employer Checklist for February 2026

Fisher Phillips on

Here are the top 10 workplace compliance items you should tackle in February 2026, based on the latest labor and employment law updates...more

Cozen O'Connor

DOL Follows Through On Use Of OSHA Standard Interpretation Letters

Cozen O'Connor on

In June 2025, the United States Department of Labor announced a planned expansion of its opinion letter program intended to increase compliance assistance across several agencies including OSHA. The initiative is intended to...more

Whiteford

Employment Law Update: Department of Labor Clarifies FLSA Exemption Applicable to Retail and Service Employees

Whiteford on

The Department of Labor (DOL) started off 2026 issuing numerous Opinion Letters on issues arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Opinion Letter FLSA2026-4 addresses questions regarding the overtime exemption...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

The Commute Counts: DOL Confirms FMLA Leave Extends to Travel Time

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) has resolved a long-standing and frequently litigated issue under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): whether intermittent FMLA leave includes time spent traveling to and from...more

Goldberg Segalla

DOL Issues Six Opinion Letters Interpreting the FLSA and FMLA

Goldberg Segalla on

On January 5, 2026, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued six opinion letters designed to promote clarity, consistency, and transparency in the application of federal labor standards. These...more

Frantz Ward LLP

U.S. Department of Labor Rings in the New Year by Issuing Six New Opinion Letters

Frantz Ward LLP on

On Monday, January 5, 2026, the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor (DOL) issued six opinion letters addressing questions regarding calculating overtime compensation under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and...more

Akerman LLP - HR Defense

New U.S. DOL Opinion Letters Poised to Reshape Employers’ FLSA and FMLA Practices

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) just rang in 2026 with six new opinion letters addressing various employer practices under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

U.S. Labor Department Updates Guidance on a Common Violation: Whether a Bonus Is Really Discretionary

Perhaps the most frequently violated provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act involves employers’ failure to include bonuses or other incentive pay when determining non-exempt employees’ regular rate for purposes of...more

Perkins Coie

DOL Confirms Nondiscretionary Incentive Bonuses Must Be Included in the Regular Rate for Overtime

Perkins Coie on

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (DOL) recently issued Opinion Letter FLSA2026-2 confirming that incentive bonuses earned under a predetermined plan must be included in an employee’s “regular rate” when...more

Perkins Coie

DOL Confirms FMLA Coverage for Travel Time to Medical Appointments

Perkins Coie on

On January 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (DOL) issued Opinion Letter FMLA2026-2, confirming that eligible employees may use Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave for time spent traveling to...more

Perkins Coie

DOL Clarifies FMLA Leave Calculation for School Employees During Short-Term Closures

Perkins Coie on

On January 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (DOL) issued Opinion Letter FMLA2026-1, providing important guidance on how short-term school closures, such as snow days, affect a school employee’s...more

Woods Rogers

FMLA and Travel Time: What the New DOL Guidance Means for Employers: What's the Tea in L&E?

Woods Rogers on

In this episode of What’s the Tea in L&E?, Labor & Employment attorneys Leah Stiegler and Fred Schutt break down the Department of Labor’s latest opinion letter addressing whether time spent traveling to and from medical...more

Perkins Coie

Unlocking the FLSA Overtime Exemption: What Retail and Service Employers Need To Know in 2026

Perkins Coie on

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (DOL) recently issued Opinion Letter FLSA2026-4, shedding light on key aspects of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Section 7(i) overtime exemption. This potentially...more

Perkins Coie

DOL Opinion Letters Provide Insight on Family and Medical Leave and Fair Labor Standards Requirements

Perkins Coie on

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (DOL) recently published six opinion letters, which provide information about the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). In this series, each...more

Fisher Phillips

Texas Attorney General Takes Aim at DEI With New Opinion Letter: 6 Steps For K-12 Private Schools To Consider

Fisher Phillips on

Texas’s Attorney General just issued a sweeping 74-page Opinion that calls into question the legality of many Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the state in both public and private sectors, including...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

U.S. Department of Labor Issues New FLSA and FMLA Opinion Letters: Key Compliance Takeaways for Employers

Amundsen Davis LLC on

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released a new set of opinion letters addressing recurring questions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). While opinion letters...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

New Year, New Views: DOL Opinion Letters on FLSA and FMLA Provide Employers with Helpful Guidance

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division welcomed the new year by issuing six new opinion letters on January 5, 2026 — four regarding the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and two regarding the Family and...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

When School Closes, How Should FMLA Be Counted? DOL Clarifies Rules for Partial-Week Shutdowns

This month, the U.S. Department of Labor issued an opinion letter providing much-needed clarity for school districts — and other employers with similar schedules — on how to count FMLA leave during short-term closures. ...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

From Door to Doctor: DOL Clarifies That FMLA Leave Covers Travel Time

A new opinion letter from the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division explains that employees may use leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) not only to attend qualifying medical appointments, but...more

Fisher Phillips

Labor Department Clarifies Overtime, Medical Leave Questions in New Opinion Letters: What Employers Need to Know

Fisher Phillips on

Do employers have to classify qualified employees as exempt from overtime pay if they don’t want to? Can FMLA leave be used to travel to and from medical appointments? The Department of Labor (DOL) recently released six new...more

Epstein Becker & Green

FMLA and FLSA Compliance in 2026—New DOL Opinion Letters and Emerging Risks - #WorkforceWednesday® - Employment Law This Week®

Epstein Becker & Green on

This week, we examine the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) recent opinion letters clarifying critical Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) compliance standards, alongside the growing...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Navigating FMLA: DOL’s New Opinion Letter Clarifies Travel Time

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division issued an opinion letter on Jan. 5, 2026, explaining that an employee’s available leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may be applied toward time spent...more

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP

Travel Time To and From Medical Appointments: Is It Covered by the FMLA?

On January 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published an Opinion Letter (FMLA2026-2) addressing whether leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may be used intermittently or...more

Poyner Spruill LLP

DOL Issues Six New Opinion Letters

Poyner Spruill LLP on

Following up on its re-opening of the Opinion Letter program, the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (“DOL”) issued six new opinion letters on January 5, 2026. These letters are helpful guidance for...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Snow Days and the FMLA: DOL Clarifies How Partial-Week Closures Count Toward Leave

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division has issued a new opinion letter, FMLA2026-2, clarifying how to calculate leave usage under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) when an employer shuts down...more

443 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 18

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide