2025 Core Monitoring Guide

About

The Office of Grants Management (OGM) recently revised the CMG. The CMG is the official tool for grant management staff to conduct monitoring. Grant recipients can also utilize the CMG to help them prepare for a monitoring visit or an Enhanced Desk Monitoring Review (EDMR). ETA utilizes monitoring as a means of tracking performance, holding recipients accountable, reviewing grant operations, and assessing compliance. The CMG provides a consistent framework to monitor any ETA program.

Background:

The first CMG was developed in 2005 and was based on five core functions that grant recipients must follow to operate an ETA grant using practices established by law and regulations. In 2018, the CMG was revamped to capture the current monitoring review process and address new programmatic, administrative, and financial requirements applicable to all ETA grant recipients, including the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) and DOL’s adoption of it at 2 CFR Part 2900. The Uniform Guidance consolidated eight OMB Circulars governing Federal financial assistance awards.

The 2025 update to the CMG is limited in scope. It captures policy and system changes at DOL and OMB since its release in 2018, including the implementation of the 2024 revisions to OMB’s Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance.

The following are some of the changes users can expect to see:

Policy Changes

Clarified Compliance Assistance (CA), Technical Assistance (TA), and provided examples of each
Provided additional content on performance accountability and data validation
Updated the SMART Risk Assessment Tool to better align with ETA’s internal risk assessment process

System Changes

Eliminated old systems and aligned content with GrantSolutions terminology
Added content on Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) rollout and changes tied to SAM.gov and the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC)
Added content around HHS’ Payment Management System (PMS)

2024 Uniform Guidance Revisions

Updated prior approval items
Raised the threshold for de minimis rates, modified total direct costs (MTDC), audits, equipment, and micro-purchases.
Clarified PTEs must confirm subrecipients are not suspended, debarred, or excluded from receiving Federal funds prior to awarding a subaward

Cosmetic Changes:

Created Part A – content includes CA/TA discussion
Updated core activities, objectives, and indicator descriptions to reflect content from subsequent program supplements and activities
Improved tools and resources to enhance usefulness for grant management staff

Contact:

Questions or comments? Contact us at compliance.policy@dol.gov.

Materials

2025 Core Monitoring Guide [pdf, 5.5MB]

Comments

Content Details

Topics:

General Workforce Activities

Target Populations:

General Audience

Programs:

Multiple Mixed Funding Streams

Geographic Locations:

National Scope

Industry Sectors:

Cross-Industry

Last Updated:
Created:
Resource Publication Date: 2026
Posted by: Ian Armbruster
Posted in: Grants Application and Management