A million acronyms, explained.

What is a UCC-1 financing statement?

A UCC-1 financing statement is a public notice, filed with a Secretary of State under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, that a lender (the secured party) has taken a security interest in a borrower's (the debtor's) collateral.

How to read an FDA Form 483

An FDA Form 483 is a list of inspectional observations an FDA investigator issues at the close of a facility inspection, documenting conditions that may violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act — but it is not a final FDA determination or enforcement action.

What is an FDA warning letter?

An FDA warning letter is a formal, public notice issued to a firm that FDA believes has significantly violated federal regulations, identifying the violations and requesting prompt corrective action.

What is an SDVOSB?

An SDVOSB is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business — a small business at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans — eligible for federal set-aside and sole-source contracts reserved for such firms.

What is a federal set-aside?

A federal set-aside is a contract (or portion of one) reserved exclusively for competition among a defined category of small business — such as small business, SDVOSB, 8(a), HUBZone, or women-owned — rather than open to all offerors.

What is a WARN notice?

A WARN notice is an advance notification an employer must provide under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act — generally 60 days before a covered plant closing or mass layoff — naming the affected site and the number of workers.

What is a USDOT number?

A USDOT number is a unique identifier the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) assigns to a commercial motor carrier, used to track its safety record, inspections, crashes, and operating authority.

What is FMCSA operating authority?

FMCSA operating authority is the permission a for-hire motor carrier or broker must hold to transport regulated commodities or arrange transportation in interstate commerce, tied to an MC number and dependent on required insurance and process-agent filings.

What is an OSHA citation?

An OSHA citation is a formal notice the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issues to an employer for a violation of a safety standard, specifying the standard cited, a proposed penalty, and an abatement date by which the hazard must be corrected.

What are SNC and HPV flags in EPA ECHO?

In EPA's ECHO system, SNC (Significant Non-Compliance) and HPV (High Priority Violation) are flags marking a facility's most serious violations under environmental statutes such as the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and RCRA.

What is a RCRA large-quantity generator (LQG)?

A RCRA large-quantity generator (LQG) is a facility that generates 1,000 kg or more of hazardous waste (or more than 1 kg of acute hazardous waste) in a calendar month, subject to the most stringent management and reporting requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

What is an H-1B LCA?

An H-1B Labor Condition Application (LCA) is a form an employer files with the US Department of Labor before petitioning for an H-1B worker, attesting to the wage and working conditions for the role — and it is public disclosure data.

What is a prevailing wage?

A prevailing wage is the average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation and geographic area, which an employer must generally meet or exceed to sponsor a foreign worker under programs like H-1B and PERM.

What is CMS Open Payments?

CMS Open Payments (the 'Sunshine Act' database) is a public federal program that discloses payments and transfers of value that drug and device manufacturers make to physicians and teaching hospitals.

What is an NPI?

A National Provider Identifier (NPI) is a unique 10-digit number that identifies a US healthcare provider or organization, assigned through the CMS NPPES registry and used across billing and administrative transactions.

What is an SEC Form 4?

An SEC Form 4 is a filing that corporate insiders — officers, directors, and beneficial owners of more than 10% of a company's stock — must submit to disclose changes in their ownership, generally within two business days of the transaction.

What is a going-concern qualification?

A going-concern qualification is language in a company's audited financial statements expressing substantial doubt about its ability to continue operating for the next twelve months — a formal, dated distress marker.

What is a NAICS code?

A NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code is a standardized numeric code that classifies a business by its primary economic activity, used across US federal statistics, contracting and regulatory data.

What is an FSIS recall?

An FSIS recall is a recall of meat, poultry, or egg products issued in coordination with USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, classified by health risk (Class I, II, or III) and naming the recalling establishment.