When it comes to Human Resources and Benefits administration, nothing stays still for long. Regulations shift, agency guidance evolves, federal priorities change with new administrations—and HR and Benefits teams must adapt quickly to stay compliant. At this year’s RECONNECT Dive Deep 2025, Oracle’s Julie Alonso, Product Strategist for PeopleSoft Human Resources, and Anne Leung, Senior Director of HCM Development, delivered a comprehensive walkthrough of the most important HR and Benefits legislative updates impacting PeopleSoft customers today. 

Their session highlighted not only what’s changing, but also what PeopleSoft has already delivered, what’s on the roadmap, and what customers should be preparing for right now.  

Preferred Name Legislation: States Leading the Way 

Preferred or “chosen” names have become an important topic as states seek to support identity inclusion and personal safety needs. 

California and New York were early leaders—California using the term Live Name and New York using Chosen Name. These laws give employees and applicants the right to use preferred first or last names, which may differ from legal names for reasons such as gender identity, personal preference, or safety concerns related to domestic violence or criminal matters. PeopleSoft customers across industries requested support for this functionality because names appear everywhere in the system: HCM, Campus Solutions, and Finance. 

To account for these diverse needs, PeopleSoft delivered a comprehensive, cross-application update that includes: 

• Preferred first, middle, last, and second last names 
• Configurable labels (Preferred, Chosen, Live Name, etc.) 
• Legal vs. preferred name search options 
• Self-service name updates for employees 

These enhancements ensure customers can remain aligned with evolving state legislation while offering safe, inclusive experiences to their workforce

New Federal Ethnicity Category: Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) 

A major federal change is on the horizon: the Office of Budget and Management (OMB) has introduced a new ethnicity category, Middle Eastern or North African (MENA), which must be fully implemented by March 2029. This change affects all federal reporting—from census data to passports—and will therefore impact PeopleSoft systems as well. 

But implementation timing remains dependent on federal agencies: 

• IPEDS (Higher Education) has not posted its implementation date. 
• EEOC (for EEO-1 reporting) has also not announced when they will accept the new code. 
• FAFSA has indicated it will adopt the category for the 2026–2027 form year. 

Because PeopleSoft coordinates ethnicity data across HCM and Campus Solutions, Oracle is holding delivery until key agencies confirm their timelines. Customers with internal reporting or custom forms should begin planning for future changes now. 

Modernizing Form I-9: Fluid UI, Manager Completion & Compliance Tools 

A redesigned Form I-9 is coming in July 2026—and PeopleSoft has already delivered major improvements to help organizations manage onboarding more efficiently. 

Key updates include: 

Fluid I-9 Experience 

Post-COVID needs drove PeopleSoft to modernize Form I-9 processing, adding self-service attachments, streamlined workflows, and easier verification methods—especially useful for organizations with decentralized onboarding. 

Manager Completion of Section 2 

Previously, only HR administrators could complete Section 2. Now, organizations can: 

• Allow managers to review and verify documents. 
• Keep the process entirely within HR. 
• Use a hybrid approach of both options. 

I-9 Compliance Dashboard 

Delivered  in Image 51, the dashboard offers: 

• Color-coded alerts for due dates 
• Overdue views 
• Printing options for audits 
• Filtering by date range or employee groups 

E-Verify Tracking (Without Full Integration) 

While PeopleSoft does not currently integrate directly with DHS’s E-Verify system—it does allow customers to track E-Verify values in PeopleSoft for reporting and compliance needs. 

Shifting Federal Priorities: Diversity, Disability, and Veteran Reporting 

With the change in administration, several diversity and inclusion policies are under review or reversal. Julie highlighted the biggest shifts PeopleSoft customers should monitor. 

Potential Elimination of Voluntary Disability Self-ID (Section 503 Reporting) 

The Department of Labor has proposed eliminating voluntary disability disclosure. If finalized, this would significantly affect HR, Recruiting, and reporting processes. Oracle has begun gathering feedback but awaits formal guidance. 

Veterans 4212 Reporting 

Still required. PeopleSoft continues to support VETS4212 reporting, and employees can self-identify veteran status in self-service. 

Gender Identity, Non-Binary Categories & Federal Restrictions 

In 2021, the U.S. Department of State allowed a third gender marker (“X”) on passports. The current administration has reversed this, barring updates to non-binary markers. FAFSA also removed its non-binary options immediately. 

While federal reporting currently allows only “Male” or “Female,” PeopleSoft continues to support configurable labels to help organizations maintain their internal D&I practices. 

EEO Reporting Updates 

The federal EEO landscape continues to shift: 

• Non-binary reporting, allowed in 2023, is no longer permitted on the 2024 EEO-1 form. 
• EEO-3 and EEO-5 reporting cycles are delayed with no federal explanation. 
• EEO-4 (Government Agencies) is expected to publish updated reporting guidance soon. 

PeopleSoft will continue to update customers as federal agencies publish new deadlines. 

New Action Reasons for Federal Employees Returning to On-Site Work 

With federal employees required to return to on-site work—or choose “deferred resignation,” PeopleSoft delivered new action reasons to help federal agencies document these transitions consistently. 

Additional HR Enhancements: Tuition Reimbursement, Longer School Names & Citizenship Tracking 

Beyond legislation, Oracle has delivered several customer-requested HR enhancements: 

• Expanded School Description Lengths – School descriptions now support up to 100 characters, helping higher education and global organizations use full campus or institution names. 

• New Tuition Reimbursement Functionality – In development now, this new feature will enable employees to: 

• Submit tuition reimbursement requests 
• Upload grades and receipts 
• Route approvals 
• Flow reimbursement data into Payroll 

• Citizenship & Passport Enhancements – A major improvement is underway: PeopleSoft is adding effective-dating and active/inactive statuses to citizenship and passport data, plus self-service updates and automated flows to HR admin pages. 

Benefits Legislative Updates: Secure 2.0 and ACA Changes 

Anne Leung delivered the second half of the session, focusing on major benefits legislation and Secure 2.0 updates PeopleSoft customers must prepare for. 

ACA Paperwork Burden Reduction Act 

Organizations are no longer required to provide paper 1095-C forms unless employees request them. PeopleSoft will update consent options to default to electronic delivery. 

Secure 2.0: Key PeopleSoft Deliveries & Roadmap Items 

Secure 2.0 contains numerous sections, but three have the biggest impact on PeopleSoft customers. 

1. Section 109: Super Catch-Up Contributions (Delivered in Image 48) 

PeopleSoft updated: 

• Age-based catch-up ranges (60–63) 
• Limit table extensions 
• Savings Catch-Up Extension field labels 
• Adjustments for benefits savings management 

2. Section 101: Auto-Enrollment & Auto-Escalation (Delivered in Image 51) 

This functionality enables: 

• Automatic enrollment into savings plans 
• Automatic escalation increases 
• Event rule updates 
• Notifications to employees 

3. Section 603: Roth Catch-Up for High Earners (In Development) 

This is the most significant and complex Secure 2.0 update. Employees earning more than $145,000 (indexed annually) must have all catch-up contributions treated as Roth. PeopleSoft is delivering: 

• A new special limits grid 
• A new rollover setup identifying Roth-required scenarios 
• Automated Roth threshold processing 
• Notifications via Notification Composer 
• Payroll integration for W-2-based earnings data 

This functionality is now moving forward because the IRS released final regulations in late September. 

HR Insights Roadmap: Analytics for Turnover, Diversity & Executive Dashboards 

PeopleSoft is actively developing new HR Insights dashboards that will help leaders analyze: 

• Turnover patterns (the #1 customer request) 
• Veteran hiring 
• Diversity representation 
• Workforce trends 

These dashboards are being designed for HR administrators and senior executives, leveraging the enormous volume of personal and job data stored in PeopleSoft. 

Conclusion: Staying Compliant in a Rapidly Changing Landscape 

PeopleSoft’s HR and Benefits roadmap reflects the reality HR teams face every day—legislation moves fast, regulations shift frequently, and compliance demands require dependable systems that evolve just as quickly. 

From major federal updates like Secure 2.0 and MENA implementation, to identity-inclusive enhancements such as preferred name and gender terminology, to ongoing refinements in I-9 processing and EEO reporting, Oracle continues to deliver the tools customers need to stay ahead of change. 

And with new HR Insights analytics and citizen-tracking improvements on the horizon, PeopleSoft organizations will have better visibility than ever before into the evolving workforce. 

Want more?  

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