How to Obtain Workplace Benefits for Adoption

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that it costs $237,000 to raise a child born in 2006. That doesn’t include the amount it costs to adopt, which generally ranges from $15,000 to $30,000, depending on the type of adoption you pursue.

Most adoptive parents aren’t wealthy. The latest U.S. Census shows that the median income of adoptive families with children under age 18 is $56,000 a year, compared to $48,000 for families who birth their children.

Many parents take advantage of workplace benefits for adoption, such as paid adoption leave and financial aid packages. On average, companies that provide adoption benefits allocate about $2,000 per adoption.

Other typical workplace benefits include the Federal Adoption Tax Credit, which reimburses eligible adoptive families up to $10,630 per child for specific adoption-related expenses.

There’s also the Family and Medical Leave Act, in which employers of 50 or more people must grant eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave upon placement of a foster or adopted child.

Active-duty military personnel can also take advantage of the DoD Adoption Reimbursement Policy, in which they’re eligible for reimbursements of up to $2,000 per child and up to 21 days of adoption leave.

The Adoption-Friendly Workplace, a resource center for those who advocate for workplace adoption benefits, recommends the following strategies for prospective parents whose employers do not offer adoption assistance benefits:

• Familiarize yourself with your company’s maternity and parental leave policies, and compare maternity benefits with adoption benefits.
• Identify the person(s) responsible for administering benefits and ask about the decision-making process in regards to new benefits.
• Enlist the support of other employees who are adopting, who have adopted, or who are touched by adoption, particularly if those employees are in a decision-making and/or management level.
• Write a proposal requesting adoption benefits. Your proposal will include the following:

• A letter to your employer
• Comparison of maternity/adoption benefits
• Request to add adoption benefits to your company’s benefits policy
• List of employers in your industry or area who offer adoption benefits

• Schedule a meeting with a senior manager in human resources. Share your own experience with adoption and discuss your desire to add adoption benefits to your company’s benefits policy.
• Ask what the next steps will be in the decision-making process and schedule a follow-up meeting.

For more adoption information, please visit my Web site, www.laurachristianson.com.

Comments

[Ray]

In my branch of the FedGov, they allow you to use sick leave while you travel overseas to adopt. In our case, that was almost two weeks in China. Not bad.