Search Results for: blog financial assistance in adoption

Can You Get By With Less Financial Support?

What would you do if you got a letter from your state government that asked if you would willingly accept a reduction in the financial support for your child? This is exactly what happened to parents who had adopted children with special needs in Vancouver, Washington. Adoption does not happen instantaneously. It is a long process, and it requires a lot of strength and patience. Prospective parents will need to show that they are ready to be a good parent, both emotionally and financially. Parents who choose to adopt a child who has special needs must be ready for the … Continue reading →

Adoption Leave and Assistance

In my last entry I mentioned doing some research on adoption benefits that employers may offer. If you are planning on pursing adoption you should start your journey by calling your human resource department and see if they offer any. When you are speaking with them be sure to ask if the company offers any financial assistance to pay for the adoption process. Many employers offer paid leave but if your company is not one of the companies that offer it but your company has more than 50 employees they are obligated under the Federal Family Medical Leave Act to … Continue reading →

Special Needs Adoption

As you may remember one part of the adoption application was to consider what type of child you would consider. You may think that is an easy question, it is actually one of the most complex questions. When you hear the term special needs adoption you may automatically think of a child who has physical disabilities. While children with physical disabilities are special needs children there is also many other conditions or circumstances that would make the child a special needs child. Some of the other reasons that a child may be labeled as special needs are: • If they … Continue reading →

Your Employer Might Pay Some of Your Adoption Expenses

Did you know you could get adoption assistance from your employer? Nearly half of U.S. firms now offer adoption assistance, up from only twelve percent in 1990. You may wonder why an employer would offer to pay some of your adoption costs. Many employers say that it helps them be more competitive and they get a good return on their investment overall. Although I wonder if the more difficult economy we’ve experienced the last few months will lead firms to discontinue this benefit, I hope they will not. In any economic climate, a company is only as good as its … Continue reading →

Just When Could Youth Learn About Adoption and Life?

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In a recent blog, I suggested that students be prepared for practical life—learning about parenting and adoption, community resources such as basic and emergency medical care, food and financial assistance, etc. (I do not think becoming aware of programs such as food stamps and WIC makes people who could work more likely to depend on these programs. Indeed, in my experience many people who rely on these programs are working, sometimes full-time, in lower-paying jobs–such as child care or social services, I might add!) I will say here that I do completely sympathize with the lament that schools are asked … Continue reading →

Let’s Educate Our Youth about Adoption!

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This week I blogged about a tragedy in the Midwest and then reflected that the young mother was missing crucial knowledge on many practical details of life: prenatal and emergency medical care, financial assistance, breastfeeding and where to find help with it, and adoption. Even if her story about adoption agencies rejecting her baby due to lack of prenatal care is true—and I have a hard time believing that, since even many private adoption agencies tell their clients they need to be open even to substance-abused babies—more education could have helped her find other agencies and resources. I suggest a … Continue reading →

Adoption Tax Credit

Many people who hear how expensive adoption is do not realize what a dramatic difference the adoption tax credit makes. The tax credit for adoption is $10,000. This is not a deduction where you deduct adoption expenses from your taxable income. This is an actual credit, meaning you pay less money in taxes. For most people, that means you will be getting quite a refund! This one-time tax credit is available to those who adopt internationally as well as those who adopt US infants or US children in foster care, unlike the ongoing monthly subsidies for medical or psychological care … Continue reading →

Adoption and Your Employer

Ed Paul’s recent Blog On Having a Calling made me smile. Our adoption stories are as much the same as they are different. We both raised biological children but found a good reason to become adoptive parents. He was able to retire and share his calling with his co-workers but, I had a very different experience. In my last position in a large Insurance Brokerage I knew I had been hired in part because, my biological children were old enough to drive me to work! It was very clear during the interviewing process that I was well liked, however there … Continue reading →

Adoption Subsidy Payments

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A very interesting article appeared in the adoption blog this morning. Some of the points intrigued me enough to write about how I feel about the subject. What got my attention was the idea that some people think that adoption subsidies and assistance are not justified. Our family is paid an adoption subsidy and given other benefits such as Medicaid and I do not feel like I need to apologize to anyone for taking it. Historically, these benefits came with every child that was adopted. We have very good friends that adopted twelve years ago. They are fairly affluent people, … Continue reading →

Financial Assistance in Adoption

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Many people do not consider adopting or fostering a child because they assume that it would be too expensive for them to take on the responsibility of having another child in their home. Most states provide subsidies to assist with the expenses of taking care of a child. These subsidies are generally not considered as taxable income. In my state, the payments are made one month in arrears. For our family, there was an added frustration in that the money was paid through an adoption agency and they sometimes held the money for an extra month. An additional problem in … Continue reading →