Adoptive Parents Enjoy Support, Community—and Financial Help
High costs of adoption are offset by Booz Allen’s unique benefit and parental leave policy.
November is National Adoption Awareness Month, and a growing number of Booz Allen Hamilton employees are finding cause for celebration.
“We’ve wanted kids for 12 years,” says Booz Allen Hamilton associate Kurt Christensen, “and I’d suggest to anyone who wants a family, don’t wait—check out adoptions. Tatyana and Scot have given us so much joy already in the few short months they’ve been with us. We can’t wait to see how they grow and change as the years go by.”
Committed to supporting the work–life balance of its staff, Booz Allen eases the challenges of adoption with a generous reimbursement benefit. Parents receive $5,000 in financial assistance per child for adoptions finalized after December 2004.
Eligible employees in U.S. states and territories other than Alaska, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico receive the benefit without federal or state income taxes withheld. In addition, money spent on qualified adoption expenses such as adoption fees, legal fees, or travel is not subject to tax.
Associate Natalie Jackson says that providing adoption benefits is one of the firm’s family-friendly benefits. “It helps our staff defray some of the costs associated with adoption,” she says. And a number of employees have taken advantage of the benefit since it was introduced at the end of 2004: Nineteen in 2005, and 15 so far in 2006.
Associate Lori Reidenbaugh knows that very few companies offer similar benefits, so she felt fortunate when the adoption of her 15-month-old daughter Grace was finalized in September 2006. “Booz Allen also has an adoption network called Adoption Allies, which is part of its Parents Forum,” she says. “Sometimes it helps to just talk to others who have adopted. It’s a tight-knit group.”
“The benefit is wonderful and shows that the firm is committed to helping employees with non-traditional families,” says associate Alicia White, whose son Lucas was born in El Salvador. “My hope is that more parents will now consider adoption as a great way to build a family.”
Numerous Resources for Finding Information, Reducing Costs
National Adoption Awareness Month started as Adoption Week in 1976. In 1990, the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) expanded it to a full month, when events are encouraged to raise awareness about adoption needs, resources, and programs.
According to NACAC, hundreds of thousands of children are currently awaiting adoption in the U.S., and over half a million are in foster care. Parents adopting internationally must obtain visas for the children; in 2000, over 17,000 immigrant visas were issued to orphans primarily from China, Russia, South Korea, Guatemala, and Romania.
Adoption fees in the U.S. range from no cost at all to $40,000 for some independent, private adoptions. The duration of the process varies so widely it’s hard to determine an average, but most take six months to three years.
If an adoption qualifies, the IRS provides an adoption credit of approximately $10,000 for each effort to adopt a child; there is also an income limit that affects the credit. The IRS definition of a qualifying adoption, however, includes several requirements, including compliance with state and federal laws. Adoption of a spouse’s child does not qualify.
“One of the greatest challenges to most families in becoming adoptive parents is the cost,” says Christensen. “Booz Allen’s benefit helped take away some of the financial stress that was put on our family when we decided to adopt.”
To receive reimbursement from the firm, the employee completes an adoption request, attaches supporting documentation (i.e., an adoption decree) indicating the adoption is final, and submits expense receipts. Booz Allen’s policy is based on IRS guidelines.
Says Jackson, “Adoptive parents are also eligible for our two-week paid parental leave policy. Through our free resource and referral service, LifeWorks, staff members can find educational materials on adoption, becoming a parent, children’s health, and stages of development.”
Helping Prospective Parents Build Families
Reidenbaugh’s daughter was born in China. “It was a long wait for her—two years,” she says. “But Booz Allen has been very supportive throughout. I couldn’t give my boss much notice before I had to leave, and I’ve been telecommuting since I returned.” She kept an online blog to communicate with Booz colleagues while overseas; people she didn’t even know e-mailed their support.
“It’s such an emotional journey,” she says, but at least the benefit was painless. “I was reimbursed in the next paycheck after I submitted the form.”
Christensen had a similar experience: “We adopted our children in July and received our benefit in September. I just send in the receipts and that was that.”
He and his wife Anne started the adoption process in January 2006, and brought Tatyana, 2, and Scot, 1, home from Russia in July. “Of course, every adoption goes differently but ours was really fast,” he says. “We felt this was yet another sign that Tatyana and Scot were meant to be with us.
“Before we adopted, we researched agencies and countries that allow adoption. The Internet is a great source of information for prospective parents. There are websites and blogs specifically dealing with, in our case, Russian adoptions—the process, cost, health issues, and stories by parents who experienced good and difficult adoptions.”
White also found the Internet invaluable. But the Booz Allen benefit provided the greatest assistance. “I adopted my son when he was 13 months, and the entire process took a little over three years,” she says. “Travel costs are somewhat unpredictable, and I had to stay an extra two weeks in El Salvador that I had not planned in my original budget. But the benefit allowed me to pay off some of the travel fees incurred during the trip.” The adoption benefit also helped cover part of White’s unpaid parental leave.
Today, all three families encourage prospective parents to move forward with their adoption plans.
“Now I can’t imagine life without Grace,” says Reidenbaugh. “For us, there were plenty of delays, and then the paperwork expired and we had to start over again. But we kept our eye on the prize.”
“There are far too many children domestically and internationally who need families,” says White. “But with the U.S. tax credit of over $10,000 and the Booz Allen benefit, adoption is now achievable for families who didn’t think they could afford it.”
story posted November 2, 2006
Additional Information:
>> See Booz Allen Named a Top 100 Adoption-Friendly Workplace in 2007
