Date:        January 6, 2000

Subject:   Expanding My companies(X) Family-Friendly Benefits

I feel fortunate to be employed by an organization that is involved in the community and in the quality of life of its employees. One area in which theX can improve upon its current excellent benefits package, and contribute greatly to the quality of life of its employees, is in parental leave benefits. I believe that X should seriously consider two elements to improve its family-friendly benefits: instituting paid parental leave of up to six weeks for a primary caregiver after the adoption of a child, and providing an Adoption Assistance Program.

I am sure that X has available information on the many benefits of a paid parental leave program, including improved recruitment and retention of women, lower rates of absenteeism due to family needs surrounding a birth or adoption, improved morale among employees, and an increased commitment to the family and community of X employees. For employees who are not part of a two-income family, it is indeed a hardship for the primary caregiver to go without a paycheck at a time of such critical emotional, physical, and financial need. Among X employees, there are only a handful of births/adoptions each year, and so the cost of such a program would not be at all burdensome to X, while the benefits would be great.

 I also strongly believe X would be served by recognizing the need for adoptive families to have adequate adjustment and bonding time with their new children. I understand the reason for the policy of woman who give birth, (that they receive 6-8 weeks paid leave or disability depending on their length with the company), is that they say women who give birth are disabled by the pregnancy and childbirth, thus need time to recover. In most cases, the mother's doctor releases her to come back to work at some point (typically 6 weeks after childbirth for a vaginal delivery, 8 weeks after for a c-section). My rationale as to why I should receive the same benefits as a person who has given birth is that I can expect my child to be malnourished and developmentally delayed after living her first months in an orphanage. For every three months in an orphanage a child is one month behind physically and mentally. I am also aware of the strong correlation between parent-child attachment and healthy child development. It is essential to me that I work to develop that attachment with my child before having to place her in a full-time child care situation.

I am overjoyed to be adopting a child from China in the coming year, and I am enthusiastic about helping others adopt as well. To help make it possible for other X employees to also know the joy of adopting, I ask that you take another look at our benefits package and consider expanding it to also include an Adoption Assistance Program. I request that you consider adding a benefit of no less than $3,000 to assist employees with adoption expenses. Allow me to elaborate on the justification for my petition.

Unlike an illness, having a family is a choice. It is commonplace for medical insurance to cover all or most of the expenses involved in carrying and giving birth to a child. It is also common for benefits packages to include paid maternity leave, and unpaid or paid family leave in addition to covering birth expenses.

According to the Health Insurance Association of America , the average birth in this country costs $6,430 , (for which X employees are fully covered). This figure does not include pre-natal care for the mother, nor complicated deliveries, such as Cesarean sections, nor care for premature infants, all of which are covered under our insurance programs. On the other hand, the average adoption, according to the National Adoption Center, costs $12,000 (which X employees must currently pay themselves). Both choices for creating a family are equally valid, but right now, only natural birth is financially supported by our benefits package. Further, those who have children biologically are also entitled to 6-8 weeks of full pay following the birth; adoptive parents have only 4 weeks full pay benefit.

Additionally, since our health plan partially covers fertility treatment in terms of diagnostic procedures and fertility drugs (well over $3,000 in most cases) it seems only right to offer at least that amount toward creating a family through adoption, as another alternative.

How can X benefit by expanding its benefits to include adoption? Without going into detail, here are a few of the most obvious attractions:

a) An adoption program will establish equity within our benefits package for both those who choose to adopt and those who choose to have their children by birth.

b) The utilization rate, on average, is very low, thus enabling the program to yield a high return on investment- it enhances corporate culture and makes X more attractive to family-oriented individuals, yet is underused. Statistically speaking, less than 1/2 of 1% of any employee population will use this benefit in a given year .

c) The package will keep pace with current benefits trends, and keep X competitive with other employers in the field.

d) Family-friendly policies such as this cannot help but build employee loyalty and goodwill.

e) It provides X with yet another opportunity to contribute to the community at large by making adoption affordable for more families. Its been proven over and over that children with stable families do a lot better in life and end up being more productive for society at large.

f) Finally, it is also worth noting that the IRS extends tax benefits to employers offering adoption assistance. You can find information about it in IRS Publication 968.

To help with your investigation into this proposal, I recommend the information package entitled "Employer's Guide to Adoption Benefits", compiled by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. In the package you will find a long but incomplete listing of many American companies that provide adoption benefits in addition to a model policy, and implementation strategies.

Thank you for giving this proposal your serious consideration. I strongly believe that the same advantages should be given to adoptive mothers that are given to birth mothers and a Xt Adoption Assistance Program is a win-win-win situation for all involved. X becomes more attractive; families can more easily afford to adopt. If I can be of any assistance to you as you consider the proposal, please do not hesitate to ask. I am eager to help in any way that I can. I look forward to hearing what you decide.


Employer Fact Sheet

Adoption and the Workplace: Why Benefits Work

Many employees in the national workforce choose to build their families through adoption. Yet the costs associated with this process can often be prohibitive. An increasing number of employers are instituting adoption benefits as a part of their comprehensive benefits package. They have seen how cost-effective and valuable these benefits are to the employees who utilize them.

The National Adoption Center, in collaboration with the Dave Thomas Foundation, has implemented a three-year initiative to establish and/or improve adoption benefits for employees in businesses and in the public sector with funding from the Kellogg Foundation.

Adoption Benefits provide:

Equitable benefits for all employees whether they choose parenthood through adoption or birth A cost-effective way of supporting adoption due to low utilization rates enhanced employee recruitment and retention Positive perception and publicity Financial assistance to employees that can make the difference in their ability to adopt Benefits to the community by assisting parents who want to provide loving homes for children without families

The National Adoption Center can provide:

Please contact Suzanne Camp at the National Adoption Center for more information on the Adoption and the Workplace Initiative, 215-735-9988.

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