Who is Eligible, Page 5

Typical Company Plans

Given the differences in the size and economics of companies, there is no single adoption benefit plan that fits all companies. The following are examples of typical plans that are presently offered:

Wendy's International, headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, covers eligible adoption expenses up to a maximum of $4,000 per adoption for employees who have completed 1 year of service and participate in the company's Group Insurance Program. For the adoption of a child with special needs, Wendy's will reimburse up to $6,000 per adoption. Financial assistance will cover specific adoption-related expenses, such as licensed adoption agency fees, legal costs, State-required "home study," and charges for temporary foster care before placement. A paid leave of absence is available upon assuming custody of the child, with the amount of leave determined by the employee's length of service. Unpaid leave must be approved by the employee's supervisor and the human resources department.

American National Can Company of Chicago, Illinois, reimburses for 80 percent of eligible adoption expenses up to $2,000 per adoption. The reimbursement covers reasonable and customary public and private agency fees, reasonable and customary legal fees, court fees, reasonable and customary charges for necessary medical expenses not covered under any other available flexible benefits option, and temporary foster care charges when their payment is required immediately preceding the child's placement.

The Campbell Soup Company of Camden, New Jersey, offers salaried employees financial reimbursement of up to $2,000 for adoption-related expenses, payable when the adoption is finalized. In addition, the company may give some paid leave to adoptive parent employees based on their length of service. Additional unpaid leave is available for up to 60 days with the approval of the employee's supervisor. This plan is available to both male and female regular salaried employees.

General Mills, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, specifies that benefits will be given to regular, active, salaried non-union employees working 50 percent or more of the standard work week with at least 1 year of service. The company reimburses 80 percent, up to $1,500, for these expenses: legal fees, court and Government fees, agency and foreign adoption fees, birth mothers' pregnancy expenses, travel expenses, child's medical expenses, and temporary foster care. Coverage includes adoption of stepchildren and private adoption (where legally permitted) in addition to licensed agency adoptions. The company allows for unpaid time off according to the company's parental leave policy.

The Procter & Gamble Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, reimburses employees for up to $2,000 of eligible expenses at any time after the child is placed in the family's home and considers each child separately in the case of multiple adoptions, permitting a maximum of $6,000 payable to any one family within a 1-year period. Employees with at least 6 months of continuous regular employment may be reimbursed, up to the $1,000 maximum, for recognized adoption agency fees, placement fees, maternity fees for the birth mother, temporary foster care fees, and legal fees. The company specifically excludes the following adoption-related expense items from reimbursement: transportation expenses, professional counseling to the adopted child's biological parents, institutional expenses (e.g., orphanage or unwed mothers home), fees related to legal guardianship, fees related to adoption of adults, illegal adoption services or procedures, or contested legal actions.

Xerox Corporation of Stamford, Connecticut, acknowledges that because adoption costs vary "depending on such factors as geographic location, the nature of the adoption agency, and income of the prospective parents (or parent), the intent of the program is to provide some level of assistance to employees who wish to adopt." Xerox reimburses regular full-time or part-time employees who adopt with up to $3,000 in expenses such as: public and private agency fees, legal and court fees, medical expenses (including physical examinations for adopting parents and maternity expenses for birth mothers), foreign adoption fees, and temporary foster care charges.

Credits: Child Welfare Information Gateway (http://www.childwelfare.gov)