Steve and I were so lucky that both of our companies provided financial assistance (totaling $17,000!) and MAPA leave (we each got 6 weeks paid leave) when we adopted Emma. Even when we adopted the boys through DSS and there were no fees to be paid, I got 12 weeks (6 weeks for each boy even though we got them at the same time) and Steve got 6 weeks. Because they were older we stretched out the time over a year so that we would be home when they were out of school and available for therapy/doctors visits. Both the financial assistance and the leave were a godsend! It amazes me that so few employers provide these benefits to their staff.
The October issue of Adoptive Families has a great form letter (of course you can alter it) to use when approaching your employer about adding Adoption Benefits to your company's benefit plan.
http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=1480
Claire
