Help available to adopt special needs kids

Leila Adams watches her husband, John Adams, gets a kiss from their adopted special needs daughter, Ruby, 2, as he comes home from work. (Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune)

Adopting a healthy child can put a huge dent into your bank account. If you adopt a special needs child, you add a lifetime of medical bills.
Fortunately, help is available. In the last decade, many nonprofit associations have been formed to grant money to help with the adoption of special needs children. Other funds and financial resources are available through adoption agencies and the state and federal governments. Each organization has different criteria, though, so parents must do their homework.

"People rule out special needs adoption because they think they have to be Hollywood stars to afford it, but you don't," said Jenna Fernandez, of Naperville. She and her husband, Ray, adopted a daughter, now 5, who has developmental delays and cerebral palsy, and a son, now 11 months. "You may have to make sacrifices; we've delayed buying a home. But there's help."
To defray adoption legal fees, the Fernandezes received a grant from Northbrook-based Gift of Adoption. And they took advantage of the federal adoption tax credit (irs.gov), which has a current maximum of $12,650.
According to the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, adopting a child can cost as much as $50,000. Raising a special needs child includes many costs other parents don't have, such as pediatric wheelchairs and car ramps. Even with health insurance, the families must pay for each child's deductible and for uncovered expenses.
Many organizations that grant money to adoptees have adoption stories behind them. Show Hope in Franklin, Tenn., for example, was named for the girl (Shaohannah) who was adopted from China in 2000 by singer Steven Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth.
"They started the organization so they could use their celebrity to help more families adopt," said executive director Scott Hasenbalg.
Some adoption agencies have their own programs to help parents finance special needs adoptions.
Families who adopt through Bethany Christian Services (bethany.org) in Palos Heights can tap the agency's Caring Connection fund. The Finding Families for Children fund helps parents of "medically fragile" children who are adopted through the Cradle in Evanston.
Chicagoans Leila and John Adams tapped the Finding Families for Children fund for the $200-a-month cost of food supplements prescribed for their daughter, Ruby, now age 2. The Cradle did the homestudy for their adoption.
Through the agency that facilitated Ruby's adoption from Armenia, the Adamses learned about Illinois' Early Intervention program (dhs.state.il.us), which provides testing for children through age 3.
Although Ruby may evade the "special needs" label in the long term, she needs help battling the effects of her low birth weight (2 pounds) and her "failure to thrive" early diagnosis.
"Because of limited resources they had in Armenia, she has a complicated combination of problems," Leila said.
Leila's advice to other parents: If possible, switch your health insurance plan from an HMO to a PPO to broaden your choices of service providers.
"For example, it's hard to draw blood from her because of her malnourishment, so now we can go to a specialist in Chicago who can do it," she said.

Some special needs children qualify for federal Supplemental Security Income (ssa.gov). The state uses the federal criteria to determine if a child is eligible for the Illinois Adoption Assistance Program (state.il.us/dcfs), which is available for domestic special needs adoptees. The state program includes a one-time reimbursement for adoption expenses, monthly assistance from $400 to $980 and a medical card for doctor visits and drugs. The sticky point: A child must be approved for the state program before his or her adoption is finalized.
To make sure you take full advantage of the governmental programs, "hire an attorney who specializes in adoption law, because the eligibility rules are complicated," advised Christina Schneider, attorney at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
Many adoptive parents also get reimbursements from their employers. The larger the employer, the more likely it offers this benefit.
"Even if the company doesn't offer anything officially, it doesn't hurt to ask," said Gloria Hochman, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia-based National Adoption Center, which educates parents about financial resources. "More and more employers offer adoption benefits because it's a win-win situation. It doesn't cost the employer much, because it affects a relatively small number of employees, but it tells the employee that the company looks kindly toward adoption."
To find the top 100 adoption-friendly employers, see the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (davethomasfoundation.org), named for the Wendy's Co. founder, who was an adoptee.
Military families also qualify for adoption fee reimbursements of up to $2,000 (militaryfamily.org).
And many groups also provide aid to assist in the adoption of healthy older children, especially when the adoption involves siblings.