[flowermom]

They definitely will not let you submit your dossier before 30 but good news is they let you apply and start to get things ready at 29 1/2. We are 30 and 33 and honestly the tiem worked to our favor..we wanted to get settled, lower our debt (still trying) and I want to be a stay at home mom. I am a stay at home wife now.

As for special needs I know I was surprised how they labeled them as well but be aware thet usually a missing finger or birthmark is not their only problem. I know a lot of people that came home only to find that there were more serious issues. Some of the orphanges don't look into any further "needs" once they find one or two. A couple of agencies I talked to told me this.

You just want to be prepared. We are going on the Non special needs list and will jump on it a few yrs. from now if they wait looks like it will be over 5 yrs. Youc an trund down a referral after talking to your dr.

We wanted this child to be our first but will probably have a biological child while we wait. Not all agencies let you do this though and the biological child has to be a yr. old by the time of your China referral.

As for everythinh else hang in there you could see a shorter wait time when you do eventually apply

[LockStock]

My wife & I are considering a Special Needs adoption from China. We've previously completed a SN adoption from VN. Would love to get any agency recommendations, process, information, etc. from anyone who has adopted thru a China Waiting Child/Special Needs program. Please PM if you have any information you can share.

Thanks!

[specialk4b]

LockStock, I sent you a PM.

[LockStock]

Originally Posted by specialk4b

LockStock, I sent you a PM.

Thank you so much for the info. We have a lot of big decisions to make, and it's always helpful to get a firsthand account from someone who's already gone through the process.

[sak9645]

Let me just add a couple of things.

1. CHINA does not discount fees. The same orphanage donation is required for NSN and SN children, because the funds go to offsent the costs of caring for your child before adoption and other children who may never be adopted. If anything, the cost of caring for SN children is greater than the cost of caring for NSN children, as they need more medical care and therapies and, often, things like special foods, special bottles, and so on.

2. Individual agencies, at their discretion, may discount or eliminate THEIR portion of the total fees, in order to get kids with special needs adopted. However, these discounts are rarely given for kids with very minor SNs; they are usually reserved for kids that are truly "hard to place" because they have conditions such as blindness, deafness, mental retardation, severe cerebral palsy, and so on.

3. The agencies that are best able to discount fees are those with a strong donor base, because the agencies have to survive somehow, if they don't get paid for placing children. Look for agencies that have a strong reputation for promoting special needs adoptions.

4. Do remember that an agency can offset only its component of total fees, It cannot discount fees that must be paid to others, such as airlines, hotels, the USCIS, the orphanage donation, the homestudy provider, etc. The agency fee is NOT the major component of an adoption's costs.

Sharon

[LockStock]

Thanks for the reply, sak9645. Fortunately, my wife & I weren't exporing SN adoption as a way to lower fees. My employer is extremely generous in regards to adoption reimbursement, and matches the amount of the federal tax credit. So as it stands today, the first $23,300 is covered either by my employer or by the tax credit. The only concern for us is paying the costs up front and waiting until the adoption is finalized to be reimbursed (well....there's also the thought that the tax credit could be reduced after 2009).

[sak9645]

Unfortunately, you do have to wait until your adoption is considered final until you can file for the tax credit. If you both travel, that will be in the year you actually receive your adoption decree in China. If only one parent travels, that is supposed to be the year in which readoption/recognition occurs in the U.S. (often a year later), although there is a "safe harbor" that might protect you if you file in the year of the actual adoption.

Do be aware that you do not pay all of the fees at once. In many cases, with an NSN adoption or an adoption in which China chooses a child with the special need you specify, you pay the final installment of your adoption fees after you receive your referral, so you have quite a while to accumulate the funds.

Some families still do find it difficult to pay the full costs of their adoption before they receive employer benefits and the tax credit. In many cases, they try to obtain a loan from family members, which they pay off when they get the tax credit. In others, they attempt to secure a loan from an adoption-friendly bank and pay it back after the adoption. Some people, who have a 401-K or similar plan through their employers, can borrow against the funds in it, at a very low interest rate, and this works very well.

Sharon

[Sohmakun]

I also would like to add that these types of medical problems are also consider special needs in other countries too. If you don't qualify for China you may want to look at Taiwan.