I am Adopting a Child

FMLA Leave 

Employees eligible for FMLA leave entitlement may take up to 12 weeks of leave for placement of a child in the home for adoption or foster care within 12 months from the date of placement. Leave may be taken before the actual placement of a child in your home if an absence from work is required in order for the placement to proceed. 

Paid Parental Leave

Effective July 1, 2025, FMLA-eligible employees may request up to four weeks (160 hours maximum) of paid parental leave for the placement of a child with you for adoption. Paid parental leave does not require use of accrued time off and may be used on a continuous or intermittent basis. This leave type requires approval from HRS and will run concurrently with your FMLA leave entitlement. 

Adoption Time Off

Staff may use up to 40 hours of sick time off, or a pro-rated part time equivalent, when adopting a child. This time off should be submitted through an absence request in UNI Works by selecting Time Off > Sick > Adoption. Additional time off needed for adoption may be requested by using family caregiving hours (depending on available balances), vacation, compensatory time, or paid parental leave.   

Faculty may use up to 15 days of sick time off per academic year when adopting a child. This time off should be submitted through an absence request in UNI Works by electing Time Off >  Family Caregiving. Note: Faculty do not accrue vacation.

Faculty Adoption Leave

 Faculty may be granted an unpaid leave of absence when becoming a parent through adoption of a child less than 13 years of age. To be eligible for this leave, a faculty member must provide 60 calendar days written notice. See the Faculty Handbook for further details. 

Questions regarding time off and leave for adoption may be directed to the Leave and Accommodations Coordinator at hrs-leaves@uni.edu or 319-273-1614.

You can enroll in coverage or add dependents to your health, dental, or vision insurance within 60 calendar days from the date of adoption. You also have the option to change plan options or enroll in a different plan. If you make a midyear plan change, any deductible and out-of-pocket amounts already accumulated will carry over to your new plan.

Coverage for the child will be effective as of the date on the adoption decree. If you are making a plan change or enrolling for the first time, coverage for the employee and any other covered family members will be effective the first of the month following the adoption.

Any additional changes to your plan must be made during Open Enrollment.
 

You can change or enroll in an FSA due to a qualifying life event. Your deductions will start the month after the election is made but you are able to submit for reimbursement for claims from the date the child is adopted.

The purpose of the Adoption Assistance Program is to provide financial reimbursement for all or a portion of eligible expenses incurred in connection with the adoption of an Eligible Child after the adoption is finalized. The Program is intended to comply with the requirements of Section 137 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and to provide reimbursements to eligible employees that are excludable from federal gross income under Section 137 of the Code.

Eligible employees can elect/increase/decrease or de-enroll from voluntary term life for themselves, their spouse or their children due to the adoption of a child. The premium for VTL includes accidental death and dismemberment insurance and can be calculated for each coverage amount by viewing page four of the Group Voluntary Term Life Coverage document. If elected, coverage for the baby will begin the day they are born.

If you need to update your life insurance beneficiaries due to a qualifying life event, please use the UNI Works System.

For IPERS beneficiaries, please log into the IPERS website to update.

To update your TIAA beneficiaries, please log onto the TIAA website to update.

Effective July 1, 2024, employees who experience a qualified life event and request changes to their family health and/or dental coverage are required to verify all dependent relationships by submitting appropriate legal documentation.

Examples of documentation:

1. Spouse - marriage certificate, common law spouse affidavit
2. Domestic Partner - notarized domestic partner affidavit
3. Child - birth certificate which includes parents names, adoption paperwork, court order, or guardianship paperwork

At the time of your life event, documentation may be securely uploaded through UNI Works or presented in person at the Human Resources Office (Gilchrist 025). All documentation must be reviewed by HRS staff; however, no copies will be retained after the initial review (e.g., electronically submitted documents will be purged). For your security, please do not send personal documentation via email.

Many of us can face challenges every day that can be stressful, overwhelming, and cause strong emotions. Visit our Stress, Mental Health, and Grief Services webpage for services that may be useful to you and/or your family.

The UNI Child Development Center (CDC) is a child care and instruction resource for the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Northern Iowa located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The CDC is a part of the College of Education.

The University's EAP program is administered by Employee and Family Resources and provides several resources on how to find care, as well as how to choose care for your child/ren. Our EAP can provide a personalized search and referrals. Employees are able to work with a Work-Life Consultant that will conduct a search in the requested area for child care providers that meet the criteria requested. Employees will receive a personalized report based on the search results. For further assistance call EAP at 800-327-4692.

If you are needing child care outside of your home, Iowa CCR&R is a free local program that will work with families to find licensed child care. This program provides families with information to make informed choices and refers families to child care providers that are most likely to meet their specific needs.

The Parent Referral Hotline (855-244-5301) connects you with a specialist to offer referrals for in home child care or daycare centers.

You may also need to update your tax information. This can be done by logging into UNI Works and navigating to Menu > Benefits and Pay > Pay > Tax.

Annual Open Enrollment

If you do not make any changes during open enrollment your coverage selection will remain the same.

Qualifying Life Event

You may also enroll, waive, or change your coverage selection based on a qualifying life event.

UNI Works

UNI Works is designed to help you enroll, make changes, and view your current benefit elections, dependents and beneficiaries all in one location. When logging into UNI Works, select Benefits and Pay from the Main Menu.

1Q: If I am not currently covering anyone else on my health insurance, can I add them at this time?

1A: Adopting a child allows you to make changes to your insurance plans as it is a qualified life event.

2Q: If I add the child to my insurance, when will the coverage start?

2A: Coverage for the child will start as of the date on the adoption decree.