How to Plan for Becoming a Parent—and Other Life Changes

Are you eagerly anticipating the birth or adoption of a child? Or maybe you’re preparing to become a foster parent or legal guardian. No matter how that bouncing baby or beloved child comes to you, one thing is certain:  you will need to prepare.

Although designing the perfect nursery or bedroom is exciting, lining up daycare and working out how you’ll take time away from work to adjust and bond require your attention, too. There are many benefits available to help you through the transition. Information about those benefits and how to access them is below.

Medical Benefits: Be sure your new addition has health coverage for checkups and those late-night fevers. With Carilion’s medical plan, preventive care visits, such as annual checkups and screenings, are always covered at 100%, with no copay, deductible or coinsurance. Your Carilion Rewards hub has more information on the medical plan and benefit premium costs to help you plan.

Qualifying Events: Adding a dependent is an example of a qualifying event that allows you to make changes to your benefits without waiting until the next benefits open enrollment. Learn more on the Making Changes to Your Benefits page on Inside Carilion.

Dependent Care: Unless your new addition is older, you will need child care while you work. Child care spots for infants fill up quickly, so it’s best to start your search for a daycare while you’re expecting. Talk with your manager early on during your pregnancy (some parents recommend as early as the start of your second trimester) and work together on a return-to-work date. Child care options and benefits are available to you through Your Carilion Rewards. You can also save money on eligible child care expenses when you enroll in the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) during benefits open enrollment. This previous article has more information.

Hospital Indemnity Plan: When you enroll in this voluntary benefit, you're paid cash benefits when you have a planned or unplanned hospital stay for an illness, injury, surgery or having a baby.

Leave Options

Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability (LTD): Our STD and LTD benefits replace 60% of your eligible earnings if you are not able to work due to accident, illness or injury. There are two STD options:

• STD – a 30-day waiting period to use PTO or go unpaid before the weekly STD benefit begins.
• STD Buy-Up plan – for a higher premium, use less PTO and start your weekly STD payments sooner, after 14 days.

LTD is paid to you monthly after you have been out of work for at least 150 days. Enroll in STD and LTD at your time of hire (when first eligible for the benefit) or during open enrollment (there's a 60-day waiting period for the first year). See Disability Insurance and Contribution Summary (for premiums) for more details.

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA): If you are eligible for FMLA, you may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for the birth and care of a newborn child or the placement of a child for adoption or foster care, as well as for other family and medical reasons. FMLA also allows you to maintain your benefits. To be eligible, you must be employed with Carilion for 12 months and have 1,250 hours or service and meet federal  guidelines and criteria.

Personal Leave: You may take personal leave for a minimum of seven and a maximum of 42 days for personal needs not covered under FMLA, or for medical leave if you are not eligible for FMLA.

Supplemental Leave for Childbirth: This leave option is available if you are not eligible for FMLA, but require up to eight weeks of leave for your own personal recovery following the birth of a child.

Pay While On Leave

You will want to plan ahead for how you'll be paid while you're on leave.

• Depending on which STD plan you enrolled in, you will use your PTO to be paid while on leave for the first 14 or 30 days of STD. You cannot use PTO and short-term disability at the same time.
• If you do not have enough PTO to pay you for the entire duration of your leave, then you will go unpaid.

Preparing for Other Changes

Because life is full of changes, there are likely other situations you’re facing if you’re not in the family planning stage, or maybe in addition to growing your family. We’ve included some possible scenarios below and what benefits you may need to tap into to address those changes.