03/20/2026
UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealthcare Optum
I am constantly ANGRY and disappointed with the repeated denial of care for my son.
Garrett Riley has been living with an anoxic brain injury since his accident in November 2019.
At its core and at the very minimum, healthcare should prioritize both health and care. Unfortunately, our experience has reflected neither. Instead of getting support for meaningful recovery, we continue to face denials for services that are clearly intended to improve his condition and quality of life.
Despite the clinical need for acute inpatient rehabilitation, our requests are consistently denied under the justification of “medical necessity.” At the same time, you will approve placement to a skilled nursing facility—an option that does not provide the same level of rehabilitative intensity or potential for recovery. Let me be very clear... my son will NEVER go to a SNF.
This raises serious concerns about how care decisions are being made. It is extremely difficult to understand why a pathway that offers better outcomes is denied, while one associated with lower recovery rates is approved.
Evidence shows that patients with brain injuries often experience better outcomes in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) compared to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), including:
1. Lower hospital readmission rates
2. Higher likelihood of returning to the community
3. Improved overall recovery trajectories
In fact, IRFs maintain approximately a 70% discharge-to-community rate—significantly higher than SNFs.
With this little bit of information, how can you medically justify why my son is being denied access to a level of care that is widely associated with better outcomes for patients with his condition.
And don't get me started on how beneficial Function therapies are for brain injury.
My goal is very simple: to give my son the best possible opportunity for recovery. Stop holding us back!
WHY in the world would you not want someone to actually make some sort of recovery??? I will never understand it. It's disgusting.
Garrett isn't just a member ID... This is my kid! He deserves every opportunity to regain control of his life and at the very least... he deserves HEALTHCARE. So, get ready... I will be back on the phone again today calling and fighting for what he deserves.
