Getting a denial letter for Katie Beckett Medicaid is discouraging—but it is not the end. If you’re navigating a Katie Beckett appeal in Georgia, know that many families are approved during the appeal process once they provide additional documentation or clarify the record. I went through this with two of my own sons—one technical denial and one level of care denial—and both were ultimately approved. This guide walks you through what each type of denial means, how to appeal it, and what actually helped us.
Note: I’m a parent sharing what worked for our family in Georgia. This is not legal or medical advice. Policies change—always confirm details with official Georgia Medicaid sources or a professional advocate.
Quick Navigation
- Two Types of Denial
- Technical Denial: What It Is & How to Fix It
- Level of Care Denial: What It Means
- The 30-Day Deadline
- Finding Legal Help (Free)
- How to File for a Fair Hearing
- What to Include in Your Cover Letter
- Our Timeline
- You May Not Have to Go to Court
- Next Steps & Related Guides
- FAQs
Two Types of Denial
When you receive a Katie Beckett denial in Georgia, it will typically fall into one of two categories. Knowing which one you have tells you what your next move is.
A technical denial means the application was incomplete or missing documentation—not that your child was evaluated and found ineligible. The medical reviewer will note in the letter exactly what they need. This is often the easiest to resolve.
A level of care denial is an actual eligibility determination—the reviewer is saying they don’t believe your child currently meets the level of care threshold based on what was submitted. This one requires more work, but it is absolutely worth challenging if you believe the denial is wrong.
Technical Denial: What It Is & How to Fix It
My son’s technical denial letter had a checkbox marking it as technical, and the comments section explained exactly what the medical reviewer needed: therapy notes from January through the present, plus an explanation for any gaps in therapy attendance.
Here’s what I did:
- Contacted each therapy provider and requested signed, dated notes for the requested time frame. Most sent them within days.
- Wrote a cover letter listing every date we had missed an appointment and the reason why. (I keep this in Google Calendar—if you don’t already, start now.)
- Mailed the new packet to the address listed on the denial letter.
I sent it May 29th. I received the approval letter June 17th. Fast turnaround once you send what they’re asking for.
Key tip: Read the comments section of the denial letter carefully. The reviewer tells you what they need. Give them exactly that—nothing vague, nothing assumed.
Level of Care Denial: What It Means
My other son received a level of care denial. The letter listed specific reasons: a psychological evaluation was flagged, and the reviewer felt that therapies were not in place five days a week—which is one of the qualifying criteria. I knew that second point was inaccurate based on our actual schedule, so I decided to appeal.
During the appeal process, I spoke with the medical reviewer directly (more on that below). She explained that our early therapy notes looked inconsistent because we had just started services—there had been some scheduling gaps while we were getting established, plus some illness. Once she saw three solid months of consistent attendance with a cover letter explaining the gaps, the picture made much more sense.
There was also a question about a psychological evaluation score—my son was one point away from a threshold that automatically qualifies a child. The advocate I was working with asked the psychologist to clarify the margin of error for that test, since he was so close to the cutoff. That kind of detail matters.
The 30-Day Deadline
This is the most important thing on the denial letter: you have 30 days from the postmark date to request a fair hearing. If you miss that window, the decision is final.
Don’t wait to figure everything out before filing. File the hearing request to protect your rights, and work on gathering documentation while the process moves forward. You can request a continuance (more time) after the hearing is scheduled—that’s exactly what I did.
Finding Legal Help (Free)
Your denial letter—toward the back, in the section about your right to a hearing—lists places you can contact for free or low-cost legal help. I reached out to two at the same time because I only had 30 days and lawyers are busy.
The Georgia Advocacy Office was the most helpful for me. I called, explained my situation, they sent me an email address to send my packet to, and eventually a lawyer was assigned who walked me through the whole process. She couldn’t take me on as a full client, but she gave me a game plan, helped me understand what to send, and was genuinely amazing. I’m so grateful for her help.
Georgia Advocacy Office (request help): thegao.org/advocacy-request
Even if you ultimately represent yourself, having someone review your packet and tell you whether it’s worth pursuing is valuable. Both lawyers I consulted felt my son’s application was strong and encouraged me to appeal.
How to File a Katie Beckett Appeal in Georgia
On the back pages of your denial letter, you’ll find the address to mail your hearing request to the Georgia Department of Community Health. Write a letter requesting a fair hearing, include your child’s name and case information, and send it certified mail so you have a record.
To make this easier, I turned the template I used into a fillable version you can download: Fair Hearing Request Letter Template. Fill in your child’s name, Medicaid ID, denial date, and your contact information—then mail it to the address on your denial letter.
Here’s what my timeline looked like after filing:
- May 30th — mailed hearing request
- June 13th — hearing filed with the court, hearing date set for July 24th
- Filed a continuance to get more time to gather documentation
- July 18th — received a call from the state attorney and the medical reviewer to discuss the case
- By that Friday night — had emailed all updated documentation
- Wednesday — lawyer acknowledged receipt and forwarded to medical reviewer
- Shortly after — both sons showed as approved in Georgia Access
Note on sending documents: For a technical denial, I had to mail everything. Once I filed for a fair hearing on the level of care denial, all communication and documentation switched to email.
What to Include in Your Cover Letter
Whether you’re responding to a technical denial or submitting documentation during a hearing appeal, your cover letter matters. Keep it organized and direct. Here’s the format I used:
- Subject line — clearly state what you’re responding to (e.g., “Response to Technical Denial – [Child’s Name]”)
- List what you’re enclosing — name each document, the provider, and the date range (e.g., “Occupational Therapy notes, February–April”)
- Address gaps directly — if there are dates where therapy didn’t happen, list each one and explain why (therapist canceled, holiday, office closed for training, illness, spring break, etc.)
- Close with a clear ask — “I hope this information shows that my son qualifies. Please contact me with any questions.”
- Sign it
My cover letter for both the technical denial and the level of care denial looked nearly identical—both times they were requesting more therapy records over a longer period, so the format held.
Consider adding a Parent Supplemental Statement. If you feel like the medical records alone don’t fully capture your child’s day-to-day needs, a parent statement can help fill in that picture for the reviewer. It gives you space to describe what your child’s life actually looks like—what they can and can’t do independently, how much support they need, and why the level of care criteria applies. Download the template here: Katie Beckett Parent Supplemental Statement Template
Our Timeline at a Glance
Every case is different, but here’s roughly how it went for us:
- Technical denial: Sent response May 29th → Approval letter June 17th (~3 weeks)
- Level of care denial: Filed hearing request May 30th → Both sons approved in Georgia Access about 2 months later, without ever going to a hearing
In general, expect the appeals process to add 2–3 months. It feels long when you’re in it, but it moves faster than you think once you get organized and start sending what they need.
You May Not Have to Go to Court
I was prepared to go to the hearing if I had to—I believed my son qualified and I was ready to fight for it. But I never had to. Once I submitted the updated documentation, the medical reviewer reviewed it and the case was resolved before the hearing date. The lawyer filed a mutual continuance, then moved to dismiss the case once both sons were approved.
The advocate I worked with said this is often how it goes. Filing for a hearing gets the process moving and signals that you’re serious. Many cases are resolved when the right documentation finally gets in front of the reviewer.
Next Steps & Related Guides
If you’re in the middle of the appeal process, these guides will help:
📄 Fair Hearing Request Letter Template — fill in your info and mail it to the address on your denial letter
📝 Parent Supplemental Statement Template — use this to describe your child’s daily needs in your own words
📋 Forms & Supporting Documents — make sure your original packet was complete
📁 What to Gather Before You Apply — therapy notes, evaluations, and what makes a strong application
🏠 Katie Beckett in Georgia: Full Parent Guide — overview of the entire process
Georgia Advocacy Office: thegao.org/advocacy-request
Georgia Medicaid info line: 1-800-766-4456
KB/TEFRA program phone: 678-248-7449
FAQs
What if I miss the 30-day deadline? If you miss the window, the denial becomes final and you would need to start a new application from scratch. This is why it’s so important to file the hearing request immediately—even before you have all your documentation together. You can gather paperwork after the hearing is filed.
Can I appeal without a lawyer? Yes. I represented myself through most of the process. Having the Georgia Advocacy Office attorney advising me in the background was helpful, but I made the calls, gathered the documents, and wrote the cover letters myself. You are allowed to speak for yourself at a fair hearing.
What’s the difference between a Reconsideration Review and a Fair Hearing? A Reconsideration Review (also called a Favors Review) is an administrative review where you submit new medical information without going to a hearing. A Fair Hearing is a more formal process with an Administrative Law Judge. You can request either—or both. I went the Fair Hearing route because I wanted the process moving quickly.
How long does the appeal process take? It varies, but expect 2–3 months. My technical denial resolved in about 3 weeks. My level of care appeal took about 2 months from filing the hearing request to approval—without ever going to a hearing.
What if my child was denied because of a psychological evaluation score? Don’t assume the score is final. If your child was close to a qualifying threshold, ask the psychologist about the margin of error for that specific test. That detail can matter and is worth raising during the appeal process.
Do I need to reapply if my appeal is successful? No. If your appeal is approved, coverage is granted—you don’t start over. In our case, both sons showed as approved in Georgia Access and we received Medicaid cards about a week later.
What if I receive an approval letter but never get a Medicaid card? Call the Katie Beckett office. After my son’s technical denial was approved, we never received a card in the mail. A couple weeks after the approval letter I called and they transferred me to a caseworker. She said she was aware of the issue—there was a glitch in the system and she was waiting for a supervisor to clear it. Shortly after that call, the card arrived. So if your card doesn’t show up, don’t wait—just call and ask.
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