Does mom have to stay in the nursing home for a whole month for Medicaid to pay?

When can monitoring an unstable medical condition or coordinating care be considered skilled care in a skilled nursing facility.

I've never heard of a full month requirement in order for Medicaid to pay. When I moved my mom from 1 NH to another NH, the state Medicaid program easily prorated payments to each NH for exactly the days at each. I think the states pay a fixed amount no matter how many days in the month, so an Oct 11 admission pays Oct 11 - Oct 31 days and would be slightly lower than a Feb 11 admission that pays Feb 11 - Feb 28 as Feb has less days in the month so Feb has a higher daily rate.

Now could it be that you all signed a contract when mom went into the NH that they require a 14 or 30 day notice to move to another facility or move out or you will be billed for the non-resident days at either a private pay rate or Medicaid rate?
You should have a copy of the admissions contract, what does it read regarding discharge?

When my mom was in IL, she had to do a 30 day advance notice to move unless she moved within the complex. This IL also has AL and NH and the contract all reads the same as it's an standard one for the whole big complex. Nothing in the contract mentioned Medicaid payment circumstances, it basically gives the facility the supossed ability to go after whomever for payment or for the difference in payment. Maybe that is what happened to you?

The only way to get a straight answer would be for you to contact the state medicaid agency. It sounds strange on all ends to me. I'm sure there must be a daily billing process since the state would only pay for those days that a person was actually receiving needed care in a nursing home. what does finish out her month mean, b/c she did not check in on the first of the month. What is a month 30 or 31 days to them. Once she is checked out of a nursing home, isn't she checked out under Medicaid regulations and would have to be formally admitted again? this all sounds bizarre . Not to mention how stressful and disruptive it would be to drag her back to the nursing home for a short time.