New York has 1,784 towns, and the staircases inside them are as different as Kings County apartments are from farmhouses in Allegany County or camps in Hamilton County. A stair lift that fits one of those homes may be the wrong choice for the next, so the first job is always to look at the actual stairs.
This page covers the basics for the whole state: which type of lift suits which kind of staircase, how many households are likely to need one, and the four programs that can help pay. For details closer to home, use the county pages, which run from Albany County to Yates County.
New York has a population of 32,559,987, and 17.5% of residents are 65 or older. That is a large group of people living with stairs they climbed easily for decades and now find harder each year.
About 58.6% of New York households own their home. Owners can usually approve an installation themselves, while renters need the landlord's permission before anything is bolted to the stairs. If you rent, ask early, since a lift mounts to the treads and not the wall.
If that includes you or your parent, the VA section below matters, because the VA pays for some lifts outright.
A straight lift is the simplest and least expensive option. It works on a single run of stairs with no turns or landings in the middle, which describes the main staircase in many two-story houses.
Stairs that turn, wrap around a landing or have a few steps at the bottom that angle off need a curved lift. The rail is custom built to the exact shape of the stairs, so it takes longer to make and costs more.
Many homes across upstate counties like Erie County, Oneida County and St. Lawrence County have porch or entry steps exposed to snow and ice. An outdoor lift is built with weather covers and sealed parts for that kind of use. When the person uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift that carries the chair itself is usually the better answer.
In Bronx County, New York County, Queens County and Richmond County, many people live in multi-unit buildings with shared stairways. A lift on a shared stair usually needs building approval and enough width left over for others to pass, so we measure carefully before quoting.
Older single-family houses throughout the state often have narrow or steep stairs. A narrow stair does not rule out a lift, but it does affect which model fits and how the seat folds out of the way when not in use.
New York has several routes to help with the cost, and which one fits depends on income, age, Medicaid status and military service. Medicaid can pay for a stair lift as an environmental modification with no fixed dollar cap when it is part of an approved care plan.
For veterans, the VA can provide the lift itself through VA Prosthetics when it is medically prescribed. Homeowners age 60 and up may qualify for a RESTORE grant of up to $20,000 per project, and EISEP helps seniors who are not on Medicaid with a sliding-scale cost share. Each program is summarized below.
Medicaid covers stair lifts as an environmental modification, with no fixed cap as long as the lift is part of an approved care plan. Call (888) 401-6582 to ask about eligibility.
The stair lift itself is covered through VA Prosthetics (PSAS) when medically prescribed, with no set dollar cap, while the HISA grant of $6,800 (service-connected) or $2,000 (non-service-connected) pays for ramps and structural changes, not the lift. Call (877) 222-8387.
RESTORE offers emergency home repair grants of up to $20,000 per project for New York homeowners age 60 and older. Stair lifts may qualify as a home modification.
EISEP provides in-home services and home modification help for seniors who are not on Medicaid, with an income-based sliding-scale cost share. Stair lifts are considered case by case as a home modification; call (800) 342-9871.
Yes. New York Medicaid Home Modifications (NHTD Waiver & MLTC) treats a stair lift as an environmental modification, with no fixed dollar cap when it is part of an approved care plan. Call (888) 401-6582 to start.
Both, through different parts of the VA. The lift itself comes through VA Prosthetics (PSAS) when it is medically prescribed. The HISA grant, $6,800 for service-connected or $2,000 for non-service-connected conditions, covers ramps and structural changes, not the lift. Call (877) 222-8387.
Two programs are worth checking. The New York RESTORE Program gives homeowners age 60 and older grants of up to $20,000 per project, and New York EISEP offers home modification help on an income-based sliding scale. EISEP can be reached at (800) 342-9871.
Yes. Outdoor lifts are built with weather covers and sealed parts so they can handle snow, ice and rain on porch and entry steps.
Often, yes, but the landlord has to approve it first, and a shared stairway in a multi-unit building may need building approval too. Ask before ordering, since a curved rail is custom made for one staircase.
There is a page for each of New York's counties from Albany County to Yates County, including Kings County, Monroe County, Suffolk County and Westchester County. Open your county's page for local details.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
