West Virginia has 333 towns spread across counties from Hancock and Brooke at the top of the state to McDowell and Mingo in the south, and from Jefferson and Berkeley in the east to Wood and Cabell in the west. Many homes here sit on sloped lots, with steps up from the driveway and a full flight inside. A stair lift is often what lets someone keep using the whole house.
This page covers the main things we look at before quoting a lift, the kinds of lifts that fit different staircases and porches, and three programs that can help with the cost in West Virginia. Pick your county from the list below for local details.
About 20.6 percent of West Virginians are 65 or older. That is roughly one in five people, and many of them live in homes with a bedroom or bathroom up a flight of stairs.
Homeownership is high too, at 66.3 percent. Owning the house matters because you can install a lift without a landlord's sign-off, and you can keep it in place for as long as it is needed.
If someone in your family served, the VA section below is worth reading closely, because the VA can pay for a stair lift through a route many families miss.
A straight stair lift fits a single flight with no turns or landings. It runs on a rail bolted to the stair treads, not the wall, and it is usually the quickest to install.
If your stairs turn, have a landing partway up, or wind around a corner, you need a curved lift. The rail is built to the exact shape of your staircase, so we measure carefully before ordering.
For steps outside the house, such as from a driveway up to a porch, an outdoor lift is built to handle rain, snow and cold. When someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift that carries the chair itself may be the better choice.
We look at the width of the stairs, whether there is an outlet near the top or bottom, and how much room there is at each landing for getting on and off. We also check the condition of the treads, since the rail mounts to them.
We ask about the person who will ride it. Can they turn and sit safely, do they need a swivel seat, and is there a second staircase or an outside step that will become the next problem.
There are three programs on this page that can help. The Aged and Disabled Waiver is a Medicaid service, so nothing is paid back. The Technology-Related Assistance Revolving Loan Fund is a low-interest loan of $500 to $5,000 that can cover up to 90% of the cost.
For veterans, the VA can provide the stair lift itself through VA Prosthetics when it is medically prescribed. The HISA grant, which is $6,800 for service-connected needs or $2,000 for non-service-connected needs, pays for ramps and structural changes rather than the lift.
Call the program first and ask what paperwork they need before an installer comes out. A doctor's note describing why the stairs are unsafe helps with both the waiver and the VA.
A Medicaid home and community-based waiver that can fund a stair lift as an Environmental Accessibility Adaptation when it is medically justified, with no fixed cap beyond the individual service plan and waiver cost limits. Call (866) 767-1575.
A low-interest state installment loan for assistive technology and home modifications, including stair lifts, with loans from $500 to $5,000 covering up to 90% of the cost. Call (800) 642-8207.
VA Prosthetics (PSAS) can cover a medically prescribed stair lift with no set dollar cap, while the HISA grant of $6,800 (service-connected) or $2,000 (non-service-connected) covers ramps and structural changes, not the lift. Call (877) 222-8387.
It can through the West Virginia Aged and Disabled Waiver (ADW), which covers stair lifts as an Environmental Accessibility Adaptation when medically justified. There is no published fixed cap; the amount is set by the individual service plan within waiver cost limits. Call (866) 767-1575.
Loans through the West Virginia Technology-Related Assistance Revolving Loan Fund range from $500 to $5,000 and can cover up to 90% of the cost. The phone number is (800) 642-8207.
No. HISA covers ramps and structural changes. The stair lift itself can be covered through VA Prosthetics (PSAS) when it is medically prescribed. Call (877) 222-8387 to ask about both.
Yes. Outdoor stair lifts are built for porch and entry steps and handle weather. If the rider uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may be a better fit, and we can look at both during a visit.
Yes, a curved stair lift is made for stairs with landings or turns. The rail is custom built to your staircase, so we measure it in person before ordering.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
