From Lynn Haven and Callaway to Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach, Bay County's homes sit close to the Gulf, and a lot of them carry the history of Hurricane Michael in 2018. Many houses damaged in that storm were built in the 1960s and went through major renovation to meet modern building codes. So the stairs we see on a visit can be original, rebuilt, or somewhere in between.
This page walks through what the county's homes and coastal setting mean for a stair lift, and which agencies serve Bay County residents who are looking for help with the cost. It covers all 13 communities in the county, including Upper Grand Lagoon, Lower Grand Lagoon, Parker, Springfield, Cedar Grove, Pretty Bayou, Laguna Beach and Tyndall AFB.
Housing here runs from single-family homes and split-level homes to townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings. A single straight flight in a townhouse is usually the simplest job: a straight stair lift mounts to the treads, not the wall. Split-level homes are different, since short runs of steps between levels can call for a curved rail or more than one lift.
Many of the older single-family homes along the coast are single-story. Even then, a few steps at the front or back door can be the hardest part of the day. For those, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift may make more sense than anything inside.
Bay County is a Florida Panhandle coastal county that is highly prone to hurricane, tropical-storm and rainfall flooding, and most residents live along the coast in flood-hazard areas. FEMA revised the county's flood-zone maps in 2024 for the first time since 2009. If you are planning other work around those changes, it helps to plan the stair lift at the same time.
Homes renovated after Hurricane Michael sometimes have new stair layouts, landings or entry steps. We measure the stairs as they are today, not as they were. For outdoor steps, we talk through how the lift will be exposed to weather and where it can be parked.
About 18.9% of Bay County residents are 65 or older, and 62.8% of households own their home. Owners can generally install a lift without asking anyone's permission. Renters in walk-up apartments or low-rise buildings should talk with the property owner first.
Bay County Veterans Services in Panama City is a good first call for questions about VA benefits.
No program listed below names stair lifts as a covered item, so it pays to ask directly. Florida's Medicaid long-term care program covers Home Accessibility Adaptation, and whether a given plan will approve a stair lift depends on the plan and on prior authorization.
For state-funded aging services, Advantage Aging Solutions at (850) 488-0055 handles screening for Bay County, and the Bay County Council on Aging delivers in-home services locally. Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant does not cover stair lifts. Other statewide options worth asking about include the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption.
A Florida Medicaid long-term care benefit for people 65 and older, or 18 and older with a disability, who are Medicaid-eligible and meet nursing-facility level of care; it covers home modifications for safe movement, but stair lifts are not listed and depend on the plan and prior authorization. Call (800) 963-5337.
A non-profit that delivers in-home and community services to elderly, disabled and disadvantaged residents throughout Bay County. Stair lifts and home modifications are not listed among its services.
The regional intake and screening point that routes Bay County elders and caregivers to state programs, including SMMC LTC screening; it does not list a stair lift benefit itself. Call (850) 488-0055.
A VA grant for medically needed home alterations prescribed by a VA physician, but stair lifts are excluded by program design. Bay County veterans can ask about HISA through the Panama City Beach VA Clinic at (850) 636-7000.
Older adults
2414 Mahan Dr., Tallahassee, 32308
Veterans
840 W 11th Street, Panama City, 32401
It might, but it is not guaranteed. The SMMC LTC program covers Home Accessibility Adaptation, yet stair lifts are not named, and approval depends on your managed-care plan and prior authorization. Call (800) 963-5337 to ask.
Not through the HISA grant, which excludes stair glides and similar removable equipment. Bay County Veterans Services at (850) 248-8280 can help you look at other VA benefits.
Advantage Aging Solutions at (850) 488-0055 is the screening point for state-funded aging programs in Bay County. They can direct you to the Bay County Council on Aging and other services.
SMMC LTC also serves adults 18 and older who are Medicaid-eligible because of a disability and meet nursing-facility level of care. Community Care for the Elderly starts at 60 for people who are functionally impaired.
It can. Renovated homes often have different stairs, landings or entry steps than before, so we measure what is there now and choose a straight, curved, outdoor or platform lift to fit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
