Louisville served as Georgia's state capital from 1796 to 1806, and the 1904 Jefferson County courthouse now stands on the site of the state's first permanent capitol. Around it and out through Wrens, Wadley, Stapleton, Avera, Bartow and Matthews, the county grew as a string of small Southern towns, not dense subdivisions. The 2020 census counted Louisville as 100.0% rural.
That history shows up in the houses. Single-family homes, detached houses, ranch-style homes and split-level homes make up much of the local stock, and many have stepped entries or interior levels that get harder to manage with age. This page explains which stair lift types fit those homes and which programs can help pay for one.
A split-level home usually has short flights between levels, sometimes with a landing or turn. A short straight run can take a straight stair lift, which is the simplest and quickest to fit. If the stairs turn at a landing, you are looking at a curved rail or two separate straight lifts, and we measure both before recommending either.
Ranch-style homes often sit on one floor, but the trouble is getting in the door. Stepped entries are common in the older, small-footprint houses found across the county. For a few steps outside, an outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift can be a better answer than a ramp that eats up the yard.
Jefferson County covers 530 square miles of rolling terrain and farmland, draining mostly to the Ogeechee River system, with the small northern part feeding Brier Creek. No incorporated place in the county tops 3,000 residents. That spread means homes are often far from a mobility-equipment showroom.
US highways 1, 221 and 319 link the county to Augusta, roughly 50 miles away, where many regional providers and the area's aging and independent living offices are based. Plan on a home visit for measuring rather than a trip to a store. Outdoor lifts on rural properties also need a level, solid base at the bottom of the steps, so we look at the ground as well as the stairs.
About 18.2% of residents are 65 or older, and 63.2% of households own their home. Owning matters, because several of the funding programs below only pay for changes to an owner-occupied home.
If that includes you or your parent, the Georgia Department of Veterans Service - Waynesboro Veterans Field Service Office at 715 W. 6th St., Waynesboro 30830, can be reached at (706) 554-3874 to talk through VA benefits.
Start with the Central Savannah River Area Regional Commission AAA at 3626 Walton Way Extension, Suite 300, Augusta 30909, phone (706) 210-2018. Jefferson County is one of the 14 counties it serves. Its home modification service is open to people 60 or older, and modifications paid with Title III-B funds are capped at $2,000, with up to an additional $1,500 possible when the State Unit on Aging Director approves it.
For a homeowner with a disability of any age, the Georgia Home Access Program and Walton Options for Independent Living are the next calls. Veterans with a qualifying service-connected disability should look at the VA housing grants. Other statewide programs to ask about include the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP), Credit-Able Loan Program, VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and SOURCE Waiver. Each program is summarized below.
This Area Agency on Aging service provides assistive devices and home modifications for people 60 or older, and for people of any age with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder and their caregivers; home modifications are covered, and Medicaid eligibility is not required. Call (706) 210-2018 and confirm with the care coordinator that a stair lift is an approved item in your plan.
This is the statewide rule behind the CSRA AAA benefit: accessibility modifications are covered, up to $2,000 with Title III-B funds plus up to an additional $1,500 if the State Unit on Aging Director authorizes it. It is not available to residents of nursing homes or personal care homes; call (706) 210-2018.
A Georgia Medicaid waiver for Medicaid-eligible people who need a nursing-facility level of care; the listed services do not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (706) 210-2000 to ask about in-home support.
A state grant for accessibility modifications to owner-occupied homes of people with disabilities, with $600,000 allocated statewide annually for FY2026-2027; home modifications are covered. Call (770) 270-6860; for Jefferson County it is delivered through Walton Options for Independent Living.
This Center for Independent Living arranges home modifications for people with disabilities, funding them project by project through grants and other sources; home modifications are covered. Call (706) 724-6262 and ask an Information & Referral Specialist whether a stair lift can be funded in your case.
A directory listing confirming Jefferson County is in Walton Options' service area; it is not a funding source and does not mention stair lifts. Call (706) 724-6262.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities: SAH up to $126,526, SHA up to $25,350, and TRA up to $50,961 or $9,100 for adapting a family member's home (FY2026). The source does not mention stair lifts by name; the Waynesboro Veterans Field Service Office at (706) 554-3874 can help with applications.
Older adults
3626 Walton Way Extension, Suite 300, Augusta, 30909
Veterans
715 W. 6th St., Waynesboro, 30830
Yes. The CSRA AAA home modification service does not require Medicaid eligibility and uses a sliding-scale fee, with priority based on economic need, social need, frailty and risk of institutionalization. Call (706) 210-2018.
The CSRA AAA service also covers people of any age with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder. Homeowners with a disability can apply to the Georgia Home Access Program at (770) 270-6860 or Walton Options at (706) 724-6262.
With Title III-B funds, modifications cannot exceed $2,000. The State Unit on Aging Director can authorize up to an additional $1,500 when an individual situation warrants it.
The Georgia Home Access Program is limited to owner-occupied homes, and the VA housing grants require the veteran or a qualifying family member to own the home. The CSRA AAA service does not list home ownership in its eligibility, so call (706) 210-2018 to ask.
The Georgia Department of Veterans Service - Waynesboro Veterans Field Service Office is at 715 W. 6th St., Waynesboro 30830, phone (706) 554-3874.
A turn at a landing usually calls for a curved rail or two straight lifts, one per flight. A short straight run between levels can take a single straight lift. We measure the stairs at a home visit before recommending one.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
