Posey County sits in Indiana's far southwest corner, where the Ohio River runs along the south and the Wabash River along the west. Its seven towns run from the county seat of Mount Vernon to Poseyville, Saint Wendel, New Harmony, Wadesville, Cynthiana and Parkers Settlement. Roughly 70% of residents live in rural areas, so many homes sit well outside town.
The houses vary a lot. New Harmony's historic core holds two to two-and-a-half story homes with their original interior staircases, while much of the rest of the county has single-family homes, split-level homes and single-story rural farmhouses. This page walks through what that mix means for a stair lift and where to look for help paying for one.
The New Harmony Historic District was built by the German Harmony Society between 1814 and 1824 and expanded during the Owenite era (1825-1867). Surviving homes such as the Mattias Scholle House, Ludwig Epple House and George Bentel House are two to two-and-a-half stories of frame or brick construction.
Staircases in homes this old were built well before modern accessibility standards. If the stair runs straight from bottom to top, a straight stair lift is usually the simpler fit. If it turns, narrows or has a landing partway up, a curved lift built to that specific staircase is the usual answer, and we measure in person before recommending either one.
Outside New Harmony, the housing stock includes single-family homes, detached houses, duplexes, low-rise apartments and split-level homes. Split-levels have short flights between floors, and a lift on one short run can make the main living areas reachable again.
Many rural farmhouses here are single story, so the problem is often the steps at the door rather than an inside staircase. In those cases an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift at the entrance may do more good than an indoor unit. The county's low rolling hills, with the highest ground at about 590 feet near Saint Wendel, mean some homes have raised entries or sloped lots worth looking at during the visit.
Posey County has about 11,563 residents, and 20.2% are 65 or older. About 74.0% are homeowners, and the 2020 census showed a homeowner vacancy rate of just 1.0%, which points to people staying in their houses for a long time.
Because the county is mostly rural, it is worth calling the offices below early, since in-home aging services and contractors have a wide area to cover.
Of the programs listed below, the Indiana PathWays for Aging Waiver and Health & Wellness Waiver is the one where stair lifts are named as a home modification. The services you actually receive are set on your person-centered service plan by a case manager, so approval is individual.
SWIRCA & More, the Area Agency on Aging at 16 W. Virginia St. in Evansville, is the local starting point for the waivers and CHOICE. Call (812) 464-7800 or (800) 253-2188. Veterans can reach Posey County Veteran’s Services at 126 E. 3rd St., Room 34, Mt. Vernon, at (812) 838-8372. Note that the VA HISA grant excludes stair glides.
Medicaid home and community services for people who meet nursing-facility level of care, split by age into PathWays for Aging (60 and older) and Health and Wellness (59 and under); home modifications including stair lifts can be authorized on the person-centered service plan. Start through SWIRCA & More at (812) 464-7800.
A state-funded, non-Medicaid program for people 60 and older, or younger with an impairment, who are at risk of losing independence; it lists environmental modification but the source does not mention stair lifts. There is no income limit, a cost-share may apply, and countable assets may not exceed $250,000 plus a $20,000 exclusion; call (800) 986-3505.
The Area Agency on Aging serving Posey and neighboring counties, acting as the intake and referral point for CHOICE and the Medicaid waivers rather than a funding source with its own stair lift benefit. Call (812) 464-7800.
Local senior services including transportation ($7-$50 per trip), homemaking, Medicare counseling, meals and free smoke alarm installation (up to 3 units); its services page does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (812) 838-4656.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older with very low income in eligible rural areas, which includes Posey County; stair lifts are not listed among covered examples. Call (317) 290-3100.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary home changes such as permanent ramps and roll-in showers; it does not cover stair lifts, which the VA lists as excluded stair glides. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026; the VA page does not mention stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
16 W. Virginia St., Evansville, 47737
Veterans
126 E. 3rd St., Room 34, Mt. Vernon, 47620
Often, yes. Many New Harmony homes are two to two-and-a-half stories with original interior staircases, and the stair's shape decides whether a straight or curved lift fits. We measure on site before recommending a model.
The PathWays for Aging Waiver and the Health & Wellness Waiver can authorize home modifications, and stair lifts are named as one example. What you get depends on your approved service plan, so contact SWIRCA & More at (812) 464-7800 to begin.
Yes, possibly. The Health and Wellness Waiver covers people 59 and under who meet nursing-facility level of care, and CHOICE accepts younger people with a physical or mental impairment.
The HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides, and the SAH and SHA grant pages do not mention stair lifts. Posey County Veteran’s Services in Mt. Vernon at (812) 838-8372 can help you sort out what applies.
USDA Section 504 Repair Loans & Grants serve eligible rural areas, and Posey County qualifies. Stair lifts are not named in its covered examples, so ask USDA at (317) 290-3100 before counting on it.
Its services page does not list home modifications or stair lifts. It does offer transportation, homemaking, Medicare counseling and meals, and you can reach it at (812) 838-4656.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
