From Farmersburg and Shelburn in the north to Dugger, Carlisle and Merom farther south, Sullivan County is a place of small towns and working farms along the Wabash River. Much of the housing here is older single-family construction: multi-story farmhouses and small-town homes with interior stairways, not newer single-story subdivisions.
Those inside stairways are exactly where a stair lift earns its keep. This page walks through how local homes and land affect the kind of lift that fits, and which programs can help a family in Sullivan, Hymera, Paxton, Fairbanks, New Lebanon or anywhere else in the county pay for one.
A multi-story farmhouse usually has one long run of stairs between the main floor and the bedrooms. If that run goes straight from bottom to top with no turn, a straight stair lift is the simplest and most common fit.
Older homes often have a landing, a turn near the top or a narrow stairway. Those call for a curved lift with a rail built to follow the stairs. Before quoting, an installer should measure the width, look at where the rail will mount and check the condition of the treads.
Split-level homes have short flights between each level. Each flight may need its own lift, or a curved rail if the flights connect. It helps to decide which levels the person really needs to reach every day.
Townhouses and walk-up apartments raise a different question: who controls the stairway. In a shared stairwell or a rental, the owner or landlord will need to approve the installation first. Inside a townhouse that you own, the stairs are yours to modify.
Most of Sullivan County is flat to gently rolling farmland drained by Turtle Creek and Busseron Creek. Even on flat ground, many older homes sit up on a foundation with porch steps at the front or back door.
An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather on those exterior steps. Where someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the usual answer instead. Being a rural county, contractor availability outside the county seat of Sullivan can be thinner, so it pays to ask early about scheduling and service visits.
The best first call for most families is Thrive West Central, the Area Agency on Aging that serves Sullivan County from Terre Haute at (812) 238-1561. Its services page names chair lifts among the environmental modifications it can help with, and it coordinates the state Medicaid waivers and CHOICE.
Medicaid waiver members age 60 or older go through PathWays, and those under 60 go through the Health & Wellness Waiver. Both list home modifications as covered services, though neither names stair lifts by name, so confirm the specific lift before work starts. The INDATA Alternative Financing Program (AFP) is another statewide option to ask about.
Note that the VA HISA grant does not pay for stair lifts; it excludes stair glides. The county Veteran's Affairs Office at 100 Courthouse Sq in Sullivan, (812) 268-5437, can help a veteran sort out which VA benefits fit.
A Medicaid waiver for people age 60 or older who need help with at least 3 activities of daily living, delivered through Anthem, Humana or UnitedHealthcare. Home modifications are a covered service, but stair lifts are not named, so confirm a specific lift with your health plan or Thrive West Central at (812) 238-1561.
The Medicaid waiver for aged, blind or disabled people under 60 who meet nursing-facility level of care, with income up to 300% of the maximum SSI amount. It lists home modifications and home modification assessments as services; call (812) 238-1561 to ask about a stair lift.
A state-funded program for people 60+ or with a disability who are at risk of losing independence, with no income limit but cost-sharing and a $250,000 countable asset limit. It covers environmental modification, though stair lifts are not mentioned in the source; call (800) 986-3505.
Sullivan County's Area Agency on Aging, serving elderly and disabled residents of six counties. It lists chair lifts, ramps and handrails among the environmental modifications it can help with; call (812) 238-1561.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners age 62+ in eligible rural areas with income below 50% of area median. The source mentions fixing unsafe steps but does not name stair lifts; contact your local USDA Rural Development office.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary structural changes such as ramps and roll-in showers. It does not cover stair lifts, which VA lists as excluded stair glides; call (800) 827-1000.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities to build, buy or remodel an accessible home. Stair lifts are not named in the source; call (800) 827-1000.
A Vincennes-based nonprofit Center for Independent Living serving people with disabilities in Sullivan and seven other counties, including a Ramp Project. Stair lifts are not described on its pages, so call (812) 886-0575 to ask about current offerings.
Older adults
2800 Poplar St., Suite 9A, Terre Haute, 47803
Veterans
100 Courthouse Sq, Sullivan, 47882
Start with Thrive West Central at (812) 238-1561. It is the county's Area Agency on Aging, it lists chair lifts among the home changes it helps with, and it can point you toward the Medicaid waivers or CHOICE.
Yes. The Indiana Health & Wellness Waiver serves aged, blind or disabled people under 60 who meet nursing-facility level of care, and it lists home modifications as a service. CHOICE also serves people with a disability, not just those 60 and older.
Not through the HISA grant, which excludes stair glides. SAH and SHA grants fund accessibility remodeling for severely disabled veterans but do not name stair lifts. The Veteran's Affairs Office in Sullivan at (812) 268-5437 can help you check your options.
Usually, yes. Stairs with a turn or landing need a curved stair lift with a custom rail, while a single straight run can take a straight lift. An installer will measure before recommending one.
No. That ramp program run by Thrive West Central is limited to Vigo and Clay counties. ATTIC, Inc. in Vincennes has its own Ramp Project and serves Sullivan County; call (812) 886-0575.
It can for owner-occupants in USDA-eligible rural areas with income below 50% of area median. Grants up to $10,000 go to homeowners 62+ who cannot repay a loan, though the source does not name stair lifts specifically.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
