Cottonwood County is farm country: 649 square miles of low rolling hills in southwestern Minnesota, with five towns, Windom, Mountain Lake, Westbrook, Jeffers and Storden, spread along U.S. Route 71 and Minnesota Highways 30, 60 and 62. Windom, the county seat, was platted in 1871, and many of its homes have been lived in by the same families for a long time.
That long-settled housing is what we look at first. Detached houses, ranch-style homes, split-level homes and older two-story places each put stairs in different spots, and the stairs decide which kind of stair lift makes sense. This page walks through how that plays out here and which programs may help with the cost.
Windom had 2,125 housing units as of 2020 and a homeowner vacancy rate of just 2.7%, so most houses there are occupied and staying put. Older homes in a county-seat town of that era often have a full staircase to the bedrooms, and a straight staircase with no turns is usually the simplest stair lift to fit.
Ranch-style homes keep daily living on one floor, but the stairs to the basement still matter if that is where the laundry or the freezer is. Split-level homes have short runs of steps between levels, and depending on the layout one lift may cover the main run or a curved rail may be needed where the stairs turn.
Walk-up apartments are a different case. The stairs are often shared, so the building owner has to be part of the conversation before anything is installed.
About 22.0% of Cottonwood County residents are 65 or older, and 71.6% of households own their home. Owning the house makes a permanent installation much simpler, since there is no landlord to ask.
In Windom, roughly 36.4% of households were single-person households as of 2020. For someone living alone, being able to reach the bedroom or basement safely without help can be the difference between staying home and moving.
If that includes someone in your family, read the VA notes below closely, because one VA grant specifically excludes stair glides.
The whole county is classified as rural, with about 17.8 people per square mile. That spread-out geography affects how far installers and service technicians travel, so it is worth asking any provider how they handle service visits out to Jeffers, Storden or a farm place off the highway.
Not every stair problem is inside. Steps up to a porch or side door can be handled with an outdoor-rated stair lift, and for someone who uses a wheelchair, a platform lift or a ramp may fit better than a seat. We measure the steps and talk through daily routines before recommending one.
None of the programs below say outright that they pay for stair lifts, and one VA grant says it does not. That does not mean there is no help. It means you should call and ask about your specific case before buying.
A good first call is the Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433, or the Southwest Minnesota AAA in Slayton at (507) 532-3260. Disability Hub MN at (866) 333-2466 can help sort out Medicaid waivers and CFSS. Veterans can reach the Cottonwood County Veteran Service Officer in Windom at (507) 831-5522.
For homeowners who would rather finance, Minnesota Housing and USDA Rural Development both offer home improvement loans. Ask the lender whether a stair lift counts as an eligible accessibility or repair project.
State home improvement financing with Fix Up Loans from $2,000 to $75,000 and Rehabilitation Loans up to $37,500; accessibility improvements are an eligible project, and the Accessibility Loan option has no income limit, but stair lifts are not named, so confirm with a participating lender. Call Minnesota Housing at (651) 296-7608.
Waivers that help pay for services so people who need a nursing-facility level of care can live at home; the source does not list home modifications or stair lifts, so coverage has to be confirmed. Disability Hub MN at (866) 333-2466 can point you to the right waiver, such as the Elderly Waiver for age 65+ or CADI for disability under 65.
Minnesota's self-directed personal care program for people on Medical Assistance, Alternative Care or in some cases MinnesotaCare, which lets some participants buy goods and services that aid independence. Whether a stair lift qualifies is not stated and must be checked case by case; call (866) 333-2466.
A free statewide information-and-assistance line for older Minnesotans and caregivers that routes callers to their Area Agency on Aging and home-modification and waiver resources; it is not a grant and does not mention stair lifts. Call (800) 333-2433.
A Marshall-based nonprofit that serves Cottonwood County with free ramp assessments, modular ramp building, temporary ramp rentals, help finding funding, and an assistive technology lending library; stair lifts are not listed among its offerings. Call (507) 532-2221.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 lifetime for service-connected disabilities or $2,000 for other disabilities, covering permanent changes like ramps and roll-in showers. It does not cover stair lifts, since the VA lists stair glides as excluded removable equipment.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA (FY2026), used to build, buy or remodel an accessible home. The VA page does not name stair lifts, so ask the Cottonwood County Veteran Service Officer at (507) 831-5522.
Repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% for up to 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners age 62+ who cannot repay a loan, for very-low-income owners in eligible rural areas; stair lifts and accessibility work are not specifically named. Call the Minnesota Rural Development office at (651) 602-7800.
Older adults
2401 Broadway Ave., Suite 4, Slayton, 56172
Veterans
41385 U.S. Hwy. 71, P.O. Box 201, Windom, 56101
Not through the HISA grant, which lists stair glides as excluded equipment. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way, so a veteran with a qualifying disability should ask the Cottonwood County Veteran Service Officer at (507) 831-5522.
The CADI waiver is for people with disabilities under 65 who meet the program's requirements. Disability Hub MN at (866) 333-2466 can tell you whether it applies and whether home modifications are currently covered.
Start with the Senior LinkAge Line at (800) 333-2433 or the Southwest Minnesota AAA in Slayton at (507) 532-3260. They can route you to waivers, loans and local services.
Cottonwood County is entirely rural, and the USDA Section 504 program serves very-low-income homeowners in eligible rural areas. Call (651) 602-7800 to confirm your address qualifies and ask whether a stair lift counts as an eligible improvement.
Often, yes. Split-level homes have short runs of steps between levels, so we look at which run you use most and whether it is straight or turns, which decides between a straight or curved rail.
Its listed services are ramps and an assistive technology lending library, not stair lifts. If outdoor steps are the problem, a ramp assessment from SWCIL at (507) 532-2221 may be worth a call.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
