Breckenridge sits where the Otter Tail and Bois de Sioux Rivers meet to form the Red River, right across from Wahpeton, North Dakota. Near its historic core you find older two-story farmhouse-era homes with interior stairways. Out toward the edges of town, and in much of the countryside around Rothsay, the houses are more often single-story.
That mix shapes the decision for a lot of families here. A two-story house in Breckenridge may be a good candidate for a stair lift. A single-level rural farmhouse may only need a ramp at the door. This page walks through which homes fit which kind of lift and which county, state and federal offices to call about paying for one.
Breckenridge grew as a prairie railroad and farm town, and many homes from that era put the bedrooms upstairs. When climbing those stairs gets hard, a stair lift lets someone keep using the whole house instead of moving everything to the main floor.
A straight stairway with no turns is the simplest case. It takes a straight rail, and the work goes quickly. If the stairs turn at a landing or wrap around a corner, a curved rail is built to fit that exact staircase, which takes more measuring and more lead time.
Split-level homes usually have short runs of stairs between floors. Each run can sometimes take its own straight lift. For a wheelchair user, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat.
Ranch-style homes and single-story farmhouses rarely need an indoor stair lift unless there is a basement the person still uses. The steps up to the front or back door are often the real problem, and an outdoor lift or a ramp can handle that.
Walk-up apartments raise a different question: you need the building owner's permission before anything is attached to a shared stairway. About 71.6% of households in the county own their home, so most families here can make that decision themselves.
The county covers 751 square miles of low rolling hills that slope gently toward the Red River of the North. Steep yards and long hillside walkways are uncommon, so getting into the house is usually about the porch steps, not the grade.
Distance is the bigger factor. Farmsteads are spread out across the townships, and service visits take more planning than they would in a city. If you live outside Breckenridge or Rothsay, plan the measurement visit, the install and any follow-up service well ahead of when you need them.
About 18.9% of Wilkin County residents are 65 or older, and many of them live in the older homes described above.
If a parent's stairs are starting to worry you, it helps to get the stairway measured before a fall or hospital stay forces a rushed decision.
Most of the public programs below cover home modifications in general terms, and none of the sources we reviewed name stair lifts specifically. That doesn't rule them out. It means you should ask directly when you call.
For older adults, the usual first step is Wilkin County Home and Community Based Services at (218) 643-7161. That office handles intake for the Elderly Waiver, CADI and Alternative Care. Veterans should start with the Wilkin County Veterans Service Officer at (218) 643-7134. Be aware that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides.
A Medicaid waiver for Minnesotans 65 and older who need nursing-facility level of care, with a 2026 income limit of $2,982 a month for a single applicant and a $3,000 asset limit. It includes home accessibility adaptations, but the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call (800) 333-2433.
A waiver for people with disabilities who need nursing-facility level of care and qualify for Medical Assistance or MA-EPD. It covers modifications to a home or vehicle, though stair lifts are not named in the sources. Call (866) 333-2466.
The county office that connects residents to the Elderly Waiver, CADI, CAC, Brain Injury Waiver and Alternative Care through a MnCHOICES assessment. Its page does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (218) 643-7161.
Light housekeeping help on a sliding fee scale for people whose health or disability makes housework hard. It does not pay for stair lifts or structural changes. Call (218) 643-7161.
The Area Agency on Aging for a 21-county area of northwest and west-central Minnesota that includes Wilkin County, offering resource coordination and information. Its site does not list a stair lift or home-modification grant. Call (218) 745-6733.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners 62 and older in eligible rural areas. The source describes accessibility improvements only generally and does not name stair lifts.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 over a lifetime for medically necessary home improvements. It specifically excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift. Call (218) 643-7134 for help with VA benefits.
Grants for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026. The examples given are ramps and doorway widening, and stair lifts are not named. Call (218) 643-7134.
The county office at 505 8th Street South in Breckenridge that helps veterans and dependents apply for federal and state VA benefits. It does not list stair lifts specifically. Call (218) 643-7134.
A state grant that funds organizations, not individuals, to deliver services such as home modification to Minnesotans 65 and older. No award to an organization serving Wilkin County has been confirmed.
Older adults
111 South Civic Center Drive, Oklee, 56742
Veterans
505 8th Street South, Breckenridge, 56520
It might. The Elderly Waiver includes Environmental Accessibility Adaptations, but the source does not name stair lifts. Call Wilkin County Home and Community Based Services at (218) 643-7161 to start a MnCHOICES assessment and ask about it directly.
No. The VA program page lists stair glides as excluded equipment. The Wilkin County Veterans Service Officer at (218) 643-7134 can tell you whether SAH, SHA or other VA benefits fit your situation.
The CADI Waiver serves adults and children with disabilities who need nursing-facility level of care, so it is not tied to age 65. The USDA Section 504 grant requires age 62 or older, while its loans do not have that age rule.
It depends on the layout. Older two-story homes with interior stairways are the usual stair lift candidates. Single-level rural farmhouses are often better served by a ramp at the entry.
There can be. The Elderly Waiver is not an entitlement, and waitlists can apply once enrollment caps are reached. That is one more reason to start the assessment early.
Dancing Sky Area Agency on Aging in Warren covers Wilkin County. You can reach them at (218) 745-6733 for information and resource coordination.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
