Sheridan County sits in the far northeastern corner of Montana, with its northern boundary on the Canada-US border. Most homes are in Plentywood, the county seat, and in small towns like Westby and Medicine Lake, and the rest of the county is entirely rural, spread across about 1,706 square miles of flat-to-rolling prairie farmland.
A lot of the houses here date from the early-20th-century homesteading and farm-building boom. Those older farmhouses and small-town homes tend to have multi-step entries and full basements reached by interior stairs. When someone wants to keep living in a house like that, a stair lift is often the piece that makes it work.
The housing here runs from single-family homes and ranch-style homes to split-level homes and low-rise buildings. Each one puts the stairs in a different place, so the right lift depends on the house, not on a catalog.
A full basement reached by a single straight run of interior stairs is usually the simplest job, and a straight stair lift fits most of those. Stairs that turn at a landing or wrap around a corner need a curved lift built to that staircase.
Split-level homes are their own case. The flights are short, but there can be more than one, so we look at which levels the person actually needs to reach every day before suggesting anything.
Many farmhouses and older town homes have traditional multi-step entries. If getting in and out of the house is the hard part, an outdoor stair lift rated for the weather can run along those exterior steps.
For someone who uses a wheelchair, a seat lift may not solve the problem. A platform lift can carry the person and the chair together, and it is worth comparing against a ramp where there is room for one.
About 26.5 percent of residents are 65 or older, and 72.3 percent own their homes. That is a lot of people living in houses they own, often houses with stairs they have climbed for decades.
Some VA programs can help with home changes, but as the program list below explains, one of them does not pay for stair lifts, so check before you count on it.
Plentywood is the only incorporated city in the county, so installers, equipment suppliers and case managers usually travel in from regional hubs. The nearest Area Agency on Aging office is in Glendive, and the nearest Center for Independent Living branch office is in Glasgow.
That distance matters when you schedule. Line up the home assessment, any funding paperwork and the installation date early, especially if you need a case manager to visit before a program will approve anything.
County government and small local nonprofits have limited money for home accessibility here. In practice, the main funding paths are state programs like the Big Sky Waiver, federal programs through USDA and the VA, and the statewide MATL loan fund.
Most programs below do not name stair lifts at all, which means coverage is decided case by case. A good first call for anyone 60 or older is Area I - Action for Eastern Montana at (406) 377-3564, which can also explain statewide options such as the Reverse Annuity Mortgage (RAM) and the Property Tax Assistance Program (PTAP) & Elderly Homeowner/Renter Credit.
Montana's Medicaid home and community-based waiver includes Environmental Accessibility Adaptations as a one-time purchase, but its policy manual does not name stair lifts, so approval is case by case and anything over $5,000 needs prior authorization with at least two competitive bids. Applicants must be Medicaid-eligible and meet a nursing-facility level of care, there is a statewide waiting list, and you can call (800) 219-7035.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can borrow up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest over 20 years, and owners age 62 and older who cannot repay a loan may get grants up to $10,000 for accessibility and safety. Stair lifts are not named in the source, so ask about your project at (406) 585-2580.
HISA pays for permanent structural changes such as ramps, accessible bathrooms and widened doorways, up to $6,800 or $2,000 depending on the disability. The VA lists stair glides as non-covered removable equipment, so HISA does not fund stair lifts; call (800) 827-1000 with questions.
These grants help veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities adapt a home they own, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026. Examples given are ramps and widened doorways, and stair lifts are not named; call (800) 827-1000.
The Area Agency on Aging for Sheridan and 16 other eastern Montana counties offers meals, transportation, in-home services, a Weatherization Program and help finding funding, but does not list a stair lift benefit. It is the right first call for residents 60 and older at (406) 377-3564.
This county senior services hub runs senior centers in Plentywood and Medicine Lake and offers respite care, meals, transportation and referrals for residents 60 and older. It does not list a stair lift or home modification program; reach it at (406) 765-3400.
NCILS serves Montanans with a disability of any age in Sheridan County with referral, advocacy, skills training and peer support, and it can point people toward programs like the Big Sky Waiver or MATL. No stair lift program is listed; call (406) 228-2075.
This statewide fund lends typically $500 to $50,000 to Montanans with a disability or family members borrowing for them, at 0% APR up to $1,500 and 3.5% fixed APR from $1,501. Home modifications are a funded category, though stair lifts are not named specifically; call (406) 403-8162.
Older adults
2030 N. Merrill Ave., Glendive, 59330
Veterans
1020 N Haynes, Miles City, 59301
Not through HISA, since the VA lists stair glides as removable equipment it does not cover. SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so ask the VA at (800) 827-1000 or the Miles City Veteran Service Office at (406) 232-1203 about your situation.
Yes, if the person has a disability. NCILS serves Montanans with a disability regardless of age, and MATL loans are open to Montanans with a disability of any age or income level.
Possibly, but it is not confirmed. The waiver covers home adaptations needed for health, safety or independence, without naming stair lifts, so your Case Management Team would have to approve it. There is also a statewide waiting list.
All of Sheridan County and its small towns count as rural for the Section 504 program. You also need to own and live in the home, be very-low-income, and be unable to get affordable credit elsewhere, and the grant portion is limited to owners 62 and older.
Often the entry steps and the basement stairs are separate runs, so each one needs its own solution if both are used daily. An outdoor lift or a platform lift may handle the entry, and a straight or curved lift the basement stairs, depending on the layout.
For residents 60 and older, Action for Eastern Montana at (406) 377-3564 can walk you through funding options. The Sheridan County Council on Aging at (406) 765-3400 is another local starting point.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
