Cattaraugus County stretches across about 1,322 square miles of southwestern New York, from Gowanda and Perrysburg in the north down to Portville and Salamanca near the Pennsylvania line. Most homes sit outside the two small cities of Olean and Salamanca, in hamlet centers, older farmhouses and rural homes scattered along the hills.
Many of those houses were built well before modern accessibility codes, so the stairs we see in Franklinville, Little Valley or East Otto are often steep, narrow or oddly turned. This page walks through what that means for a stair lift and which county, state and federal offices may help with the cost.
A lot of the county's housing is older farmhouses and homes in hamlet centers. Stairways in these houses often run between walls with little landing space, and some turn partway up. A straight stair lift works when the run goes top to bottom without a bend, while a turn or a landing usually calls for a curved rail built to fit that staircase.
Split-level homes are common too, and they bring a different problem: several short flights instead of one long one. We look at which flights the person actually uses every day before recommending anything, since one lift on the main flight is sometimes all that is needed.
Olean is the county's largest city and main business center, with Salamanca the second small city. Both have townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings mixed in with single-family homes. In a townhouse the stair is usually inside the unit and works much like a house stair.
Walk-up apartments and shared stairwells are different, because the owner or building manager has to agree to any installation. If you rent, talk to the landlord first. Where a wheelchair user needs to change levels, a platform lift may be a better fit than a seat lift, depending on the space.
The southern part of the county was never covered by the last glaciation, which left the rugged, hilly ground promoted locally as the Enchanted Mountains. Homes on slopes near the Allegheny River or up the side valleys often have long runs of steps from the driveway to the door.
Full four-season winters add ice and snow to those outside steps, and that is a fall risk before anyone even reaches the indoor stairs. An outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure can handle the porch or entry steps, so we check both the inside staircase and the way into the house.
About 20.0% of Cattaraugus County residents are 65 or older, and 74.3% of households own their home. Owning matters here, because most of the repair and modification programs below are open only to owner-occupants.
The county has its own Veterans Service Agency in Olean that can help sort out which VA housing grants apply and which do not.
No program in the list below names stair lifts outright as a covered item, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes them. Several programs do fund home modifications, accessibility work or assistive devices in general, so the honest answer is that coverage is decided case by case.
A good first call is the Cattaraugus County Department of the Aging at (716) 373-8032, One Leo Moss Drive Suite 7610 in Olean. Veterans can start with the Veterans Service Agency at (716) 701-3298. Ask each office directly whether a stair lift could qualify before you sign anything.
A Medicaid waiver for New York residents who need a nursing facility level of care, with a physical-disability track for ages 18-64 and a seniors track for 65 and up; it funds a Home / Vehicle Modifications category, but official materials do not name stair lifts. Enrollment slots are limited, so confirm current coverage with your RRDC service coordinator.
An in-home services program for people 60 and older who need help with daily activities, with a sliding-scale cost share and an ancillary category that can include home repairs and assistive devices; stair lifts are not named. Call (716) 373-8032 to request the required in-home needs assessment.
The county's information, case-management and referral hub for residents primarily 60 and older; it does not fund home modifications itself but routes people to EISEP, NY Connects and other programs. Reach the Olean office at (716) 373-8032.
Serves income-eligible owner-occupied homes with roofing and other health and safety repairs when work goes beyond weatherization; accessibility and stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (716) 945-1041 to ask whether a stair lift would qualify.
An energy-efficiency program for low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners and renters covering insulation, heating repair and health and safety measures; it does not mention stair lifts or accessibility work. Call (716) 945-1041.
Offers very-low-income rural homeowners loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for those 62 and older who cannot repay a loan; grants can go toward accessibility such as a wheelchair ramp, but stair lifts are not named. Check address eligibility and call (315) 477-6400.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary structural changes; the VA explicitly will not pay for stair glides or stair lifts under HISA. The county Veterans Service Agency at (716) 701-3298 can help with other HISA uses.
A grant of up to $126,526 for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home; the VA gives ramps and widened doorways as examples and does not mention stair lifts. Call (716) 701-3298 for help applying.
A smaller companion to SAH, up to $25,350, for qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands or serious breathing injuries; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (716) 701-3298.
A county office at 1 Leo Moss Drive, Suite 6510 in Olean that helps veterans and dependents file VA claims and reach housing programs; it is not a funding source itself. Call (716) 701-3298.
An Olean-based center serving people with disabilities in Cattaraugus County and nearby areas with independent living support, care coordination and benefits help; no stair lift funding program is listed. Call (716) 373-4602 to ask about home-access help.
Older adults
One Leo Moss Drive Suite 7610, Olean, 14760
Veterans
1 Leo Moss Drive, Suite 6510, Olean, 14760
No. The VA states that HISA will not pay for removable equipment such as porch lifts and stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts either, so ask the Cattaraugus County Veterans Service Agency at (716) 701-3298 what options fit your situation.
EISEP and most Department of the Aging services are aimed at people 60 and older. The NHTD Medicaid Waiver has a physical-disability track for ages 18-64, and Directions in Independent Living at (716) 373-4602 serves people with disabilities of any age in the county.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are made for entry and porch steps. With the hilly ground and four-season winters here, we look at the outside approach along with the indoor stairs when we visit.
The USDA Section 504 program requires the property to be in an eligible rural area, and much of the county outside those two cities is rural. Eligibility is checked address by address, so call (315) 477-6400 to confirm.
Call the Cattaraugus County Department of the Aging at (716) 373-8032. The office is at One Leo Moss Drive Suite 7610 in Olean and refers residents to EISEP, NY Connects and other programs.
You will need the landlord's permission, especially in a shared stairwell. Talk with the owner before arranging an assessment.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
