Perry County covers 412 square miles of hilly southeastern Ohio, from New Lexington and Somerset in the middle of the county to Crooksville, Roseville, New Straitsville, Shawnee and Corning along its edges. Most people here live outside town centers, and many homes sit on sloped lots near Wayne National Forest land.
The houses tend to be older, standalone single-family homes that families have owned for a long time. Many were built with narrow interior staircases well before anyone designed homes for aging in place. That is usually where a stair lift conversation starts, and this page walks through what fits these homes and who may help pay.
Long-held single-family homes are the most common setting we see in the county. If the staircase runs in one straight flight from bottom to top, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest and least costly option. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so original plaster and trim are left alone.
Older stairs often turn at a landing or curve near the top. Those need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the staircase, which takes more measuring and a longer wait for the part.
Split-level homes are a different case. They have several short flights instead of one long one, so the question becomes which levels the person actually needs to reach. Sometimes one short straight lift covers the daily route.
Outside the town centers, the hilly Appalachian terrain shapes how a person gets into the house. A home on a slope may have a long run of porch or entry steps, and a ramp on that grade can take up a lot of yard.
An outdoor stair lift built for weather can handle entry steps where a ramp would be too long or too steep. For someone using a wheelchair, a platform lift is the other option to compare. It helps to look at the inside stairs and the outside steps together, since one without the other may not solve the problem.
Townhouses and row houses usually have a single straight staircase against a shared wall, which often suits a straight lift. Walk-up apartments are harder because the stairs are common space, and the building owner has to agree to any installation.
Ownership also matters for funding. The Buckeye Hills home accessibility grant does not serve renters, so apartment residents should plan to talk with their landlord first.
Many adult children are helping a parent decide whether to stay in a family home in Glenford, Thornville or Junction City rather than move.
The county's 2024 median household income was $67,460, and the poverty rate was 14.7%. For many families, that makes the funding programs below worth a phone call before buying.
Be clear on one point first: none of the programs listed for Perry County names stair lifts as a covered item. The VA HISA grant states outright that stair glides are not covered. Others cover related work, such as ramps, grab bars, handrails and minor home modifications, and a stair lift may be considered case by case.
For older residents, the usual first call is Buckeye Hills, the Area Agency on Aging for this region, at (800) 331-2644, or its office line at (740) 374-9436. Veterans can start with the Perry County Veterans Services Commission at 128 South Main Street in New Lexington, (740) 342-2536.
Ask each office what it can fund before the lift is installed. Programs usually will not pay back a purchase already made.
An Ohio Medicaid waiver for people 60 and older who need hands-on daily help; it covers in-home services including Minor Home Modifications, but stair lifts are not named, so approval would be case by case under a physician-approved care plan. Perry County residents apply through Buckeye Hills at (800) 331-2644.
A grant for homeowners 60 and older, or any age with a documented disability, that pays for ramps, grab bars, handrails, wider doorways and tub-to-shower swaps; stair lifts are not listed among covered work. Renters are not eligible; call (800) 331-2644 or Jonah Kunz at 740-376-7647.
A VA health benefit for veterans enrolled in VA health care, with a $6,800 lifetime cap for service-connected disabilities or $2,000 for other qualifying disabilities. It does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides and other removable equipment are excluded.
Up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities to adapt a home they own or will own; the VA describes covered work in general terms and does not name stair lifts. Call the VA benefits hotline at (800) 827-1000.
Up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands or certain respiratory injuries; stair lifts are not named as covered. Call (800) 827-1000.
The county veterans office in New Lexington offers emergency financial assistance, rides to VA appointments and help filing VA claims; home modifications and stair lifts are not listed among its services. Call (740) 342-2536 to book a financial assistance appointment, 8:30am to 3:00pm.
A nonprofit that lends equipment such as portable ramps for up to 90 days at no charge to people with disabilities in its service area, which includes Perry County. Stair lifts are not among the listed loan items; call (740) 689-1494 to ask what is available.
Older adults
1400 Pike St., Marietta, 45750
Veterans
128 South Main Street, New Lexington, 43764
Possibly, but it is not guaranteed. PASSPORT, Ohio's Medicaid waiver for people 60 and older, covers Minor Home Modifications, and stair lifts are not named on its list. Buckeye Hills at (800) 331-2644 can tell you whether one could be approved in a care plan.
Yes, if there is a documented disability. The Buckeye Hills housing assistance grant serves homeowners of any age with a disability for accessibility-only work, and SOCIL serves people with disabilities in Perry County.
The HISA grant does not; it excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way. A veteran can start with the Perry County Veterans Services Commission at (740) 342-2536 or the VA at (800) 827-1000.
Not from the Buckeye Hills housing assistance grant, which requires you to own the home. Mobile home owners must also own the land. In a walk-up apartment, the landlord would also need to approve any lift.
Many Perry County homes outside town sit on sloped lots. An outdoor stair lift can handle entry steps where a ramp would run too long, and a platform lift is an option for wheelchair users. We look at the inside and outside stairs together during a home visit.
Buckeye Hills AAA (AAA 8) serves the county from 1400 Pike St., Marietta, OH 45750. You can reach the office at (740) 374-9436 or the program line at (800) 331-2644.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
