Union County's towns go back to the 1790s, when Marysville, Milford Center, Richwood and the smaller crossroads grew up around mills, distilleries and tanneries. That history still shows in the older houses near the town centers, while newer subdivisions keep spreading out from the Columbus metro side of the county.
Those two kinds of homes ask different things of a stair lift. Below we walk through how the local housing and the flat west-central Ohio land affect the choice, and which county, regional and federal programs a Union County household can contact about cost.
In the historic cores of Marysville, the county seat, and towns like Milford Center and Richwood, older staircases are often narrower or turn partway up. A turn or landing usually means a curved rail built to fit that exact stair, which takes longer to make than a straight one.
Newer single-family homes on the edges of the county more often have one straight run from the first floor to the second. A straight stair lift is usually the simpler and quicker install, so measuring the stair is the first step in figuring out which kind you need.
Split-level homes are common here, and they bring short flights between several floors. Each flight may need its own lift, or a rail that wraps around a turn, so we look at how the person actually moves through the house day to day.
Ranch-style homes keep most living space on one floor, but steps at the entry or down to a basement can still be the problem. Townhouses tend to have a straight interior stair, while walk-up apartments raise the question of landlord permission. As of the 2020 census, 21.1% of the county's housing units were renter-occupied, and most funding programs listed below expect the applicant to own the home.
Union County covers 437 square miles of mostly flat, rural land, which means fewer grading problems at the porch or side door than in hillier parts of Ohio. When the trouble spot is a set of outside steps, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can often be placed without a lot of site work.
The 2020 census counted 45.0% of residents in rural areas, many on farm or township properties well outside the towns. That matters for funding: city and county home-repair programs may reach fewer of these homes, while regional and federal programs such as PASSPORT, USDA Section 504 and VA grants are built to cover the whole area.
In the 2020 census, 78.9% of housing units were owner-occupied, which helps, since most of the programs below require homeownership.
Memorial Hospital of Union County, built in Marysville in 1952, is the local hospital many families deal with after a fall or surgery. A discharge from the hospital is often the moment a family starts asking whether the stairs at home are still safe.
No program in this county names stair lifts directly as a covered item, so the honest answer is that you need to ask. Several programs do list home modification, accessibility or health and safety repairs, and a caseworker can tell you whether a lift fits under that line for your situation.
For adults 60 and older, Union County Senior Services at (937) 644-1010 or the Central Ohio AAA (AAA 6) at (614) 645-7250 is a sensible first call. Veterans can start with the Union County Veterans Service Office at (937) 642-7956. The full list of programs is below.
Ohio's Medicaid waiver for people 60 and older who meet nursing-facility level of care, with 2026 limits of $2,982 a month in income and $2,000 in assets for a single applicant. It lists home modifications as a benefit but does not name stair lifts, so ask a caseworker; call (866) 243-5678.
A home repair and chore service for residents 60 and older in the region, usually offered by suggested donation. Stair lifts are not mentioned in its listing; call (800) 589-7277.
The county's office for residents 60 or better, offering personal care, homemaking, emergency response systems, mobile meals and transportation on a sliding-fee scale. Home modifications and stair lifts are not listed, but it can refer you to PASSPORT and COAAA; call (937) 644-1010.
Repair grants up to $15,000 for income-qualified homeowners who have owned their home at least 3 years, with accessibility named as an eligible repair category but stair lifts not named. For 2026 priority goes to Delaware County seniors, so Union County applicants should confirm availability.
Housing repair funding for low- to moderate-income Union County households, administered locally. The program does not say whether accessibility work or stair lifts qualify; call (937) 645-3014 to ask.
Loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older, combined up to $50,000, for very-low-income owners in USDA-eligible rural areas. Grants must remove health and safety hazards; stair lifts are not named, so check with the local USDA office.
A VA health-benefit grant for home alterations, capped at $6,800 for a service-connected disability and $2,000 for other qualifying disabilities. It does not cover stair lifts; stair glides are specifically excluded.
Up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities to adapt a home they own, or up to $50,961 to adapt a family member's home. Stair lifts are not named, though they could be part of an approved adaptation plan; call (800) 827-1000.
Up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands, or up to $9,100 for a family member's home. Stair lifts are not named; call (800) 827-1000.
Union County's Center for Independent Living, offering information, referral and advocacy. It does not fund stair lifts, but it can help you work through PASSPORT, USDA 504 or VA benefits; call (614) 575-8055.
Older adults
3776 S. High St., Columbus, 43207
Veterans
835 East Fifth Street, Suite B, Marysville, 43040
Not through the HISA grant, which specifically excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants fund home adaptations for veterans with certain serious disabilities and do not name stair lifts, so ask the Union County Veterans Service Office at (937) 642-7956 or the VA at (800) 827-1000 whether one could fit your plan.
Most aging programs here start at 60, and the USDA 504 grant starts at 62. The Center for Disability Empowerment at (614) 575-8055 serves Union County and can point a younger person with a disability toward other options.
It can help with USDA Section 504, which is only for homes in USDA-eligible rural areas. Because Union County has both the Marysville urban area and rural townships, you need to check your address on the USDA eligibility map.
The Critical Home Repair Program covers Delaware and Union counties, but its 2026 funding gives priority to seniors in Delaware County. Union County homeowners should ask directly whether money is available in the current cycle.
For someone 60 or older, Union County Senior Services at (937) 644-1010, 940 London Avenue in Marysville, is the county intake point. The Central Ohio AAA (AAA 6) at (614) 645-7250 handles regional programs like PASSPORT.
Most of them, including Habitat, USDA 504 and the VA SAH grant, expect the applicant to own the home. HISA allows rented homes but does not cover stair lifts, so renters should also talk with the landlord before any install.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
