Tioga County covers 1,134 square miles of the Allegheny Plateau, from Wellsboro and Mansfield up to Lawrenceville and Millerton on the New York line. Its 33 towns sit among hills cut by Pine Creek, and many houses were built long before anyone thought about getting a walker up a staircase.
That mix of old multistory houses, sloped lots and long drives to services is why stairs end up being the problem for so many families here. This page walks through what Tioga County homes usually need, which lift types fit them, and where to look for help paying.
Wellsboro, the county seat, was settled in 1806 and incorporated in 1830. The Wellsboro Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has buildings dating from 1835 to the early 1950s in styles that include Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Stick, Eastlake, Bungalow and American Foursquare.
Houses of that age often put the bedrooms on the second floor, and the main staircase may turn at a landing. A straight stair can take a standard rail lift. A stair that turns or winds needs a curved lift with a rail bent to fit that exact staircase, so we measure every step before quoting.
Across the county there were 21,503 housing units at the 2020 census. Single-family and detached houses are most common, with townhouses, walk-up apartments and split-level homes mixed in, and each layout calls for a different look at where the lift starts and stops.
The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, carved by Pine Creek between Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks, gives a sense of how steep this ground can get. In towns like Blossburg, Gaines, Morris Run and Arnot, plenty of homes sit on slopes with a run of exterior steps between the driveway and the front door.
Those outside steps can be served by an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure. Where someone uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat. Split-level homes are a separate case: the short half flights are often handled with straight lifts, one per flight.
About 22.5 percent of Tioga County residents are 65 or older, and 73.2 percent of occupied homes were owner-occupied at the 2020 census. In practice that means a lot of older owners living in houses they know well and do not want to leave.
Distances matter too. With settlement spread out and services far apart, moving a bedroom downstairs or adding a lift often keeps someone home longer than a move to town would. A stair lift is usually installed in a day and does not require tearing out the staircase.
Two Medicaid waivers list stair lifts as covered: the Community HealthChoices (CHC) waiver for adults 21 and over who meet a nursing-facility level of care, and the OBRA waiver for people 18 to 59 with severe physical disabilities. Neither publishes a dollar cap, and approval goes case by case.
For people 60 and up, the Bradford-Sullivan-Susquehanna-Tioga AAA is the usual starting point. It handles assessments and can point you to the OPTIONS Program or a CHC referral. Its office is at 220 Main St., Towanda 18848, phone (570) 265-6121.
Roads to Freedom Center for Independent Living can do a home evaluation and help sort out funding for people with disabilities of any age. The PA Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) is another statewide name worth asking about. Each program is summarized below.
The VA's SAH and SHA grants fund home adaptations for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, though the sources do not mention stair lifts specifically. The HISA grant does not cover them.
The Tioga County Veteran’s Affairs Department at 1835 Shumway Hill Rd, Suite 1, Wellsboro 16901 can help with VA paperwork. Call (570) 723-8141.
A Medicaid home and community-based waiver that covers stair lifts for adults 21 and older who are Medicaid eligible and meet a nursing-facility level of care, authorized by the CHC service coordinator. Call (833) 735-4416.
An Office of Long-Term Living Medicaid waiver that covers stair lifts case by case; OBRA serves people 18 to 59 with severe developmental physical disabilities. Call (800) 757-5042.
State-funded in-home services for Pennsylvanians 60 and older with daily-living needs, with no hard income limit but a possible sliding co-pay; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (570) 723-0935.
The county aging agency that does assessments and care management and serves as the gateway to OPTIONS and the CHC waiver; stair lifts are not listed because it coordinates rather than funds. Call (570) 723-0935.
Provides home evaluations, assistive technology help and home-modification referrals for people with disabilities of any age in Tioga County; stair lift funding is not listed. Call (570) 327-9070.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 for FY 2026 for veterans who own their home and have a qualifying service-connected disability; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (877) 827-3702.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 for FY 2026 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities such as loss of use of both hands; stair lifts are not listed. Call (877) 827-3702.
Pays up to $6,800 for service-connected or $2,000 for non-service-connected veterans for medically necessary structural changes, but it does not cover stair lifts. Call (877) 222-8387.
Performs energy-efficiency work at no cost for income-eligible households and does not cover stair lifts; its listed service area is Lycoming and Clinton Counties, so Tioga coverage is not confirmed. Call (570) 326-0587.
Older adults
220 Main St., Towanda, 18848
Veterans
1835 Shumway Hill Rd, Suite 1, Wellsboro, 16901
Usually, yes. A staircase that turns at a landing or winds needs a curved lift with a rail made to match it, while a straight flight can take a standard rail. We measure the stairs in person to tell which one your house needs.
Yes. The CHC waiver serves adults 21 and older who meet Medicaid and nursing-facility level-of-care rules, and the OBRA waiver serves people 18 to 59 with severe physical disabilities. Both list stair lifts as covered.
There is no hard income limit for OPTIONS, which serves Pennsylvania residents 60 and older. A sliding-scale co-pay may apply based on income. Call (570) 723-0935 to ask about an assessment.
The Bradford-Sullivan-Susquehanna-Tioga AAA is at 220 Main St. in Towanda, zip 18848. The phone is (570) 265-6121.
No. HISA does not cover stair lifts. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities can ask about the SAH or SHA grants at (877) 827-3702, or call the Tioga County Veteran’s Affairs Department at (570) 723-8141.
It requires proof of home ownership and a signed landlord or owner Letter of Consent. The modification must be authorized by your CHC Managed Care Organization service coordinator.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
