Comal County sits right on the Balcones Escarpment, where the rocky Hill Country to the west meets rolling grassland to the east. New Braunfels, the county seat, is built on that fault line, and towns like Canyon Lake, Bulverde, Garden Ridge and Spring Branch spread out across the hills and canyons around it. That terrain shapes the houses here, and it shapes how a stair lift has to be planned.
In the older parts of New Braunfels, you can still find 19th-century German-vernacular buildings from the town's 1845 founding. Many newer Hill Country subdivisions were built across sloped, hilly ground. Below we walk through what those homes mean for stair lift choices and which programs in and around Comal County may help with the cost.
Homes on sloped lots often end up with stairs in more places than a flat-lot house. There may be a full flight inside, a few steps down to a garage, and a set of steps from the driveway up to the front door. Each of those is a separate decision.
A single straight flight inside a single-family home is the simplest job. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, and installation is usually quick. If the stairs turn at a landing or wrap around a corner, a curved lift with a custom-bent rail is the usual answer.
For steps outside, an outdoor-rated lift is built to handle weather. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a short rise, a platform lift can be a better fit than a seat.
Split-level homes are common here, and they bring short half-flights between levels. Sometimes one lift covers the stairs that matter most, such as the run up to the bedrooms. Other times two short straight lifts make more sense than one long curved rail.
Townhouses and low-rise buildings tend to have narrower stairs, so we measure tread depth and width carefully and check how much room is left for others to walk past a folded seat. In older homes, we look at the stair structure itself before recommending a rail. Townhouse and building owners may also need approval from an association or landlord, so it helps to ask early.
Of the county's 142,291 residents, 17.2% are 65 or older. Most people here own their homes, at 72.3%, which matters because owning the house generally makes it easier to install a permanent rail and qualify for several of the repair programs listed below.
If someone in your household served, the VA programs and the county Veterans Services office are worth a call before you decide how to pay.
None of the programs below names stair lifts as a covered item in its source material, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. That does not always mean a request will be turned down. Several programs cover home modifications in general, and decisions are often made case by case.
A good first call is the Alamo Area AAA at (210) 362-5200, 8700 Tesoro Drive, Suite 160, San Antonio, 78217. Veterans can reach Veterans Services at (830) 221-1170, 1297 Church Hill Drive, New Braunfels, 78130. Statewide, Texas also runs the CLASS Waiver, and you can ask a caseworker whether it applies to your situation.
Ask any program what proof of need, income documents and contractor quotes they require. We can provide a written quote for the specific lift your stairs need.
A Texas Medicaid waiver for people 65+ or 21+ with a qualifying disability who need nursing-facility-level care; it covers home modifications such as grab bars and wheelchair ramps, but stair lifts are not listed and would be decided case by case through a service coordinator. Call (877) 438-5658.
A one-time state grant of up to $22,500 for households with a person with a disability and income at or below 80% of Area Median Family Income, open to owners and tenants and delivered through AACOG for Comal County. Listed items include handrails, ramps and wider doors; stair lifts are not listed. Call (512) 936-7799.
Funds home modifications, repairs and weatherization for low-income veteran homeowners and surviving spouses at or below 80% of Area Median Family Income; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Call (210) 362-5282.
Information, referral and options counseling for adults 60+, people with disabilities and family caregivers in the Alamo region, which includes Comal County. It is a referral service rather than direct funding, and stair lifts are not listed. Call (210) 362-5282.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62+ who cannot repay a loan, for very-low-income owners in USDA-designated rural areas checked address by address. Stair lifts are not listed.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for enrolled veterans who need structural changes at home. It does not cover stair lifts: stair glides and porch lifts are excluded.
Grants for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities: SAH up to $126,526, SHA up to $25,350, and TRA up to $50,961 or $9,100 (FY2026 figures). Examples given are ramps and widened doorways; stair lifts are not listed.
A city minor home repair grant for low-to-moderate income New Braunfels households, with a cited income limit of $77,300 for a household of 4; which repairs are covered is not detailed, and stair lifts are not listed. Call the Grants Coordinator at (830) 221-4383.
A Center for Independent Living that supplies equipment such as ramps and wheelchairs to people with significant disabilities in its service area, with a sliding-scale fee; stair lifts are not listed. Call (210) 281-1878 to confirm your address is served.
Home repairs, including entrance ramps and bathroom accessibility, for owner-occupants earning 30-75% of Area Median Family Income, repaid through a payment plan; stair lifts are not listed. Applications were closed at last check, so call (830) 625-4025 for status, or try the City of New Braunfels CDBG Minor Repair Program at (830) 375-1962.
Older adults
8700 Tesoro Drive, Suite 160, San Antonio, 78217
Veterans
1297 Church Hill Drive, New Braunfels, 78130
The STAR+PLUS HCBS Waiver covers home modifications, but the examples it gives are grab bars and ramps. A stair lift would be reviewed case by case with a service coordinator. Call (877) 438-5658 to ask.
The HISA grant does not; it excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants for severe service-connected disabilities do not list stair lifts either, so ask directly. Veterans Services in New Braunfels is at (830) 221-1170.
Yes, possibly. STAR+PLUS is open to people 21+ with a qualifying disability, and the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program is based on disability and income rather than age.
The Amy Young Barrier Removal Program accepts both owner-occupants and tenants. Most other programs here, including Habitat and Homes for Texas Heroes, require you to own the home.
It depends on your exact address. USDA Section 504 eligibility is checked address by address, not countywide, so confirm your property falls in a USDA-designated rural area.
Sometimes. We look at which levels you use daily. One lift on the main half-flight may be enough, or two short straight lifts can work better than a long curved rail.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
