Albany is the only town counted in Shackelford County, and it serves as the county seat around the courthouse square. Beyond Albany, small communities such as Lueders, Moran and Spring Creek sit spread out across mesquite and chaparral savanna, with the Clear Fork of the Brazos River crossing the northwest corner of the county.
Homes here are mostly single-family, ranch-style and split-level houses, plus a few low-rise buildings. Many older rural Texas homes like these have front-entry steps, raised foundations or multi-level layouts. Those features decide what kind of stair lift makes sense, so this page walks through them and through the programs that may help pay.
A ranch-style house on a raised foundation often has no indoor staircase at all. The trouble is the front-entry steps. In that case an outdoor stair lift, built for exterior use, can carry a person from the yard to the porch.
Split-level homes are different. They have short runs of stairs between levels, and the layout can include a turn or a landing. A straight run takes a straight stair lift, which is usually the simpler install. A run that turns calls for a curved lift with a rail shaped to that staircase.
If someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift may be the better fit for porch steps. We measure the steps and the space at the top and bottom before recommending any of these.
Shackelford County has about 1,725 residents, and 22.6% are 65 or older. About 79.3% of households own their homes, which matters because owners can approve permanent installs like an outdoor lift or a curved rail.
That is a large enough share that VA benefits are worth checking early, though one VA grant does exclude stair glides, as explained below.
The county sits in north-central West Texas, about 35 miles northeast of Abilene, and communities are spread thin. Aging residents here usually travel farther to reach accessibility installers, home-modification contractors and medical providers than people in urban Texas counties.
Because of that distance, it helps to plan ahead. Get a home assessment before a fall or hospital stay forces a rush, and ask about how service and maintenance visits will be scheduled out to your address.
The median home value in the county is $174,800 and the median household income is $73,047, so some families pay out of pocket. Others look to Medicaid, VA or USDA help, especially lower-income senior homeowners.
None of the programs listed below names stair lifts in its source material, and the VA HISA grant excludes stair glides outright. Coverage for the others depends on a case manager, a care plan or a case-by-case review of health and safety need. Start with a phone call and ask directly.
For local help, the West Central Texas AAA is at 1025 EN 10th St., Abilene, 79601, phone (325) 672-8544. Veterans can reach the Shackelford County Veterans Service Officer at 456 Breckenridge St., Albany, 76430-2753, phone (325) 762-2106.
A Texas Medicaid managed-care benefit for people 65 or older, or 21 and older with a disability, who meet nursing-facility level of care and Medicaid financial limits; it pays up to a $7,500 lifetime limit for minor home modifications, plus $300 per year for repair and maintenance after that limit is used. Stair lifts are not listed by name, so approval depends on your case manager and care plan.
A one-time grant of up to $20,000 per household for homeowners or tenants with disabilities whose income is at or below 80% of Area Median Family Income, to increase accessibility and remove hazardous conditions. The source does not name stair lifts.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can borrow up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest over 20 years, and homeowners 62 or older who cannot repay a loan can get grants up to $10,000 lifetime, with both combined up to $50,000. Examples given are wheelchair ramps and walk-in tubs; stair lifts are not listed, so coverage is case by case.
A lifetime grant of $6,800 for veterans with a service-connected disability (or a qualifying combined rating of 50%+) and $2,000 for other eligible non-service-connected disabilities, for medically necessary alterations prescribed by a VA provider. It explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts; call (800) 827-1000 for details.
Grants for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities to buy, build or adapt a home: SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 lifetime (FY2026), with Temporary Residence Adaptation up to $50,961 or $9,100. Stair lifts are not listed by name; call (800) 827-1000.
Serves adults 60 and older in a 19-county region that includes Shackelford County, with services such as Residential Repair for modifications essential to an older person's health and safety, plus Chore Maintenance. Stair lifts are not listed by name; call (325) 672-8544.
Older adults
1025 EN 10th St., Abilene, 79601
Veterans
456 Breckenridge St., Albany, 76430-2753
No. The HISA source explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Veterans with severe service-connected disabilities can ask about SAH or SHA grants, which do not list stair lifts by name, by calling (800) 827-1000 or the Shackelford County Veterans Service Officer at (325) 762-2106.
Possibly. STAR+PLUS HCBS covers people 21 and older with a disability who qualify for Medicaid and nursing-facility level of care, and the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program serves persons with disabilities at or below 80% of Area Median Family Income. Neither source names stair lifts.
Shackelford County is 100% rural per Census data, so homes here fall in USDA-eligible territory. Grants require the homeowner to be 62 or older and very low income, and stair lifts are reviewed case by case.
The West Central Texas AAA is at 1025 EN 10th St., Abilene, 79601. Call (325) 672-8544 and ask about Residential Repair.
An outdoor stair lift on the entry steps may be enough, or a platform lift if the person stays in a wheelchair. We look at the steps, the porch and the yard before recommending one.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
