Van Zandt County calls itself the "Gateway to East Texas," and the land shows it. Prairie on the western side gives way to post oak forest and then the Piney Woods in the east, with the Neches and Sabine rivers running through. Across about 843 square miles, from Canton and Wills Point to Grand Saline, Van, Edgewood and Ben Wheeler, homes sit on rolling, wooded ground rather than flat plain.
That rolling ground is one reason split-level and multi-story houses are common here. When the bedroom or the laundry is up a flight of stairs, a stair lift can be the difference between staying in a long-owned home and moving out. This page walks through what kind of lift tends to fit local homes and which programs may help with the cost.
The western and northwestern part of the county sits on the eastern edge of the Texas Blackland Prairies. Moving east toward Edom, Fruitvale and Myrtle Springs, the country turns to post oak and pine. Builders on uneven lots often used split-level and multi-story designs to work with the slope.
A split-level house usually has short runs of stairs between floors. Each run is often straight, which makes a straight stair lift a practical fit. A full flight that turns at a landing needs a curved lift built to that staircase.
Housing in the county is mostly single-family homes, detached houses and ranch-style homes, with some low-rise buildings and walk-up apartments. A one-story ranch-style home may have no indoor stairs at all, but the porch steps or the drop to a garage can still be a daily problem. An outdoor lift or a platform lift can handle those steps.
In a two-story house with a straight staircase, a straight lift is the simplest install. If the stairs curve or have a landing partway up, we measure on site and plan a curved rail. Walk-up apartments need the building owner's approval before anything goes on a shared stairwell.
Per the 2020 Census, 76.7% of occupied homes in Van Zandt County are owner-occupied, and the whole county was classified as rural. Most homes are standalone properties. If you own your house outright, you can usually decide on a stair lift yourself without asking a landlord or an HOA.
That also matters for some grants. The VA Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation grants require that the veteran or a qualifying family member owns or will own the home.
For many families, that means a parent who served and who wants to stay in the house they have lived in for years.
Veterans have a local office in Canton at 1200 S. Trade Days Blvd, Suite 400, reachable at (903) 567-7985. Older adults 60 and up can call the East Texas AAA, based at 3800 Stone Rd. in Kilgore, at (903) 984-8641.
The county's 2000 Census median household income was $35,029, and 13.3% of residents were below the poverty line. So it makes sense to check outside help before paying in full. None of the programs below names stair lifts as a covered item, and one VA benefit excludes them outright, so ask each office directly.
Good first calls are the Area Agency on Aging of East Texas for seniors and the Van Zandt County Veterans Service Office for veterans. Medicaid-eligible adults can ask their STAR+PLUS managed care organization about minor home modifications or call 2-1-1. Details for each program are listed below.
A statewide Texas Medicaid waiver for adults 21 and up who need a nursing-facility level of care, and it lists minor home modifications as a covered service, though stair lifts are not named. Apply through your STAR+PLUS managed care organization, call 2-1-1, or call (877) 782-6440.
A statewide grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs offering one-time grants of up to $20,000 to income-qualified people with disabilities who need architectural barriers removed. The source does not mention stair lifts, so confirm with TDHCA what it will cover.
A VA benefit with lifetime caps of $6,800 or $2,000 for permanent changes like built-in ramps and roll-in showers. It explicitly excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe disabilities who own or will own the home, with FY2026 caps of $126,526 for SAH, $25,350 for SHA, and $50,961 or $9,100 for TRA. Stair lifts are not named among covered changes; the county Veterans Service Office at (903) 567-7985 can help you file.
A monthly add-on to the VA pension for low-income wartime veterans or surviving spouses who need help with daily activities or are largely confined to the home. It is not a home-modification grant and does not mention stair lifts, but the extra income can help with a purchase.
Serves adults 60 and up in a 14-county region that includes Van Zandt County, offering benefits counseling, care coordination, caregiver support and more. No stair lift program is listed, but it is the right first call to be referred to any home-modification help currently funded: (800) 442-8845.
A county office in Canton led by Tommy Forgue that helps veterans and dependents with pension, compensation, survivor and appeal claims. It does not list stair lift funding itself but is the local place to start a VA housing grant claim: (903) 567-7985.
A nonprofit that builds wheelchair ramps with volunteers at no cost and serves regions including East Texas. It does not build stair lifts, and Van Zandt County is not named on its site, so call (214) 558-0339 to confirm service.
Older adults
3800 Stone Rd., Kilgore, 75662
Veterans
1200 S. Trade Days Blvd, Suite 400, Canton, 75103
The HISA benefit will not, because it excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way, so a veteran should ask the Van Zandt County Veterans Service Office at (903) 567-7985 for help applying and checking what is allowed.
Split-level homes often have short, straight runs of stairs, which usually suit a straight stair lift. If any run turns or has a landing, a curved lift is measured and built for it.
Yes, if porch or garage steps are the problem. An outdoor lift or a platform lift can cover those steps. For a ramp instead, the Texas Ramp Project at (214) 558-0339 builds ramps at no cost where it serves.
The Area Agency on Aging serves adults 60 and up, but the STAR+PLUS HCBS Waiver is open to Medicaid-eligible adults 21 and older who meet its medical criteria. The Amy Young Barrier Removal Program serves income-qualified people with disabilities and has no age limit listed.
Start with the Area Agency on Aging of East Texas at (800) 442-8845, or the East Texas AAA office in Kilgore at (903) 984-8641. They can screen you for whatever home-modification referrals are currently available.
If you own your home, usually not. Most homes in the county are standalone, owner-occupied houses, so the owner makes the call. Renters, including those in walk-up apartments, need the landlord's approval.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
