From Big Stone Gap and Appalachia up to Wise, Coeburn, St. Paul and Pound, Wise County sits on the Appalachian Plateau, and many houses here are built right into hillside and mountainside lots. That slope often means a split-level floor plan, a set of steps between the driveway and the front door, and stairs inside that were never planned with a lift in mind.
This page walks through how those homes affect the kind of stair lift that fits, and which local and state programs may help with the cost. The phone numbers for the area agency on aging and the veterans field office in Big Stone Gap are near the bottom.
The county covers about 403 square miles of steep ground, including High Knob and Powell Valley, with roughly 89.7 people per square mile. On terrain like that, a house is usually set into the slope, so the entry level and the living level end up at different heights.
Multi-level and split-level construction is common for exactly that reason. Much of the housing is older and often predates modern accessibility standards, so stairways can be narrow, steep or broken up by a landing.
A single straight run between floors, common in many single-family homes and detached houses, usually takes a straight stair lift. The rail mounts to the treads, not the wall, so plaster and paneling stay untouched.
Split-level homes and townhouses often have short flights with a turn or a landing in between. Those call for a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairs, or sometimes two straight lifts, one for each flight.
Hillside lots also bring outside steps up from the driveway or down to a basement door. An outdoor stair lift is made for weather, and a platform lift can be the better answer when someone uses a wheelchair. Walk-up apartments are a different case, since the stairs are shared and the building owner has to agree to any installation.
The 2020 Census recorded 70.4% of homes as owner-occupied, which means most families here make their own decisions about adding a lift.
For an adult child helping a parent stay in the family home, that ownership matters. A homeowner can approve rail mounting, outdoor work and any electrical outlet a lift needs without waiting on a landlord.
No program on this page names stair lifts as a covered item, so it is worth calling before you count on any of them. Several do pay for home modifications in general, and staff can tell you how a lift request would be handled.
Medicaid members who need a nursing-facility level of care can look at the CCC Plus Waiver, which includes environmental modifications. Very-low-income rural homeowners can ask about USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants, and veterans should start with the field office in Big Stone Gap.
For help filling out applications, Junction Center for Independent Living and Mountain Empire Older Citizens are both local. Statewide, you can also ask about the Virginia Livable Home Tax Credit (LHTC).
Mountain Empire Older Citizens (PSA 1) is at 1501 3rd Ave. E., Big Stone Gap, VA 24219, phone (276) 523-4202.
The Virginia Dept. of Veterans Services Big Stone Gap, VA Field Office is at Suite D-1, Clover Leaf Square, Big Stone Gap, VA 24219, phone (276) 523-1411.
A Virginia Medicaid waiver for members who need a nursing-facility level of care but can stay safely at home, with environmental modifications and assistive technology as covered services; stair lifts are not named, and there is no waitlist. Call the Cover Virginia Call Center at (833) 522-5582.
The local aging agency offers in-home personal care for Medicaid-eligible people who meet nursing-home-placement criteria, along with transit, nutrition, energy assistance and advocacy; its listed services do not mention stair lifts or home modification grants. Call (276) 523-4202.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can borrow up to $40,000 at 1% interest, and those 62 or older who cannot repay a loan may get grants up to $10,000, with combined help up to $50,000. Stair lifts are not named, though most of Wise County qualifies as rural.
A lifetime benefit of $6,800 for service-connected disabilities or $2,000 for other eligible disabilities, for medically necessary changes like ramps, entrance access and roll-in showers. The VA's own page lists stair glides and porch lifts as not covered.
Up to $126,526 (FY2026 maximum) toward building, buying or adapting a home for veterans with severe qualifying service-connected disabilities. The source does not mention stair lifts.
Low-interest loans for Virginians with disabilities or their family members to finance assistive technology, including accessibility modifications; stair lifts are not confirmed as financeable. Call (866) 835-5976.
A Big Stone Gap-based center that helps people with disabilities complete home modification applications and refers them to home repair agencies; it is not a direct grant and does not mention stair lifts. Call (276) 524-4081.
Older adults
1501 3rd Ave. E., Big Stone Gap, 24219
Veterans
Suite D-1, Clover Leaf Square, Big Stone Gap, 24219
The CCC Plus Waiver covers environmental modifications for Medicaid members who need a nursing-facility level of care, but its page does not name stair lifts. Call Cover Virginia at (833) 522-5582 to ask how a lift request would be reviewed.
No. The VA's HISA page lists stair glides among items that are not covered. Veterans can still ask the Big Stone Gap field office at (276) 523-1411 about other VA options, such as the SAH grant.
USDA Section 504 grants of up to $10,000 are open to homeowners 62 or older who cannot repay a loan and whose household income is at or below 50% of area median income. Stair lifts are not named, so confirm before applying.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are built for weather, and a platform lift may suit someone who uses a wheelchair. On a hillside lot we look at the slope, the step material and where power can reach.
Junction Center for Independent Living in Big Stone Gap helps with home modification applications and referrals at (276) 524-4081. Mountain Empire Older Citizens at (276) 523-4202 can also point older adults to local services.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
