From the farmhouses around Hyde Park and Eden to the village streets of Morrisville and Jeffersonville, a lot of Lamoille County homes were built tall. Many older houses here go back to the Yankee and French-Canadian families who settled the county, and they put bedrooms upstairs with a single staircase tying the floors together.
That layout works fine for decades, then one day the stairs become the hardest part of the house. This page covers how stair lifts fit the kinds of homes found across the county's 14 towns, and which Vermont and federal programs may help with the cost.
Lamoille County had 13,878 housing units at the 2020 census, and the mix includes single-family homes, detached houses, split-level homes, townhouses and walk-up apartments. The older multi-story New England houses are the ones we think about first, because the staircase is often the only route to the bedroom and bath.
A straight staircase with no turns or landings usually takes a straight stair lift, which is the simplest install. Farmhouse stairs that turn at a landing or wind around a corner need a curved rail built to fit that exact staircase.
Split-level homes are a different puzzle. They tend to have several short runs of steps, so we look at which levels the person really needs to reach before suggesting one lift or more.
Inside stairs are only half of it for many households. Entry steps up to a porch or side door can be just as hard, and an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle that trip.
Platform lifts make the most sense for someone who uses a wheelchair or scooter and cannot transfer to a seat. For walk-up apartments and townhouses, the owner or landlord has to agree before anything gets bolted to shared stairs.
As of the 2020 census, 18.6% of county residents were 65 or older and the median age was 42.3. Owner-occupied homes made up 70.6% of housing, so most older residents here are making changes to a house they own.
A veteran in the household should check those before paying out of pocket.
Lamoille County covers 464 square miles and is the only county in Vermont without one of the state's five U.S. Routes running through it. Getting to Morristown, the main commercial center, or to Hyde Park, the county seat, means state and local roads.
With a dispersed, rural settlement pattern, a trip out for medical care or equipment can take real time. Having a stair lift installed at home means the measuring, fitting and follow-up all happen at your house, not at a showroom.
Two programs in the list below say stair lifts can be covered: the VA Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) Grant and the USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants. Even with those, approval is case by case.
Most of the other Vermont programs fund home modifications or equipment but do not name stair lifts. That does not rule them out. It means you need to ask directly, and the Central Vermont Council on Aging is a good first call at (802) 479-0531.
Veterans can also reach Vermont Veterans Outreach at 45 Farr Avenue in Morrisville, (802) 338-3411, for help sorting out VA benefits.
A Medicaid waiver for Vermonters who meet nursing-home level of care and Medicaid financial limits; its home modification benefit names ramps, grab bars and doorway widening, but stair lifts are not listed, so ask whether one could be approved in the care plan. Call (802) 241-0294.
For Vermonters 65 and older or adults with a disability who need help with daily activities but do not meet the higher clinical criteria; flexible funds can go to home modifications and assistive devices, though stair lifts are not named. Call (800) 479-6151.
The local aging agency offering options counseling, case management and help applying to other funding programs; it is not a grant and does not list stair lifts, but it is the best place to start. Call (800) 642-5119.
Funds home entry and bathroom accessibility work for low-income Vermonters with a physical disability; stair lifts and interior stairs are not mentioned. Call (802) 224-1807.
A limited grant fund for equipment and services that help Vermonters with disabilities stay independent at home; stair lifts are not itemized. Call (802) 224-1825.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners 62+ who cannot repay a loan, combined up to $50,000, or up to $55,000 in declared disaster areas, which has applied to Lamoille County after 2023 flooding; stair lifts can qualify case by case. Call (603) 223-6035.
Low-cost loans, and sometimes grants, for low-income homeowners in Washington, Orange or Lamoille County to make essential health-and-safety repairs; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (802) 476-4493.
A lifetime VA grant of up to $6,800 for service-connected disabilities (or a combined rating of 50%+) and up to $2,000 for other eligible disabilities, for medically necessary changes prescribed by a VA provider; it covers stair lifts, but confirm the unit type with VA Prosthetics. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA (FY2026); stair lifts are not listed by name. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
59 N. Main St., Suite 200, Barre, 05641
Veterans
45 Farr Avenue, Morrisville, 05661
Usually, yes. A straight staircase takes a straight lift, while stairs that turn at a landing or curve need a custom curved rail. We measure the stairs at the house before recommending a model.
Choices for Care funds home modifications, but the sources name ramps, grab bars and doorway widening, not stair lifts. Ask whether a stair lift could be approved in the care plan by calling (802) 241-0294 or the Central Vermont Council on Aging.
The Moderate Needs Group of Choices for Care covers adults with a disability as well as people 65 and older, and the VCIL programs serve Vermonters with disabilities. The USDA Section 504 grant portion is only for applicants 62 and older.
Vermont Veterans Outreach has an office at 45 Farr Avenue in Morrisville, (802) 338-3411. The VA HISA grant covers stair lifts when a VA provider prescribes the change as medically necessary, and the VA line is (800) 827-1000.
Section 504 loans and grants can cover stair lifts case by case for very-low-income homeowners living in a USDA-eligible rural area. Call (603) 223-6035 to check eligibility for your household size and county.
The Central Vermont Council on Aging serves Lamoille County and can walk you through options and applications. Reach them at (802) 479-0531 or (800) 642-5119.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
