Skamania County stretches across 1,656 square miles of the Cascade Range and Columbia River Gorge, and about 80% of it lies within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Most people live in or around Carson, Stevenson and North Bonneville, often in standalone homes on sloped lots where getting from the driveway to the kitchen means more than one set of steps.
This page walks through what that kind of home means for a stair lift, which lift types tend to fit, and where Skamania County families can look for help paying for one. If you are weighing a lift for yourself or for a parent, start with the stairs you actually use every day and work out from there.
Much of the county is mountainous and forested, so many homes sit on hillsides with several changes in level between the yard, the entry and the living space. That usually means the problem is not one staircase but two or three short ones.
Split-level homes are a common example. Each short run between levels can often take its own straight stair lift, which tends to be simpler to fit than one lift that turns corners. A curved lift is the answer when a single staircase has a landing turn and you want one continuous ride.
Ranch-style homes keep living space on one floor, but on a sloped lot the front or back entry may still have a run of steps. For those, an outdoor stair lift built for weather is one option, and a vertical platform lift is another when a wheelchair or walker needs to come along.
Walk-up apartments are a different case, since shared stairways usually need the building owner's approval before anything is installed. If you rent, talk to the owner first.
Skamania County has about 5,380 residents, and 24.0% of them are 65 or older.
The 2020 Census found a 76.2% owner-occupancy rate, so most households own the home they would be modifying. Owning the home makes it easier to approve permanent work like a curved rail or an outdoor lift.
The 2020 Census classifies the whole county as rural, and there is no dense local trade base for accessibility work. Contractors and service providers often come from the Vancouver/Portland metro area, which lengthens travel time.
In practice, that makes a careful first visit important. Measuring every set of steps, inside and out, in one trip helps avoid a second drive for a lift that does not fit.
Only one program in our list names stair lifts directly: the Northwest Access Fund home modification loan, which covers stairlift installation for Washington residents of any age with a disability. The Medicaid COPES waiver and the two VA grants fund home modifications, but their sources do not name stair lifts, so ask before you count on them.
For Medicaid long-term care help, the DSHS Home and Community Services office in Stevenson is the local starting point at (509) 427-0713 or toll-free at (800) 505-4203. AAA & Disabilities of Southwest Washington in Longview can be reached at (360) 694-8144, and the Skamania County Veterans Service Office in Stevenson is at (509) 427-3977.
Other statewide programs worth asking about include Community First Choice (CFC), VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), and the Senior Citizens & People with Disabilities Property Tax Exemption.
A state Medicaid waiver that can pay for environmental modifications approved case by case for adults eligible for Apple Health long-term care who need nursing-facility level of care but can live safely at home; the regulation does not list stair lifts or any specific device. Apply through the DSHS Home and Community Services office in Stevenson at (509) 427-0713.
The local state office at 266 SW 2nd St in Stevenson that handles in-home needs assessments, Apple Health long-term care eligibility and COPES applications; it is an access point, not a grant, and its page does not list stair lifts. Call (509) 427-0713 or (800) 505-4203.
A federal grant of up to $126,526 for FY2026 for veterans who own or will own their home and have a qualifying severe service-connected disability; the VA names ramps and doorway widening as examples but does not list stair lifts. The Skamania County Veterans Service Office at (509) 427-3977 can help with questions.
A federal grant of up to $25,350 for FY2026 for veterans with certain qualifying disabilities, such as loss of use of both hands, where the veteran or a family member they live with owns the home; stair lifts are not listed among the examples. Ask the Skamania County Veterans Service Office at (509) 427-3977.
A nonprofit low-interest loan of up to $60,000, repayable over up to 120 months, that explicitly covers stairlift installation for Washington, Oregon and Idaho residents of any age with a disability. Call (206) 328-5116 or 1-877-428-5116.
Older adults
1338 Commerce Avenue, Suite 309, Longview, 98632
Veterans
710 SE Rock Creek Drive, Stevenson, 98648
Possibly, but it is not guaranteed. The COPES waiver can cover environmental modifications that are necessary for health and safety, but the regulation does not name stair lifts. Start with the DSHS Home and Community Services office in Stevenson at (509) 427-0713.
Yes. The Northwest Access Fund home modification loan is open to Washington residents of any age with a disability of any type, and it lists stairlift installation as a covered use.
For the Northwest Access Fund loan, yes. A family member or representative can submit the application for a person with a disability. Approval involves a credit review and a loan committee that meets twice a month.
Often, yes. On sloped lots and in split-level homes, each short run of steps may need its own straight lift, and outdoor steps need a lift rated for weather or a vertical platform lift. A home visit that measures every set of stairs sorts this out.
Call the Skamania County Veterans Service Office at 710 SE Rock Creek Drive in Stevenson, (509) 427-3977. They can help you check the SAH and SHA grants, though neither VA source lists stair lifts by name.
AAA & Disabilities of Southwest Washington is at 1338 Commerce Avenue, Suite 309, in Longview, and the phone is (360) 694-8144.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
