Pepin County is a place of farmhouses and small towns along Wisconsin's western border, where Durand, Pepin and Arkansaw sit near the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin. As of the 2020 census, effectively all of the county's population lived in rural areas, and a lot of those homes were built a long time ago.
Many long-time homeowners here live in multi-level older farmhouses with no bedroom or bathroom on the first floor. That layout is often what turns a set of stairs from a daily chore into a real safety question. This page walks through what kind of lift tends to fit local homes and which programs can help pay for one.
When the only bathroom and bedroom are upstairs, moving downstairs usually is not an option. A stair lift keeps the whole house usable without a remodel. In an older farmhouse, the first thing we check is the staircase shape.
A straight staircase with no landings can usually take a straight rail, which is the simpler install. Stairs that turn, wind or stop at a landing need a curved rail built to the exact shape of that staircase. Many older homes have turns tucked into tight corners, so measuring in person matters.
Ranch-style homes and split-level homes come up here too. A ranch often has its stairs leading to the basement, where laundry or storage lives. Split-level homes have shorter runs between floors, and each run is looked at on its own.
Pepin County covers 232 square miles of land, the smallest county in Wisconsin by land area, with Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River along its edge. Its small, scattered communities can make exterior access and winter mobility harder for older residents.
If the trouble starts at the porch or deck steps, an outdoor stair lift built for weather is one option. Where a wheelchair is involved, a vertical platform lift can carry the chair and rider together. We look at the entry you actually use most in winter before recommending either.
Many own their homes and plan to stay in them, which is why stair lifts come up so often in family conversations here.
Durand is the county seat, and both the Pepin County ADRC and the Pepin County Veterans Service Office are at the same Durand address. That makes it easier to sort out benefits for an older parent who is also a veteran.
The county has a small, rural tax base, so state programs like IRIS and Family Care, plus federal USDA and VA sources, carry most of the load for people aging in place. Two Wisconsin Medicaid programs, IRIS and Family Care, name stair lifts as a covered home modification.
Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. Other sources, like the USDA Section 504 program and the regional housing rehabilitation loan, do not name stair lifts, so ask them directly before counting on that money. The program list below gives the details and phone numbers.
The Pepin County ADRC is at 740 7th Ave. W, Durand, WI 54736, phone (715) 672-8941. It is a good first call to learn which programs you may qualify for.
The Pepin County Veterans Service Office is at 740 7th Avenue West, Durand, WI 54736, phone (715) 672-8887. Staff there can help a veteran work through VA housing grants.
A self-directed Medicaid long-term care budget for people 65+ or 18-64 with a disability who need nursing-facility level of care; home modifications, including stair lifts, are a covered budget item. Call the IRIS Call Center at (888) 515-4747.
Medicaid managed long-term care run through a regional Managed Care Organization, and it covers installation of home modifications such as stair lifts. Call (866) 578-2372.
Free information, benefit-specialist help and long-term care options counseling for residents 60+, adults with disabilities and caregivers; it is not a grant, and stair lifts are not listed as a service. Call (866) 578-2372.
A 0% interest, deferred-payment loan up to a standard $100,000 for low- and moderate-income homeowners in a ten-county region that includes Pepin; accessibility improvement is an eligible repair, though stair lifts are not itemized. Call (715) 726-7933.
Loans up to $20,000 at 1% for very-low-income rural homeowners, plus grants up to $7,500 for those 62+, to remove a health or safety hazard. The source does not specifically name stair lifts.
Accessibility Specialists help people with disabilities in Pepin and nearby counties identify home improvements and funding sources; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (715) 233-1070.
Pays up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically needed home alterations for veterans, but stair glides and porch lifts are explicitly not covered. Call (800) 827-1000.
Up to $126,526 for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (800) 827-1000.
Up to $25,350 for veterans or qualifying family members with certain service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
740 7th Ave. W, Durand, 54736
Veterans
740 7th Avenue West, Durand, 54736
It can through IRIS or Family Care, both of which list stair lifts as a covered home modification. You need to meet Wisconsin Medicaid financial rules and be assessed as needing nursing-facility level of care.
Yes. IRIS and Family Care accept adults 18-64 with a physical, developmental or intellectual disability who meet the other requirements.
No. HISA specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. A veteran with a severe service-connected disability can ask about the SAH or SHA grants, though those sources do not name stair lifts either.
Start with the Pepin County ADRC at 740 7th Ave. W in Durand, (715) 672-8941. Veterans can also call the Pepin County Veterans Service Office at (715) 672-8887.
The West Central Wisconsin Housing Rehabilitation program offers 0% deferred loans up to a standard $100,000 for low- and moderate-income homeowners, repaid when the home is sold or no longer owner-occupied. Call (715) 726-7933 to ask whether a stair lift counts as an accessibility improvement.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
