Walk through Oshkosh East and a large share of the houses you pass were built in 1939 or earlier. In the North Main Street Bungalow Historic District and among the Victorian homes of Stevens Park along Lake Winnebago, two-story bungalow, Colonial Revival and Queen Anne houses still have their original staircases. Those stairs are where most stair lift questions in Winnebago County start.
The rest of the county looks different. Newer ranch and split-level houses, townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings fill Neenah, Menasha, Fox Crossing, Omro, Winneconne and the smaller towns like Butte des Morts, Winchester, Waukau and Eureka. This page covers which kind of lift tends to fit these homes and which programs can help cover the cost.
Bungalows, Colonial Revival and Queen Anne homes usually put the bedrooms upstairs, so a stair lift often decides whether someone can keep living in the whole house. Original staircases in these homes were not built with a lift in mind, so we measure each one in person.
If the staircase runs in one straight flight, a straight rail is the simpler and less costly choice. If it turns at a landing or curves along the way, a curved rail is built to follow that exact shape. Many older staircases also have narrow treads or a tight turn at the bottom, and those details shape where the rail and seat can park.
Single-story ranch houses in newer subdivisions often need no lift at all, except perhaps for a basement. Split-level homes are another story: they have several short flights, and each one may need its own straight lift.
Townhouses usually have one full flight between floors, which often suits a straight rail. In walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, a lift on a shared stairway is a building decision, so renters should talk with the owner before planning anything.
The land around Lake Winnebago is flat to gently rolling, so steep yards and long hills are rarely the problem here. Winter is. Snow and ice on porch and entry steps make every trip outside riskier for an older resident.
An outdoor stair lift is built for weather and can carry a person up exterior steps. For someone who uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may be the better fit for getting in and out of the house.
About 15.7% of county residents are 65 or older, and 60.3% own their homes. Ownership matters, because several funding programs below require that you own and live in the house.
VA programs work differently from Medicaid ones, and one of them specifically excludes stair glides, so it pays to know which benefit applies before you apply.
The clearest route to coverage is Wisconsin IRIS, whose published service list names stair lifts as a covered home modification when they are part of the approved support plan. Family Care covers home modifications too, but its list does not mention stair lifts by name, so ask your care team directly.
Both programs start with a functional screen at the Winnebago County ADRC, 220 Washington Ave., 3rd Floor, Oshkosh, (920) 236-4600. Veterans can reach Winnebago County Veterans Services in the same building at (920) 232-3400.
For homeowners in the smaller towns, USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants may help, and WisLoan financing through Options for Independent Living is another option. The state also lists the Community Options Program (COP) and the WHEDA Home Improvement Loan Program (HILP); the ADRC can tell you whether either fits your situation.
A self-directed Medicaid waiver whose published home modification list names stair lifts, funded within the member's individual long-term care budget. Start with the Winnebago County ADRC for the functional screen, or call IRIS at (888) 515-4747.
Wisconsin's managed-care Medicaid long-term care program for people 65+ or 18-64 with a disability; its home modification list names grab bars, ramps and doorway widening, and stair lifts are not listed. Call (800) 362-3002 or go through the Winnebago County ADRC.
Free information, options counseling and the required intake and functional screen for Family Care and IRIS; the source does not list a stair lift benefit of its own. The Neenah office at 211 N. Commercial St. can be reached at (877) 886-2372.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 or older who cannot repay, in eligible rural areas with very low income. Approved accessibility repairs include ramps, grab bars and walk-in tubs; stair lifts are not listed.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home alterations for veterans, and it explicitly does not cover stair glides or porch lifts. Call (800) 827-1000 about ramps, roll-in showers and other permanent changes it does fund.
Grants up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026 for homeowners with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not listed in the source. Call (800) 827-1000.
Low-interest WisLoan financing from $500 to $80,000 for assistive technology for Wisconsin residents with disabilities of any age or income; stair lifts are not listed in the source. Call (920) 490-0500.
Older adults
220 Washington Ave., 3rd Floor, Oshkosh, 54901
Veterans
220 Washington Ave, 3rd Floor, Oshkosh, 54901
Through IRIS, yes, when the lift is included in your approved support plan, since IRIS names stair lifts as a covered home modification. You need to meet Wisconsin Medicaid financial limits and a nursing facility level of care screen, which starts at the Winnebago County ADRC at (920) 236-4600.
Family Care serves adults 18-64 with a physical, developmental or intellectual disability, and IRIS uses the same Medicaid and functional screen rules. WisLoan financing through Options for Independent Living is open to Wisconsin residents with disabilities of any age.
No. The VA HISA page excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Winnebago County Veterans Services at (920) 232-3400 can help you look at other VA benefits.
Usually, yes. A staircase with a turn or landing calls for a curved rail made to fit that exact staircase, while a single straight flight can take a less complicated straight rail. An in-home measurement settles which one fits.
It may. Section 504 serves eligible rural areas, generally under 35,000 people, which includes the county's smaller towns outside Oshkosh, Neenah and Menasha. You must own and live in the home and have very low income, and stair lifts are not specifically listed among approved repairs.
If the entry steps are the hardest part of getting in and out, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can reduce trips on snowy, icy steps. The flat ground around Lake Winnebago usually means the steps themselves, not the yard, are the barrier.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
