From Petersburg and Bayard to South Branch Valley communities like Maysville and Bismarck, much of Grant County's housing is owner-occupied single-family homes, detached houses and split-level homes. Many of them have been owned for a long time, and many have more than one level.
The land shapes those homes too. Grant County covers 480.3 square miles of the Potomac Highlands, from the Allegheny Front and Dolly Sods in the north to the valley of the South Branch of the Potomac River and Smoke Hole Canyon. This page walks through which stair lift fits which kind of house here, and which programs are worth a phone call before you pay out of pocket.
A split-level home usually has short flights between levels instead of one long staircase. Every flight a person has to climb needs its own solution, so we look at which levels are used every day before suggesting anything.
If a flight runs straight with no landing turn, a straight stair lift is the simplest and quickest install. Where the stairs turn or wrap around a landing, a curved lift with a custom-built rail follows the stair so the rider stays seated the whole way.
Homes on hillsides near the Allegheny Front or along the valley often have steps from the driveway or yard up to the door. Getting inside can be harder than getting upstairs.
An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather on porch and entry steps. For someone who uses a wheelchair, a platform lift carries the chair itself, which avoids transferring to a seat. We measure the steps, the landing space and the ground before saying which one will work.
Grant Memorial Hospital, part of WVU Medicine, and a VA clinic in Petersburg are both in the county. For many families, a stair lift is what lets a parent keep using the bedroom and bathroom they already have, near the doctors they already see.
That is covered in the next section.
None of the programs below names stair lifts as a covered item on the sources we reviewed, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. That does not mean no help exists. Several programs cover home modifications or accessibility devices in general, and the people who run them can tell you whether a stair lift qualifies in your case.
A practical first call is the Upper Potomac Area Agency on Aging at (304) 257-2448 or the Grant County Commission on Aging at (304) 257-1666 in Petersburg. They can point you to the ADRC home modification program or the Medicaid Aged and Disabled Waiver. Veterans can reach the State of West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance office at 225 North Main Street in Moorefield, (304) 538-2839.
A statewide Medicaid waiver for people 65 and older, or 18 to 64 with a qualifying physical disability, who need nursing facility level of care and meet financial limits; it includes a home modifications category, but stair lifts are not named and enrollment slots are limited. Call (866) 767-1575.
People age 60 or older who can show a need for home modifications or accessibility devices to live more independently may apply for funds; the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call (866) 981-2372.
The Area Agency on Aging for Grant County, serving people 60 and older with information, referrals and help with waiver enrollment rather than cash grants; no stair lift benefit is listed. Call (304) 257-2448.
The Petersburg-based senior services office offers meals, transportation, in-home help and referrals to programs like the UPAAA and ADRC; it does not list stair lift or home modification funding. Call (304) 257-1666.
A statewide program run through WVU's Center for Excellence in Disabilities that lends and reuses assistive devices and offers consultation; stair lifts and home modifications are not mentioned. Call (800) 841-8436.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can get repair loans up to $20,000 at 1% interest, and those 62 or older may get grants up to $7,500 to remove a health or safety hazard, with a $27,500 combined cap. The source does not say whether stair lifts qualify.
Pays up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary home changes such as ramps and widened doorways, but it explicitly excludes stair glides. Call (800) 817-3807.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026 help veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities build, buy or remodel a home for accessibility; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (800) 817-3807.
Older adults
229 E. Martin St., Suite 3, Martinsburg, 25401
Veterans
225 North Main Street, Moorefield, 26836
The Medicaid Aged and Disabled Waiver includes a home modifications category with no stated dollar cap, but the source does not name stair lifts, and there may be a waiting list. Call (866) 767-1575 to ask about eligibility and coverage.
The Aged and Disabled Waiver accepts people age 18 to 64 with a qualifying physical disability who need nursing facility level of care. WVATS also serves West Virginia residents of all ages, though it lends devices rather than paying for installs.
Not through HISA, which explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants fund accessibility remodeling for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities but do not name stair lifts, so ask the Department of Veterans Assistance in Moorefield at (304) 538-2839.
The Grant County Commission on Aging in Petersburg at (304) 257-1666 or the Upper Potomac Area Agency on Aging at (304) 257-2448. Both can steer you to the state programs that cover home modifications.
Yes. Each short flight is handled on its own, with straight lifts for straight runs and curved lifts where the stair turns. We look at which levels are used daily so you only pay for the flights that matter.
Outdoor stair lifts are made for porch and entry steps, and platform lifts carry a wheelchair without a transfer. The right choice depends on the slope and space at your door, which we check during a home visit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
