Blount County covers about 643 square miles of Appalachian foothills on the Cumberland Plateau, with Ebell Mountain and part of Sand Mountain in the northeast and the Locust Fork and Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River cutting through the valleys. From Oneonta to Blountsville, Hayden, Snead and Locust Fork, a lot of houses sit on sloped lots with raised entries or split-level floor plans.
That ground shapes how a stair lift goes in. A ridge-side ranch home in Remlap may need help at the front steps, while a split-level in Highland Lake or Smoke Rise may need a lift inside between half floors. This page walks through the home styles we see across the county's 14 towns and the programs that may help cover the cost.
Most homes here are single-family homes, many of them ranch-style or split-level. A ranch home often has every room on one floor, so the stairs that matter are the entry steps or the stairs to a basement built into the slope.
Split-level homes are different. They have short flights between levels, and each flight usually needs its own straight lift. If the stairs turn at a landing, a curved lift built to fit that staircase is the usual answer.
Walk-up apartments come up less often, but when they do, the landlord has to approve any lift installed on the stairs. It is worth asking before anyone measures.
Because so many homes sit on hilly lots, the hardest stairs are sometimes outside. Steps from a carport or driveway up to a raised porch are common across the county, from Cleveland to Susan Moore.
An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather and can run along those exterior steps. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a short rise, a vertical platform lift may fit better than a seat-style lift.
Since towns are spread out and travel between them takes time, it helps to have every staircase in the house looked at during one visit. That way inside and outside needs can be planned together.
About 21.4% of Blount County's 22,321 residents are 65 or older, and 74.4% of households own their home. Homeowners can install a lift without a landlord's sign-off, and a lift often lets someone keep using the upstairs bedroom or the basement laundry instead of moving.
That matters because VA grants follow their own rules, which are covered in the next section.
Only one program in our list names stair lifts directly: the home modification service within certain Alabama Medicaid waivers, and it is aimed mainly at people with intellectual disabilities rather than older adults in general. Other programs may help with home repairs or accessibility, but their sources do not mention stair lifts, so confirm before counting on them.
A good first call is the Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging at (205) 670-5770. It serves Blount County and can point you toward the Elderly and Disabled Waiver and other options. Veterans can contact Blount County Veterans’ Affairs in Oneonta at (205) 973-0285.
Other statewide programs worth asking about include the State of Alabama Independent Living (SAIL) Waiver, the Alabama Community Transition (ACT) Waiver, the Alabama Ability Loan Program (STAR / Southern Disability Foundation) and the Alabama Senior / Disabled Homestead Exemption (H-2 / H-3).
Alabama's main Medicaid waiver for adults 65 and older, or younger if disabled, who need a nursing-facility level of care; the source lists services such as personal care, respite and home-delivered meals but does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (800) 243-5463 or your local Area Agency on Aging to confirm what is covered.
Under the State of Alabama Community Waiver Program, the ID Waiver and the LAH Waiver, approved home modifications include stair lifts, transfer equipment and handrails. The LAH and ID Waivers are for people age 3 and older with an intellectual-disability diagnosis; call Alabama Medicaid at (334) 242-5000 to check eligibility.
The regional information, referral and case-management office for older adults and people with disabilities in Blount, Chilton, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker counties; its source does not list a stair lift grant, but it connects residents to programs like the E&D Waiver. Call (205) 670-5770.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can get repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% for 20 years, and homeowners 62 and older may get grants up to $10,000 to remove health and safety hazards, with up to $50,000 combined. Stair lifts are not mentioned in the source; call the Cullman office at (256) 734-6471, which serves Blount County.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 for a service-connected disability (or a non-service-connected disability rated at least 50%) or $2,000 for other qualifying disabilities, for medically needed home changes. The VA specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so this grant does not cover stair lifts.
Grants for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities to build, buy or remodel a home for accessibility, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026. The VA page covers home modifications broadly but does not name stair lifts; Blount County Veterans’ Affairs at (205) 973-0285 can help with questions.
A Center for Independent Living serving Blount County and other nearby counties, offering a home modification service along with benefits counseling and independent-living skills training. Its pages do not say whether stair lifts are included, so call (205) 251-2223 to ask.
Older adults
2300 Riverchase Center, Suite 300, Hoover, 35244
Veterans
220 2nd Ave East, Oneonta, 35121
The only program in our list that names stair lifts is the home modification service under certain Alabama Medicaid waivers, mainly for people with intellectual disabilities. The Elderly and Disabled Waiver does not list stair lifts among its services. Call Alabama Medicaid at (334) 242-5000 or the Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging at (205) 670-5770 to check your situation.
The HISA grant does not, because the VA excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH and SHA grants cover home modifications broadly but do not name stair lifts, so ask Blount County Veterans’ Affairs in Oneonta at (205) 973-0285.
Usually, yes. Each short flight in a split-level typically gets its own straight lift, unless the stairs turn, in which case a curved lift is built for that staircase.
The USDA Section 504 repair grant is limited to homeowners 62 and older, but the repair loan has no such age limit for very-low-income rural homeowners. Stair lifts are not named in the source, so call the Cullman office at (256) 734-6471 to ask.
Yes. Outdoor stair lifts are made for exterior steps, which are common on Blount County's sloped lots with raised entries. For a wheelchair user, a vertical platform lift may be the better fit.
Start with the Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging at (205) 670-5770. It is the referral point for older adults and people with disabilities in Blount County and can explain which programs you may qualify for.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
