From Fowler and Oxford to Boswell and Earl Park, much of Benton County's housing is older farmhouses and small-town homes built around original staircases. Those stairs were laid out long before anyone thought about a rail and a seat running along them, and they are often the first thing that gets hard as a homeowner gets older.
The county sits in northwestern Indiana along the Illinois border, mostly low rolling hills given over to corn and soybean fields. The land itself is easy to get around, with elevation running only from about 453 to 790 feet. The bigger challenge is inside the house, and the distance to services, since many aging-services providers are based in Lafayette and Tippecanoe County.
Most homes here are single-family and detached houses, including ranch-style homes, two-story homes and the older farmhouses found around the county. A two-story home with one straight run of stairs is usually the simplest job: a straight stair lift mounts to the treads, not the wall, and follows the stairs from bottom to top.
Older farmhouses are a different story. Original staircases may turn at a landing, narrow at the top, or have uneven steps from decades of settling and repairs. Stairs with a turn or landing generally call for a curved stair lift, which uses a rail built to fit that specific staircase.
Walk-up apartments come up too. A renter will need the building owner's permission before anything is attached to a shared stairway, so that conversation should happen before measuring.
About 17.9% of Benton County residents are 65 or older, and 78.2% of households own their homes. That combination matters: owners can make permanent changes, and many want to stay in the house they have kept up for years rather than move closer to town or out of the county.
If that describes you or your parent, check VA options early, but read the program notes below carefully, since not every VA grant pays for a stair lift.
With towns and townships spread across a rural county, a trip to an aging-services office can mean real driving. The Area IV Agency on Aging, which serves Benton County, is located at 660 N. 36th St. in Lafayette, but you can start by phone at (765) 447-7683.
For veterans, Benton County Veteran Affairs is close to home at 706 E 5th St in Fowler, phone (765) 884-1831. Starting with these two calls can sort out which programs apply before anyone schedules an in-home assessment.
The clearest path to help is Indiana's Medicaid home and community-based waivers, which list stair lifts by name under home modifications. Residents 60 and older apply for the PathWays for Aging Waiver, and those under 60 use the Health and Wellness Waiver. Applications go through the Area IV Agency on Aging.
Other programs, such as CHOICE, USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants, and the VA's SAH and SHA grants, help with home repairs or accessibility but their sources do not mention stair lifts. It is still worth asking. The VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, so plan on another source if that is the only VA benefit you qualify for.
Indiana Medicaid waivers for people who meet nursing-facility level of care, with income up to 300% of the maximum SSI amount; home modifications, including stair lifts, are a listed covered service. Apply through the Area IV Agency on Aging at (765) 447-7683.
A state program for people 60+ or with a disability who are at risk of losing independence, with no income limit and a $250,000 asset limit (plus a $20,000 exclusion); the source does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (765) 447-7683 to ask.
The local intake and counseling point for Benton County residents seeking CHOICE, the Medicaid waivers and other aging and disability services; it is not a cash grant, and its page does not mention stair lifts. Call (765) 447-7683.
Repair loans, and grants for owners 62 and older, for low-income homeowners in eligible rural areas; listed repairs include ramps and grab bars, but stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (800) 414-1226.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary home changes; it does not cover stair lifts, as stair glides are on its exclusion list.
VA grants for homeowners with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA (FY2026); the source names ramps and doorway widening but does not mention stair lifts.
Grants of up to $25,000 to local governments or nonprofits to build ramps for homeowners at or below 80% of area median income; it is limited to ramps and does not mention stair lifts.
Older adults
660 N. 36th St., Lafayette, 47903
Veterans
706 E 5th St, Fowler, 47944
It can. The PathWays for Aging Waiver and the Health and Wellness Waiver list stair lifts under home modifications for people who meet nursing-facility level of care and the income limit. Start with the Area IV Agency on Aging at (765) 447-7683.
Yes. Residents under 60 apply for the Health and Wellness Waiver instead of the PathWays for Aging Waiver. CHOICE also serves people with a disability, though its source does not mention stair lifts.
Not through the HISA grant, which excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts either way. Call Benton County Veteran Affairs in Fowler at (765) 884-1831 to talk through his options.
Usually, yes. Stairs with a turn or landing generally need a curved stair lift with a rail made to fit that staircase, so it starts with careful measurements in the home.
The Area IV office is at 660 N. 36th St. in Lafayette, but you can begin by calling (765) 447-7683. They handle intake for CHOICE and the Medicaid waivers for Benton County residents.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
