Garfield County has one incorporated town, Jordan, which had 356 residents at the 2020 census. Most other homes sit far apart across 4,675 square miles of land, with the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge covering part of the county. Out here, a staircase that gets harder to climb is more than an inconvenience, because help is usually a long drive away.
Many older ranch houses and rural homes in the county were not built with aging in place in mind. Raised entries, basement stairs and second-story bedrooms are common. This page walks through which kind of stair lift tends to fit these homes and which programs may help with the cost.
Most housing here is single-family homes, detached houses, ranch-style homes and split-level homes. A ranch-style home often has just one interior staircase, down to a basement. If that run is straight with no landing turns, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest and least costly option.
Split-level homes are different. They tend to have several short flights between levels, and a person may need to get past more than one of them each day. That can mean a curved rail that follows a turn, or more than one lift, so it helps to look at how the household actually moves through the house before choosing.
Many rural homes and ranch houses in the county have raised entries, so getting in the front or back door means climbing steps outside. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather and can run along those exterior steps.
For someone who uses a wheelchair, a seat-style lift may not solve the problem. A platform lift carries the person while seated in the chair. It needs more space, so measuring the entry is an early step.
Garfield County covers 4,847 square miles in total and has the third-lowest population density of any U.S. county outside Alaska. Hospitals, home-modification contractors and medical-equipment suppliers are typically well outside the county.
That distance affects how you plan. Ask up front how service visits and repairs will be handled, and try to line up your funding questions before the installation date so one trip can cover the work.
The county had 1,173 residents at the 2020 census, and 28.0% were age 65 or older, with a median age of 44.9. That is a large share of older homeowners in houses with stairs.
The same small population and tax base limit locally funded home-modification programs. In practice, most help comes from state and federal programs, reached through offices in Glendive, Billings and elsewhere.
No program listed below names stair lifts as a guaranteed benefit, and one, the VA HISA grant, rules them out. Several others cover home modifications in general, so a stair lift may qualify if a case manager or program office agrees it fits the plan.
A good first call is Action for Eastern Montana at (406) 377-3564, which serves Garfield County from 2030 N. Merrill Ave. in Glendive. They can point you toward the Big Sky Waiver, loans and other help. Other statewide options to ask about include the Reverse Annuity Mortgage (RAM), Community First Choice Services (CFCS), and the Property Tax Assistance Program (PTAP) & Elderly Homeowner/Renter Credit.
A Medicaid waiver for people 65+ or blind or disabled adults who meet nursing-facility level of care, with a $994 monthly income limit and $2,000 asset limit for a single applicant; it covers home modifications such as ramps and grab bars, but stair lifts are not listed, so confirm with a case manager. Call (888) 706-1535.
The main contact for aging and disability help in Garfield County, offering information, care management and referrals to programs like Big Sky Waiver intake and LIHEAP/Weatherization; it does not list a stair lift benefit of its own. Call (406) 377-3564.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% for 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners age 62 or older who cannot repay a loan; accessibility improvements are an eligible use, though stair lifts are not named. Call (406) 585-2515.
A VA grant for permanent changes like entrance ramps and doorway widening; it explicitly does not cover stair glides or stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026, to build, buy or remodel for accessibility; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (800) 827-1000.
Serves Garfield County through its Glendive office with information on home modifications and connections to loan programs; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (406) 948-8500.
Low-interest loans for Montanans with disabilities or family members borrowing for them, at 0% APR up to $1,500 and 3.5% fixed above that; home modifications are covered, but confirm stair lifts directly. Call (406) 454-5709.
Helps Medicaid-eligible residents move home after at least 60 consecutive days in a long-term care facility, and lists home modifications as a covered transition support; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (406) 439-6870.
Older adults
2030 N. Merrill Ave., Glendive, 59330
Veterans
1500 University Dr. College of Education Bldg. Room 114, Billings, 59101
Start with Action for Eastern Montana, the Area I Agency on Aging, at (406) 377-3564. They serve Garfield County and can steer you to Big Sky Waiver intake and other programs.
The Big Sky Waiver covers home modifications as part of an individual service plan, but stair lifts are not named in the source. Ask a case manager. Applicants must meet nursing-facility level of care, and a single applicant faces a $994 monthly income limit and a $2,000 asset limit.
The HISA grant does not; it explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants fund accessibility remodeling but do not name stair lifts, so ask the VA at (800) 827-1000 or the Montana Veteran Affairs Division in Billings at (406) 248-8579.
The USDA Section 504 program offers grants up to $10,000 to homeowners 62 or older who cannot repay a loan, and Garfield County qualifies as rural. Stair lifts are not specifically named, so confirm with the office at (406) 585-2515.
Yes, an outdoor stair lift can run along exterior steps at a raised entry. If the person uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may be the better fit.
The Montana Assistive Technology Loan Program offers 0% APR loans up to $1,500 and 3.5% fixed APR above that for home modifications. Call (406) 454-5709 to confirm a stair lift qualifies.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
