Virginia City sits at 6,106 feet on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, and many of its buildings still date from the Comstock Lode silver boom of the 1860s-1870s. Those period homes were built long before any modern accessibility standard, so stairs are part of daily life in a lot of the county's older housing.
Storey County is a small high-desert county in the Virginia Range foothills of the Sierra Nevada, with no incorporated cities and two main population centers, Virginia City and Lockwood. If you are weighing a stair lift for yourself or a parent here, this page covers how local homes and terrain shape the choice, and which programs may help with the cost.
Nineteenth-century mining-town houses were not designed around anyone's knees or hips. Staircases in these buildings can be narrow, steep or turn partway up, and every one needs to be measured on site before a lift is chosen.
A straight staircase usually takes a straight rail stair lift, which is the simplest install. Stairs that turn at a landing or wind around a corner need a curved rail built to fit that exact staircase, so plan for a longer lead time with those.
Beyond the historic core, Storey County housing includes single-family homes, detached houses, townhouses, walk-up apartments and split-level homes. Split-level homes often have short runs of stairs between floors, which can call for more than one lift or a single lift with a rail that follows a turn.
Outside Virginia City, manufactured/mobile homes make up a meaningful share of the housing and are common retrofit targets for people aging in place. When the trouble spot is the steps outside rather than inside, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift is worth discussing during the home visit.
Storey County's median age is 54.2 years, well above Nevada and the U.S. as a whole, so many households here are thinking about staying in the homes they already own. That demand runs into a practical limit: the county is sparsely populated, and in-home contractors and accessibility installers are scarce locally.
Residents typically bring in installers from Reno/Sparks or Carson City. Ask up front about travel, scheduling and who handles service calls later, since a technician will be driving up the mountain each time.
The program that names stair lifts most directly is the Nevada Assistive Technology for Independent Living (AT/IL) Program, which lists a stair glide among its home modifications. Northern Nevada intake goes through CARE Chest of Sierra Nevada at (775) 829-2273.
Several other programs fund home repairs or accessibility work without naming stair lifts, so coverage depends on your case. These include the Nevada Medicaid PD Waiver, USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants, the RNDC Homeowner Rehabilitation Program and the VA SAH and SHA grants. Two programs do not pay for stair lifts at all: the FE Waiver and the VA HISA grant.
For help sorting through options, Storey County Senior Services at (775) 847-0957 can refer residents age 60+ to state programs. Rural Nevada Aging Services in Carson City is at (775) 687-4210, and veterans can reach VAST Reno at (775) 321-4880.
A state Medicaid waiver for Nevada residents of any age with a physical disability who meet nursing facility level of care and Medicaid financial rules. It lists Environmental Accessibility Adaptations, but stair lifts are not itemized, so coverage is decided case by case in the plan of care.
A Medicaid waiver for people 65 or older at risk of nursing home placement within 30 days, covering in-home services such as case management, homemaker and respite. It does not cover stair lifts or home modifications; call (775) 687-4210 for details.
A statewide program for Nevada residents with a permanent disability who lack other resources, and its listed home modifications include a stair glide. Storey County is served through CARE Chest of Sierra Nevada at (775) 829-2273.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can borrow up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and homeowners 62+ who cannot repay a loan may get grants up to $10,000, with a combined cap of $50,000. The source gives ramps and walk-in tubs as examples but does not mention stair lifts.
A rural repair program open to homeowner-occupants in 15 Nevada counties, including Storey County, covering health and safety, energy and handicap accessibility needs as a forgivable lien. Stair lifts are not mentioned; contact Doreen Venturino at (866) 404-5204.
A VA benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary access and bathroom changes. The VA explicitly excludes stair glides, so HISA does not pay for a stair lift.
A grant of up to $126,526 for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home. The source does not itemize stair lifts; call (800) 827-1000 to ask.
A grant of up to $25,350 for veterans with loss or loss of use of both hands, severe burns or certain respiratory injuries. Stair lifts are not itemized in the source; call (800) 827-1000.
The county senior centers offer meals, transportation, homemaker help and case management to residents 60+, and serve as a referral point to state programs. They do not fund stair lifts directly; call (775) 847-0957.
A nonprofit independent living center offering an equipment loan closet and help with housing, forms and Medicaid applications. No stair lift funding is named; call (775) 353-3599.
Older adults
3416 Goni Rd., Suite D-132, Carson City, 89706
Veterans
5460 Reno Corporate Dr. Suite 131, Reno, 89511
Usually the staircase itself decides it. Comstock-era homes predate accessibility standards, so stairs can be narrow or turning, and a straight or curved rail lift is chosen after measuring on site.
Local installers are scarce because the county is small and sparsely populated. Most residents bring in installers from Reno/Sparks or Carson City, so ask about travel and future service visits before you commit.
The Nevada Assistive Technology for Independent Living (AT/IL) Program lists a stair glide among its home modifications for residents with a permanent disability who lack other resources. Call CARE Chest of Sierra Nevada at (775) 829-2273.
Not through HISA, which excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not itemize stair lifts, so call (800) 827-1000 or VAST Reno at (775) 321-4880 to ask about your situation.
Yes, possibly. The PD Waiver serves Nevada residents of any age who meet its disability and Medicaid rules, and the AT/IL Program has no age limit listed.
Storey County Senior Services does not fund stair lifts, but it serves residents 60+ and can refer you to state programs. Call (775) 847-0957.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
