From Liberty and Monticello to Callicoon, Narrowsburg and Roscoe, Sullivan County spreads 41 towns across roughly 997 square miles of the Catskill Mountains. Many houses here went up during the Borscht Belt resort years or earlier, and the average home in the county was built in 1973.
That age matters on the stairs. Homes from that era were rarely built with zero-step entries or a first-floor primary suite, so a bedroom and full bath upstairs is common. A stair lift is often the simplest way to keep using the whole house without a major remodel.
The county's own comprehensive housing strategy describes an aging housing stock with little to no new housing development. In practice, that means most stair lift jobs here go into existing staircases that were never planned for one.
A single straight run from the first floor to the second usually takes a straight stair lift, the most common and simplest install. Stairs with a landing, a turn or a winder at the top or bottom need a curved lift built to fit that exact staircase.
Single-family homes, townhouses and row houses each bring their own layouts. In walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, the stairs may be shared, so the building owner has to be part of the conversation before any work starts.
Sullivan County is mountain country, with its highest point at 3,118 feet on an unofficially named Beech Mountain and the northeastern corner inside the Catskill Park. Houses on sloped lots often have steep exterior steps from the driveway or up to the porch.
Those outside steps can be a bigger barrier than the inside staircase. An outdoor stair lift, built for weather, can handle a run of exterior steps, and a platform lift is an option when a wheelchair has to come along.
With about 83.2 people per square mile, homes can sit far from the nearest service provider. It helps to plan the measurement visit and installation date early, especially in winter.
About 18.7 percent of the county's 103,645 residents are 65 or older, and 62.6 percent of households own their home. Owning the house makes a permanent stair lift much easier to approve and install.
Some VA programs help with home changes, but as the program list below explains, not every VA grant covers a stair lift.
The county's housing strategy points to limited economic activity and high levels of rural poverty, so many older homeowners look for outside help before paying out of pocket. Only one program below names stair lifts outright: the NHTD Medicaid waiver, when the lift is written into the participant's service plan.
Other programs, such as the RESTORE grant, EISEP and the USDA Section 504 loans and grants, cover home repairs or safety changes but do not list stair lifts by name. Ask each one directly whether a stair lift could qualify for your situation.
If you are not sure where to start, Sullivan NY Connects at (845) 807-0257 can point you toward the right program. Veterans can also call the Sullivan County Veterans Service Agency at (845) 807-0233, at 100 North Street in Monticello.
A Medicaid waiver for residents who meet a nursing-facility level of care and choose to live at home instead. Its environmental modification benefit lists stair lifts and vertical lifts as covered when they appear in the participant's service plan.
A lifetime VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary fixed alterations like roll-in showers and permanent ramps. It does not cover stair lifts, which the VA lists as removable equipment.
VA grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home. The VA source does not list stair lifts by name.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners age 62 and older, in USDA-eligible rural areas. Accessibility examples include walk-in tubs and wheelchair ramps; stair lifts are not mentioned.
An emergency repair grant of up to $20,000 for homeowners 60 and older in a 1-4 family home in Sullivan County, including repairs for accessibility barriers; stair lifts are not named. Call (845) 794-0348 to complete an intake form and hear about future funding rounds.
Lends used wheelchairs, walkers, canes, shower seats and commodes, with a suggested $10 contribution per item per 3-month period. Stair lifts are not among the loaned items; call (845) 807-0241.
In-home support for residents 60 and older who need help with daily activities, with an income-based sliding-scale cost share and no Medicaid requirement. Stair lifts are not listed, so ask a case manager at (845) 794-3000 whether one could fit your care plan.
A free information and referral service for long-term care options, open to any Sullivan County resident. It does not fund stair lifts itself but can route you to programs that might; call (845) 807-0257.
Older adults
100 North Street, Monticello, 12701
Veterans
County Government Center 100 North Street PO Box 5012, Monticello, 12701
It can through the NHTD waiver, which lists stair lifts as a covered environmental modification. You must be Medicaid eligible, meet a nursing-facility level of care, and have the lift included in your service plan.
No. The VA excludes stair glides and porch lifts from HISA because they count as removable equipment. HISA pays for fixed changes like permanent ramps and roll-in showers. The Sullivan County Veterans Service Agency at (845) 807-0233 can talk through other VA options.
Yes. The RESTORE program offers grants up to $20,000 for owner-occupants 60 and older who meet income limits, and EISEP serves residents 60 and older who need help at home. Neither names stair lifts, so ask each program directly.
No. The loan closet lends wheelchairs, walkers, canes, shower seats and commodes. Stair lifts are not on the list.
Much of Sullivan County is rural, but USDA checks eligibility address by address through its online tool. Grants of up to $10,000 are limited to very-low-income homeowners age 62 and older.
Start with Sullivan NY Connects at (845) 807-0257. It offers free, unbiased information and can steer you toward the NHTD waiver, EISEP or other help.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
