Westchester County runs from the Hudson River towns of Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Dobbs Ferry and Hastings-on-Hudson across to the Long Island Sound shoreline at Rye, Mamaroneck and Port Chester, with Yonkers, White Plains and New Rochelle in between. Across its 64 towns you'll find a colonial-era stone house, a postwar split-level and a walk-up apartment all within a short drive of each other.
That mix matters when someone in the family starts having trouble with the stairs. A narrow staircase in an old village house, a short flight in a split-level and a set of outdoor steps on a hillside lot each call for a different kind of lift. This page walks through how local homes and terrain shape the choice, then lists the county, state and federal programs that may help with the cost.
Few places in the country have housing this old still in daily use. The Timothy Knapp House, circa 1670, is described as the oldest standing building in Westchester, and Philipse Manor Hall and the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow date to the 1680s.
Many long-settled river towns and villages also have older multi-story single-family homes with their original narrow staircases. A straight, unbroken flight can usually take a standard straight rail. Stairs that turn at a landing or wind as they climb need a curved rail built to that staircase, so we measure every step before recommending anything.
Through the 20th century the county shifted from rural to suburban, and towns like Yorktown, Somers, Cortlandt and Mount Pleasant filled in with postwar colonials and split-levels. Colonials often have one main straight staircase, which is the simplest install.
Split-level homes are different. They have several short flights between levels, so the question becomes which levels the person truly needs to reach day to day. Townhouses tend to stack living space over several floors, and walk-up apartments have shared stairs, which brings the building owner into the conversation before any work starts.
Elevation in Westchester runs from sea level along the Hudson River and Long Island Sound up to 987 feet at the Bailey benchmark in Mountain Lakes Park. Inland the topography is variable and often hilly, which means plenty of sloped lots and homes built into a grade.
On those lots the hardest stairs are sometimes outside: steps from the driveway to the front door or down to a lower entrance. An outdoor stair lift built for weather can handle those runs, and where a wheelchair is involved, a platform lift or ramp may be the better fit. We look at the lot and the entry together, not just the indoor stairs.
About 17.9% of county residents are 65 or older, and 64.4% own their homes. For homeowners, a stair lift is often what makes it possible to keep using the bedroom upstairs instead of moving.
Veterans can start with the Westchester County Veterans Service Agency at 10 County Center Road, 2nd floor, Suite 204, White Plains, at (914) 813-5145, to sort out which VA benefits apply.
The clearest confirmed route is the NY Medicaid Nursing Home Transition and Diversion (NHTD) Waiver, whose Environmental Modifications category lists stair lifts and vertical lifts. It is for Medicaid members who would otherwise need a nursing-home level of care.
For everyone else, the first call is the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services at (914) 813-6400, located at 9 South First Avenue, 10th Floor, Mt. Vernon. They handle referrals for residents 60 and older and run EISEP. Residents with disabilities of any age can contact the Westchester Independent Living Center. Each program below is listed with what its source says about stair lifts.
The county's information, referral and case-management hub for residents 60 and older, not a direct equipment fund; its listing does not mention stair lifts. Call (914) 813-6400 as a first stop for a home-modification funding referral.
In-home help for people 60+ who need assistance with daily activities and are not eligible for the same services through Medicaid, with a sliding fee from no cost to full cost. Stair lifts and home modifications are not named among its services; call (914) 813-6442.
A Medicaid waiver for people who need a nursing-home level of care but can live at home with support, and it explicitly covers stair lifts and vertical lifts when they are part of the approved service plan. Call (718) 922-9200.
State grants for accessibility work such as ramps, lifts, handrails and doorway widening for households at or below 80% of area median income (120% for veterans with a service-connected disability); stair lifts are not specifically named. You apply through a Local Program Administrator, not directly to the state.
A version of Access to Home for Medicaid members with a documented disability-related limitation, covering work like ramps, lifts and handrails; stair lifts are not specifically named. Applications go through a Local Program Administrator.
A White Plains nonprofit offering advocacy, referral, benefits advice and nursing-home transition support to residents with disabilities of any age; it does not fund equipment, and its listing does not mention stair lifts. Call (914) 682-3926.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas, with grants limited to owners 62 and older; stair lifts are not named among approved repairs. Much of southern and central Westchester is likely ineligible, so each address must be checked.
A lifetime benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home accessibility work, but the VA explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, with FY2026 caps of up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA; stair lifts are not named among the examples. The Westchester County Veterans Service Agency at (914) 813-5145 can help with applications.
Older adults
9 South First Avenue 10th Fl., Mt. Vernon, 10550
Veterans
10 County Center Road, 2nd floor, Suite 204, White Plains, 10607
It can through the NY Medicaid Nursing Home Transition and Diversion (NHTD) Waiver, which lists stair lifts and vertical lifts under Environmental Modifications. You need active Medicaid, an assessed need for nursing-home level care, and the lift written into your service plan. The contact number is (718) 922-9200.
No. The VA explicitly excludes stair glides from HISA. Veterans can ask the Westchester County Veterans Service Agency at (914) 813-5145 about SAH or SHA grants or other options.
Yes, the Westchester Independent Living Center serves county residents with disabilities of any age and can help with referrals and benefits. Call (914) 682-3926.
The NYS Access to Home programs accept owner-occupied or rental units used as a primary residence. Stair lifts are not specifically named, and you apply through a Local Program Administrator rather than the state.
Only in USDA-eligible rural areas, generally towns under 35,000 people, and much of southern and central Westchester is likely ineligible. Every address has to be checked with the USDA Property Eligibility Tool.
EISEP uses a sliding fee based on monthly income, from no cost to full cost, and the home visit to build a care plan is free. Call (914) 813-6442.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
