Ohio covers 1112 towns, from the dense neighborhoods of Cuyahoga County and Franklin County to the small communities of Holmes County, Vinton County and Paulding County. The homes in those places were built in different eras for different families, and their staircases vary just as much. A stair lift that fits one house well may need a different rail, a different seat position or a different model entirely in the next.
This page is the starting point for Ohio. It explains how the shape of your stairs points toward a straight, curved, outdoor or platform lift, which state and federal programs can help pay, and where to find the page for your own county. If you are helping a parent decide, or deciding for yourself, it walks through the questions we ask at the first home visit.
The first thing we look at is the run of the stairs. A single straight flight with no turns or landings is the simplest case, and a straight rail usually goes in quickly with little change to the house.
If the stairs turn at a landing, wrap around a corner or have a few winder steps, a curved rail is built to follow that path. Curved rails are made to measure, so the order takes longer than a straight unit.
Steps outside the house count too. Front steps, back steps and porch stairs can take an outdoor lift with a rail and seat made for weather. When someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the option to talk through instead.
Ohio is home to 8,309,503 people, and 17.2% of them are 65 or older. For many of those households, the stairs are the main thing standing between staying in the house and moving out of it.
About 61.1% of Ohioans own their homes. Owners can usually approve an install on their own, while renters will want to talk with the landlord first, since a rail attaches to the stair treads.
If someone in your family served, the VA section below is worth reading before you buy anything.
Ohio has several programs that can put a stair lift into a care plan, and which one fits depends mostly on age and level of need. PASSPORT is aimed at Ohioans 60 and older who need nursing-home level care, while the Ohio Home Care Waiver serves Ohioans under 60 with physical disabilities.
For someone living in a nursing facility who wants to come home, Ohio HOME Choice (Money Follows the Person) can fund home modifications as part of that move. None of these three Medicaid programs lists a fixed dollar cap; the amount follows the approved care plan.
Veterans have a separate path through the VA. The program list below gives each phone number so you can call the right office first.
The VA splits this into two pieces. The stair lift itself can be covered through VA Prosthetics (PSAS) when it is medically prescribed, and there is no set dollar cap on that route.
The HISA grant is different. It pays for ramps and structural changes, not the lift, with a limit of $6,800 for service-connected conditions or $2,000 for non-service-connected conditions. Knowing the difference keeps a veteran from asking the wrong office for the wrong item.
Each county page covers local details for that area. Pages are available for counties across the state, including Hamilton County, Montgomery County, Lucas County, Summit County, Stark County, Mahoning County, Athens County, Washington County, Scioto County and Lake County, along with the rest of the counties we cover in Ohio.
Start with your county page, then use the program phone numbers here to check eligibility before the home visit.
A Medicaid home and community-based waiver for Ohioans 60 and older who need nursing-home level care, and it covers stair lifts with no fixed cap beyond the approved care plan. Call (866) 243-5678.
A Medicaid waiver that covers home modifications and stair lifts for Ohioans under 60 with physical disabilities, based on the approved care plan. Call (800) 324-8680.
A federally funded Medicaid transition program that pays for home modifications, including stair lifts, to help Ohioans move from a nursing facility back home. Call (888) 221-1560.
VA Prosthetics (PSAS) can cover a medically prescribed stair lift with no set dollar cap, while the HISA grant covers ramps and structural changes up to $6,800 (service-connected) or $2,000 (non-service-connected). Call (877) 222-8387.
Yes. The Ohio Home Care Waiver covers home modifications and stair lifts for Ohioans under 60 with physical disabilities. The number to call is (800) 324-8680.
No fixed cap is listed. The Ohio PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver pays according to the approved care plan for Ohioans 60 and older who need nursing-home level care. Call (866) 243-5678 to ask about eligibility.
Both can be covered, through different parts of the VA. The lift itself goes through VA Prosthetics (PSAS) when medically prescribed, and HISA covers ramps and structural changes up to $6,800 or $2,000 depending on service connection. Call (877) 222-8387.
Ohio HOME Choice (Money Follows the Person) funds home modifications for Ohioans moving from a nursing facility back home, with no fixed cap beyond the approved plan. The number is (888) 221-1560.
Yes. A curved rail is made to follow turns, landings and winder steps. It is built to measure, so it takes longer to arrive than a straight rail.
An outdoor stair lift is made for exterior steps and weather. If the person using it cannot move from a wheelchair to a seat, a platform lift is the better fit to discuss.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
