Belmont County sits in the upper Ohio Valley, where towns like Bellaire, Martins Ferry, Bridgeport and the county seat of St. Clairsville grew up during the coal-and-glass era of the 1800s and 1900s. Many houses from that time were built on sloped lots with full interior staircases, not single-story ranch layouts.
That history shapes what we see when we measure a staircase in Shadyside, Barnesville or Powhatan Point. A long-held family home on a hillside often has steep steps inside and more steps outside, and the right stair lift depends on both.
The county's land is made of low rolling hills cut by drainages that slope east toward the Ohio River, rising to 1,396 feet at Galloway Knob. Homes on that kind of ground tend to stack living space vertically, so the bedroom and bathroom are often upstairs.
If the staircase runs in one straight line with no turns, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest fit. Older homes that have a landing, a turn partway up or a winding top step need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairs.
Most of what we install across Belmont County goes into single-family homes and detached houses, where the owner can choose freely. Split-level homes are a different case: they often have several short runs of stairs between levels, and each run may need its own lift or a curved rail that connects them.
Townhouses usually have narrow, straight staircases that suit a slim straight rail. In walk-up apartments, the stairs are often shared, so the building owner has to agree before anything is mounted.
On sloped streets the problem is not always inside. A house may sit well above the sidewalk, with a long set of concrete or wooden steps up to the porch.
An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather and can run along those exterior steps. Where a wheelchair user cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the option to ask about instead.
About 20.7% of residents are 65 or older, and many of them are staying in homes they have owned for decades. For an adult child, the question is often whether a parent can keep using the second floor safely.
If that includes your parent, some VA programs below are worth a call, though not every one pays for stair lifts.
No program listed here names stair lifts outright as a covered item, and one VA grant specifically excludes them. Several Medicaid waivers and VA grants do cover home modifications in general, so a stair lift may be approved case by case as part of a care plan.
For people 60 and older on Medicaid, the starting point is Area Agency on Aging Region 9 at (740) 439-4478 or (800) 945-4250, located at 1058 Southgate Pkwy., Cambridge, 43725. Veterans can start with the Belmont County Veterans Service Office in Bellaire at (740) 325-1042.
A Medicaid waiver for Ohioans age 60+ who need a nursing-facility level of care but can stay home, generally with countable assets near $2,000 and income near $2,982/month for a single applicant (2026 figures). It covers home modifications, but stair lifts are not named, so ask about approval case by case at (800) 945-4250.
The regional aging agency serving Belmont and eight other counties, and the local intake point for PASSPORT and Home Choice applications. Its program list does not name stair lifts or a separate home modification service; call (800) 945-4250.
Helps Medicaid-enrolled adults age 18+ move from a nursing facility, hospital or ICF-IID back home while enrolling on a waiver such as PASSPORT. Stair lift coverage is not listed in available sources, so confirm current rules with AAA9 at (800) 945-4250.
A Medicaid waiver for people with physical disabilities and unstable medical conditions who need hospital or skilled-nursing level care but can be served at home. It offers a home modification service, though stair lifts are not named; call (800) 945-4250.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest for up to 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 lifetime for very-low-income homeowners age 62+, in USDA-eligible rural areas only. It covers accessibility changes for a household member with a disability but does not name stair lifts; check your address on USDA's map and call (614) 255-2400.
A VA health-benefit grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime, depending on disability status, for medically needed home changes. The VA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so this grant does not pay for a stair lift.
Up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home. Stair lifts are not named but not excluded either, so ask a VA caseworker at (800) 827-1000.
Up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands or certain respiratory injuries. Adaptations are described only in general terms with no stair lift mention; call (800) 827-1000.
The county office at 400 Imperial Plaza, Bellaire, OH 43906, open Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm, offering claims help, emergency financial assistance and van rides to appointments. It does not list stair lift funding itself but can help with VA grant claims; call (740) 325-1042.
Older adults
1058 Southgate Pkwy., Cambridge, 43725
Veterans
400 Imperial Plaza, Bellaire, 43906
The HISA grant does not, because the VA lists stair glides as excluded. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts but do not exclude them, so a caseworker at (800) 827-1000 can tell you whether one fits an approved plan. The Belmont County Veterans Service Office at (740) 325-1042 can help with the claim.
Possibly. PASSPORT covers home modifications for Medicaid-eligible Ohioans 60 and older, and a stair lift may be approved case by case if it is medically necessary. Call Area Agency on Aging Region 9 at (800) 945-4250 to ask.
The Ohio Home Care Waiver serves Medicaid recipients with physical disabilities and unstable medical conditions and offers a home modification service. Ohio HOME Choice serves Medicaid-enrolled adults 18 and older leaving a nursing facility or hospital.
Usually not. Stairs with a landing or turn need a curved rail made to fit, or in some homes two straight lifts, one for each run. We measure the stairs before recommending either.
Area Agency on Aging Region 9 is at 1058 Southgate Pkwy., Cambridge, 43725. You can reach it at (740) 439-4478.
Only if the address is in a USDA-eligible rural area, which you need to check on USDA's eligibility map. The program also requires very-low income, and grants go to homeowners 62 and older; call (614) 255-2400.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
