Coshocton sits where the Tuscarawas and Walhonding Rivers meet, and the hills around it hold towns like West Lafayette, Canal Lewisville, Warsaw, Nellie and Conesville. Much of the county is older, long-held single-family homes on rolling Appalachian ground, not newer subdivisions.
Many of those houses were built with a full interior staircase instead of a one-floor ranch layout. That matters when someone who has lived upstairs for decades starts having trouble on the steps. This page walks through what the local homes mean for a stair lift and where Coshocton County families can look for help paying for one.
The county has a substantial Amish and Mennonite population, 2,724 people or 7.4% of residents per the 2020 Census, and that tradition goes with multi-story farmhouse construction. Older farmhouses often have steep, narrow stairs, and some turn at a landing. A straight staircase usually takes a straight rail, while any turn or landing calls for a curved rail built to fit that exact stair.
Split-level homes are common too. They often have several short flights rather than one long one, so we look at each run separately. Detached houses and low-rise buildings each bring their own questions about wall space, landings and where the lift parks at the top and bottom.
Coshocton County covers 567 square miles of hilly, rural ground. On a hillside lot, the hard climb is sometimes outside: porch steps, a walk up from the drive, or stairs down to a lower entrance. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather and can make getting in and out of the house as manageable as getting upstairs.
When steps are short but a wheelchair is involved, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat. We measure the stairs and talk through how the person actually moves around the house before recommending one type over another.
The 2020 Census put the county's median age at 41.2, with 19.7% of residents age 65 or older. That is an older population than the national average, and many of those residents want to stay in the homes they have owned for years.
For those households, the VA programs listed below are worth checking, along with the Coshocton County Veterans Service Office at 318 Main St. in Coshocton.
Cost is a real concern here. The median household income was $55,577 in 2024, and the poverty rate was 18.5%, well above the roughly 12.5% national average. That makes outside funding worth chasing before paying out of pocket.
PASSPORT, Ohio's Medicaid waiver for older adults, lists home modifications as a covered service, and a stair lift can be approved case by case as part of a care plan. Area Agency on Aging Region 9 (AAA 9) handles PASSPORT for Coshocton County. Its office is at 1058 Southgate Pkwy., Cambridge, 43725, phone (740) 439-4478.
Homeowners age 62 and up with very low income may look at USDA Section 504 repair grants and loans. Veterans have their own options, though one VA grant, HISA, does not pay for stair glides. The program list below spells out each one.
An Ohio Medicaid waiver for people 65 and older, or physically disabled ages 60-64, who need nursing-home-level care but can stay home with services; home modifications are a covered category, and a stair lift is approved case by case. Call AAA9 at (800) 945-4250.
The local intake point for PASSPORT and HOME Choice applications, offering a free consultation for Coshocton County residents; its site does not list stair lifts specifically. Call (800) 945-4250.
Helps Medicaid enrollees move from a nursing facility or hospital back home and funds a home modification service for up to 180 days before the move; stair lifts are not named in the source. Call (800) 945-4250.
An Ohio Medicaid waiver for people with physical disabilities and unstable medical conditions who can be cared for at home, covering home modifications through a plan of care; stair lifts are not named specifically. Call (800) 945-4250.
Rural home repair help: loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners age 62 and older, including accessibility changes for a household member with a disability; stair lifts are not named. Confirm your address on USDA's eligibility map.
A VA health benefit for home structural changes, capped at $6,800 or $2,000 depending on the disability. It does not cover stair glides, so it is not a stair lift funding source.
Up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities to adapt a home they own; stair lifts are not named but are not excluded. Call (800) 827-1000 and confirm with a VA caseworker.
Up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands; stair lifts are not named in the source. Call (800) 827-1000.
The county office at 318 Main St., Coshocton helps with VA claims, emergency financial assistance and transportation; stair lift funding is not listed among its services. Call (740) 622-2313.
A nonprofit Center for Independent Living offering peer support, referral and advocacy for people with disabilities of any age; it does not list stair lift funding but can help with PASSPORT, HOME Choice or VA applications. Call (330) 343-9292.
Older adults
1058 Southgate Pkwy., Cambridge, 43725
Veterans
318 Main St., Coshocton, 43812
Usually, yes. A turn or landing needs a curved rail made to fit that staircase, while a straight run can use a straight rail. Many older multi-story farmhouses in the county fall into the curved category.
PASSPORT lists home modifications as a covered service, and a stair lift can be approved case by case as part of a care plan. For a single applicant in 2026, a Medicaid-planning source puts the monthly income ceiling at $2,982 and the asset limit at $2,000. Call AAA9 at (800) 945-4250 to start.
PASSPORT also serves physically disabled adults ages 60-64. The Ohio Home Care Waiver covers Medicaid recipients with physical disabilities, and Society for Equal Access serves people with disabilities of any age at (330) 343-9292.
The HISA grant does not cover stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts but do not exclude them, so ask a VA caseworker at (800) 827-1000. The Coshocton County Veterans Service Office at (740) 622-2313 can help with the claim.
Area Agency on Aging Region 9 (AAA 9) serves Coshocton County from 1058 Southgate Pkwy., Cambridge, 43725. Its phone is (740) 439-4478.
USDA Section 504 offers grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners age 62 and older, and it covers accessibility changes for a household member with a disability. Much of the county is rural, but check your exact address on USDA's eligibility map first.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
