From Woodsfield up on the ridge to Sardis, Clarington and Beallsville, Monroe County homes sit on the hilly Appalachian Plateau, with the Ohio River along the eastern border. Many houses here are built on sloped lots, so getting inside can mean climbing exterior steps before you even reach the stairs indoors.
This page walks through how ranch-style, split-level and older single-family homes in the county tend to work with stair lifts. It also covers the Medicaid waivers, grants and veteran benefits that may help with the cost.
Per the 2020 Census, 98.7% of Monroe County residents live in rural areas. On this river-valley terrain, a lot of homes have multi-level entries and outside steps up from the driveway or down from a hillside porch.
Those outside steps are often the first problem to solve. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather, and it can carry someone up a porch or entry run that an indoor model is not meant for. If the steps are uneven or the person uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may be the better fit.
A ranch-style home may only have stairs down to a basement, and a straight staircase there usually takes a straight stair lift. That is the simplest install in most cases.
Split-level homes are different. They have short flights between levels, sometimes with a turn or landing, so you may need a lift for each run or a curved lift that follows the bend. Low-rise buildings with a shared stairwell need the owner's permission before anything is mounted.
Before quoting, we look at the stair width, any landings, where the outlets are and whether a door at the top or bottom swings into the path.
Housing here is mostly owner-occupied, 77.5% per the 2020 Census, so most older residents are adapting homes they own rather than renting.
That matters for money as well as for planning. Several of the repair and modification grants below require you to own the home, and in some cases the land under it.
Cost is a real question in this county, where 2010 data showed 17.3% of the population below the poverty line. Low-cost and no-cost routes are worth checking before paying out of pocket.
The two programs that name home modification as a covered service are PASSPORT and the Ohio Home Care Waiver, both Medicaid waivers. Buckeye Hills Regional Council, the Area Agency on Aging for Monroe County, is the place to start, at (800) 331-2644 or the Buckeye Hills AAA (AAA 8) office at (740) 374-9436.
Veterans can call the Monroe County Veterans Service Office in Woodsfield at (740) 472-0743. Be aware that the VA HISA grant excludes stair glides, so ask about other options.
A Medicaid waiver for people 60 and older who need hands-on help with daily tasks, and its service list includes minor home modifications, which can cover a stair lift. An assessor visits the home to build a care plan; call Buckeye Hills at (800) 331-2644.
A Medicaid waiver for people with physical disabilities and unstable medical conditions who would otherwise need nursing-facility care, with a home modification service that covers stair lifts. The cap is $10,000 per calendar year, with a proposed increase to $15,000 effective March 1, 2026.
A grant for homeowners 60 and older, or under 60 with a disability, who own both the home and the land; listed items include ramps, grab bars and doorway widening, and stair lifts are not mentioned. Start with the Advice Line at (800) 331-2644 or call (740) 376-7647.
Federal loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income rural homeowners, with the grant limited to those 62 and older. Stair lifts are not named in the program description, which focuses on health and safety hazards and items such as ramps and walk-in tubs.
A VA benefit with a lifetime maximum of $6,800 or $2,000 depending on disability status, for ramps, bathroom changes and similar work. It explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not pay for a stair lift.
A VA grant of up to $126,526 for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities to adapt a home they own or are buying. Stair lifts are not named in the program description.
A VA grant of up to $25,350 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities such as loss of use of both hands or severe burns. Stair lifts are not named in the program description.
Older adults
1400 Pike St., Marietta, 45750
Veterans
118 Home Ave., PO Box 542, Woodsfield, 43793
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are made for exterior steps, which are common on Monroe County's sloped lots. If the steps are uneven or a wheelchair is involved, a platform lift may suit better.
Two Ohio Medicaid waivers, PASSPORT and the Ohio Home Care Waiver, include home modification as a covered service. Call Buckeye Hills Regional Council at (800) 331-2644 to ask about an assessment.
The Buckeye Hills Housing Assistance Grant Program accepts people under 60 who have a disability, for accessibility modifications only, though stair lifts are not on its listed items. The Ohio Home Care Waiver is based on disability and care needs rather than an age of 60.
The HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides. SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts, so call the Monroe County Veterans Service Office in Woodsfield at (740) 472-0743 to talk through your case.
For the Buckeye Hills Housing Assistance grant, yes, you must own the home and the land it sits on. USDA Section 504 also requires you to own and occupy the home, while HISA applies whether the home is owned or rented.
After calling the Advice Line at (800) 331-2644, you mail the application, a copy of your deed and household income verification to 2585 Glendale Road, Marietta, OH 45750.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
