Muleshoe is the only town in Bailey County, and its houses run from older homes near the historic downtown to newer construction on the edges of town. City-data.com rates Muleshoe's house age as above the Texas state average, so many homes here were built before anyone planned for getting around them later in life.
In this part of the Texas Panhandle, older homes often sit on raised entries with multi-step porches. That means the hardest stairs in a Bailey County home are often the ones outside the front or back door. This page explains which kind of lift fits those homes and which programs may help cover the cost.
Most homes in the county are single-family homes, ranch-style homes and other detached houses. A ranch-style home may not have an indoor staircase, but the steps up to the porch can still be the barrier that keeps someone inside.
For a short run of straight porch steps, an outdoor straight stair lift is usually the first thing we look at. If the person uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat. Indoors, a straight staircase takes a standard straight lift, while stairs that turn or have a landing need a curved rail built to fit.
Bailey County sits on flat plains of sandy loam at 3,800 to 4,400 feet, with sand hills running about a mile south of Muleshoe. Rainfall averages about 17.29 inches a year.
An outdoor lift here is exposed to sandy ground and open weather, so we check how the rail will be anchored at the porch and how the seat and controls will be covered when not in use. It helps to clear brush and loose sand away from the bottom landing before installation.
The county covers 835 square miles, and accessibility installers and contractors are usually based in Lubbock or Amarillo. That drive affects scheduling, so it pays to have measurements, photos of the stairs and any funding paperwork ready before the first visit.
If you live in a walk-up apartment, talk with your landlord before anything is ordered. A lift attaches to the stairs, and the owner of the building has to agree to it.
About 16.9 percent of Bailey County's 5,328 residents are 65 or older, and 75.7 percent are homeowners. Owning the home matters, since most repair and modification programs require it.
If that includes someone in your family, the VA programs below are worth a call, though one of them rules out stair lifts by name.
None of the programs listed below names stair lifts as a covered item, and the VA HISA grant excludes stair glides outright. That does not close the door, but it means you will need to ask each office directly whether a lift can be approved for your situation.
A good first call is the Bailey County Office of Aging in Muleshoe, which handles intake for South Plains AAA services. The South Plains AAA office itself is at 1323 58th St., Lubbock 79412, phone (806) 762-8721. Statewide options also include the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program (AYBR) and the Community Living Assistance and Support Services (CLASS) Waiver. Veterans can also reach Workforce Solutions South Plains at (806) 765-5038.
A Texas Medicaid waiver for adults 65+ or 21+ with a disability who meet nursing facility level of care; it covers home modifications like grab bars and ramps, but stair lifts are not listed, so ask your service coordinator case by case. Call (877) 541-7905.
In-kind minor home repair help for homeowners 60 and older in the South Plains area, which includes Bailey County. Stair lifts are not named, so call (806) 687-0940 to ask what is currently fundable.
The local office that runs Meals on Wheels and handles intake for South Plains AAA services, including the minor-repair benefit. It does not list a stair lift fund itself; call (806) 272-3647 as your first local contact.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% for 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income rural homeowners 62+ who cannot repay a loan; accessibility repairs like ramps are funded, but stair lifts are not listed. Call (806) 785-5644 to confirm coverage for Bailey County.
A lifetime VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home alterations. It does not cover stair lifts; stair glides and porch lifts are specifically excluded. Call (800) 827-1000.
VA grants for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH or $25,350 for SHA. Stair lifts are not listed by name, so ask whether one can be part of an approved plan by calling (800) 827-1000.
A Lubbock nonprofit serving Bailey County residents with a disability of any age, with free referral, advocacy and skills training. No stair lift fund is listed; call (806) 795-5433 for help finding current funding options.
Older adults
1323 58th St., Lubbock, 79412
Veterans
2002 W. Loop 289 Suite 117, Lubbock, 79407
Start with the Bailey County Office of Aging at (806) 272-3647. It handles intake for South Plains AAA services, including the Care Coordination minor-repair benefit for homeowners 60 and older.
The HISA grant will not; it excludes stair glides and porch lifts by name. The SAH and SHA grants do not list stair lifts either, so a veteran with a qualifying severe disability should ask the VA at (800) 827-1000 whether one can be part of an approved adaptation.
Yes, possibly. STAR+PLUS HCBS covers adults 21 and older with a disability who meet nursing facility level of care, and LIFE, Inc. serves Bailey County residents with a disability of any age at (806) 795-5433.
The Section 504 program offers grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan, and it funds accessibility repairs like ramps. Stair lifts are not listed by name, so call the Lubbock office at (806) 785-5644 to ask and to confirm it serves Bailey County.
Often it does. Many older Panhandle homes have raised entries with multi-step porches, and an outdoor straight stair lift or a platform lift can handle those steps so the person can get in and out of the house.
You will need the building owner's permission first, since the lift attaches to the stairs. Funding is harder for renters, because most of the programs here require you to own the home.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
