Briscoe County covers 902 square miles of the Llano Estacado in the Texas Panhandle, with Silverton and Quitaque as its two towns and Tule Canyon and Caprock Canyons State Park cutting through the land around them. Every resident lives in a rural area, and the county averages about 1.6 people per square mile.
Silverton had just 316 housing units at the 2020 census, most of them older homes built for ranching families long before anyone thought about accessibility. If a parent is starting to struggle with the steps into the house or up to a bedroom, this page explains which kind of lift tends to fit local homes and where to look for help paying for one.
Most homes in Briscoe County are single-family homes and detached houses, with ranch-style homes, split-level homes and a few walk-up apartments mixed in. The local housing stock was generally built without accessibility features, so a lift is usually a retrofit added to stairs that were never planned for one.
A ranch-style home often has no indoor staircase at all. The trouble is usually the steps up to the porch or front door, which is where an outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift comes in.
Split-level homes are a different job. They tend to have short flights between levels, and if the stairs turn or you need to reach more than one level, a curved lift or more than one straight lift may be needed. A single straight staircase in a detached house is the simplest and usually the quickest install.
With 100% of residents in rural areas, the drive to larger towns, hospitals and contractors is long. That matters for a stair lift because the measuring visit, the install and any later service call all mean someone traveling out to the house.
It helps to have the stairs measured once, carefully, and to ask up front how service visits are scheduled. Outdoor lifts on the plateau also face wind and weather, so ask about covers and weather-rated models if the lift will sit outside.
About 24.8% of Briscoe County residents are 65 or older, and the median age in the county is 49.2. Roughly 76.4% of residents own their homes, which matters because most stair lifts and most repair programs assume the owner lives in the house.
If the person who needs the lift served, check the VA programs below before paying out of pocket, even though not every VA benefit covers lifts.
The county's median household income is $45,417, and the economy is small and tied to agriculture and ranching, so there is little local money set aside for senior or accessibility services. Most help will come from federal, state or regional programs.
Be clear-eyed about what each one covers. The VA HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides, and the other programs listed below do not name stair lifts in their sources, though several cover home modifications like ramps and grab bars. Call and ask directly whether a lift can be included in your case.
Statewide programs worth asking about include the STAR+PLUS Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver, the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program (AYBR), VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics) and the Community Living Assistance and Support Services (CLASS) Waiver. For veterans, the Texas Veterans Commission Lubbock Office at 3510 4th Street Rm 113 in Lubbock can be reached at (806) 472-3490.
A lifetime VA benefit of $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary permanent changes like entrance access and permanent ramping. It does not cover stair lifts; the source names stair glides and porch lifts as excluded removable equipment.
For FY2026, SAH grants go up to $126,526 and SHA grants up to $25,350 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities who own or intend to own the home. The source gives ramps and widened doorways as examples and does not mention stair lifts.
A Medicaid waiver for adults who need a nursing-facility level of care, with home modifications such as grab bars and wheelchair ramps approved case by case; stair lifts are not named, and the source notes waits can run many years. Call (877) 438-5658.
Very low-income rural homeowners can borrow up to $40,000 at 1% interest, and those 62 or older may get grants up to $10,000, for repairs including ramps, grab bars and walk-in tubs. Stair lifts are not mentioned, but Briscoe County and Silverton qualify as rural.
Serves adults 60 and older across the 26-county Panhandle region, which includes Briscoe County, with services like home delivered meals, homemaker services and personal care assistance. Stair lifts are not mentioned; call (806) 331-2227.
A nonprofit center offering advocacy, peer support, information and referral, and independent living skills training for people with disabilities in the top 26 counties of the Panhandle. It does not describe stair lift funding; call (806) 374-1400.
Older adults
415 SW 8th Ave., Amarillo, 79101
Veterans
3510 4th Street Rm 113, Lubbock, 79415
No. The HISA source specifically lists stair glides and porch lifts as excluded removable equipment. HISA covers permanent structural changes such as entrance access, accessible bathroom or kitchen fixtures and permanent ramping.
Often the problem in a ranch-style home is the steps up to the door. An outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift can handle those entry steps.
The USDA Section 504 program offers grants up to $10,000 to very low-income homeowners 62 and older in eligible rural areas, which include Briscoe County. Its approved repairs list ramps, grab bars and walk-in tubs but do not name stair lifts, so ask directly.
The Area Agency on Aging of the Panhandle serves adults 60 and older in Briscoe County. You can reach it at (806) 331-2227.
The Texas Veterans Commission Lubbock Office is at 3510 4th Street Rm 113, Lubbock, TX 79415. The phone number is (806) 472-3490.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
