Knox County is 855 square miles of rural prairie, with three towns: Munday, Knox City and the county seat, Benjamin. Most homes here are single-family and ranch-style houses, many of them older farmhouse-style places built for working families in a farming and ranching county.
That shapes what a stair lift job looks like here. In a lot of Knox County homes, the hard part is not a long staircase inside. It is the porch steps and entry steps out front or out back. This page walks through which kind of lift fits which kind of house, and where to ask for help paying for one.
The 2020 Census profile counts 1,801 housing units in the county, and the stock leans toward single-story ranch and farmhouse homes rather than multi-story construction. If your house is one level inside, you may not need an indoor lift at all.
Split-level homes are a different story. A short run of steps between levels can be enough to stop someone who has trouble with balance or knees. A straight stair lift usually handles a short, straight run like that, while a staircase that turns needs a curved rail built to fit it.
For older homes in Munday, Knox City and Benjamin, the entry steps are often the real barrier. An outdoor stair lift is built to sit outside and handle the weather, and it runs along the porch or entry steps the same way an indoor unit runs along a staircase.
When steps are not the right fit for a chair, a platform lift is another option, since the person rides standing or seated on a flat platform. We look at the step height, the landing at the top and the ground at the bottom before recommending one type over another.
Every resident of Knox County lives in a rural area, and specialized accessibility dealers, installers and medical evaluations are often found outside the county, in places like Wichita Falls or Abilene. That can stretch lead times for service and installation and add travel cost.
It helps to plan ahead. Measure the steps, take photos of the porch and staircase, and get any needed medical evaluation scheduled early so paperwork for a funding program is ready when you are.
The county has a Veteran Services office at 100 W Cedar St. in Benjamin, reachable at (214) 850-7357, which is a sensible first stop before calling the VA.
Roughly 81.7% of residents own their homes. That matters because several programs below, including the USDA repair loans and grants and the VA adaptation grants, require that you own or intend to own the home being modified.
Coverage varies a lot by program. The Texas CLASS Waiver is the only program listed below whose source names stair lifts as a covered modification. The VA HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides, and the other programs do not mention stair lifts either way, so coverage there would be decided case by case.
For adults 60 and older, the West Central Texas AAA at 1025 EN 10th St. in Abilene, (325) 672-8544, can explain local senior services. Statewide, Texans also ask about the STAR+PLUS Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver and the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program (AYBR), so it is worth asking about those when you call.
A statewide Medicaid waiver for Texans with a related condition that began before age 22, and it lists stair lifts as a covered home modification, up to $10,000 lifetime plus up to $300 per year for repairs (another official figure cites a $7,500 cap, so confirm with a Texas HHSC service coordinator). Enrollment runs through an interest list; call (877) 438-5658.
A VA lifetime grant for medically necessary structural changes, up to $6,800 or $2,000 depending on disability status, but it explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. A stair lift may instead go through VA Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service as a prescribed item; call (800) 827-1000.
Larger VA grants for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities to buy, build or adapt a home, with FY2026 limits of $126,526 (SAH), $25,350 (SHA) and $50,961 or $9,100 (TRA). The source does not list stair lifts by name; call (800) 827-1000 to ask.
Loans up to $20,000 at 1% fixed for 20 years, and grants up to $7,500 for homeowners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan, for very-low-income owners in rural areas. Stair lifts are not listed by name, so coverage depends on the health or safety hazard; call (254) 742-9700.
Repairs or modifications essential to the health and safety of adults 60 and older in its 19-county region, which includes Knox County. Stair lifts are not named, but this is the local place to ask what help is available; call (325) 793-8417.
A nonprofit serving Knox County residents with a disability of any age, offering information and referral, benefits application help and rural transportation assistance. It does not run a stair lift or home modification fund; call (325) 672-5460.
Older adults
1025 EN 10th St., Abilene, 79601
Veterans
100 W Cedar St., Benjamin, 79505
Maybe not inside. In many older Knox County homes, the porch and entry steps are the main barrier, and an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift may be the better fit.
Not through the HISA grant, which explicitly excludes stair glides. A stair lift may be handled through VA Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service as a prescribed item. Start with Veteran Services in Benjamin at (214) 850-7357 or the VA at (800) 827-1000.
Yes, depending on the situation. The Texas CLASS Waiver covers stair lifts for Medicaid-eligible Texans with a related condition that began before age 22, and Disability In Action helps people with a disability of any age find and apply for benefits.
Of the programs listed here, only the Texas CLASS Waiver does. The USDA, WCTCOG and VA adaptation grant sources do not mention stair lifts, so you would need to ask each one directly.
The county is entirely rural, and specialized installers and medical evaluations are often outside it, in places like Wichita Falls or Abilene. That travel can add time and cost, so it pays to start early.
Look at the USDA Section 504 program at (254) 742-9700, which offers grants up to $7,500 for owners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan. The WCTCOG Residential Repair line at (325) 793-8417 is another place to ask.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
