Limestone County covers roughly 931 square miles of Central Texas, about 30 miles east of Waco, with six towns: Mexia, Groesbeck, Coolidge, Kosse, Thornton and Tehuacana. Settlement here dates from the 1830s, and Groesbeck, the county seat, and Mexia, the largest city, both still have older housing from the cotton, livestock and oil years.
Those older houses are the ones more likely to have a second floor and a staircase that gets harder to climb each year. This page walks through how local homes and land shape the right kind of stair lift, and which programs a Limestone County family can call about paying for one.
Much of the county grew between the 1830s and the early 20th century, and the oil boom that began in November 1920 brought thousands of new residents. Homes from that period in Groesbeck and Mexia are more likely to have multiple levels than newer single-story rural houses.
When we measure one of these staircases, the first question is its shape. A straight run from bottom to top takes a straight stair lift, which is the simplest install. A landing, a turn or a curve in the stairs calls for a curved lift built on a rail made to fit that staircase.
Housing in the county includes single-family homes, manufactured homes, townhouses and walk-up apartments. Each one raises a different stair problem.
A manufactured home is usually all on one floor, so the steps that matter are the ones outside at the door. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle those entry steps. Townhouses often have an interior staircase that suits a straight or curved lift.
Walk-up apartments have shared stairs, so a renter needs the property owner on board before anything is installed. It is worth having that conversation early.
The county is still described as predominantly ranch and farm country, a nearly level to undulating stretch of Blackland Prairies and Post Oak Savannah split by the Navasota River, with Lake Mexia, Springfield Lake and Lake Limestone among its water bodies. Homes are spread out, and many older residents live a long way from specialized contractors and senior services.
That distance is one reason a stair lift often makes more sense than moving. It lets someone keep using the whole house they already own. For porch or yard steps exposed to the weather, an outdoor lift is the type to look at.
About 15.9% of county residents are 65 or older, and 59.1% own their homes. Homeowners have the most freedom to install a lift, and several of the programs below are open only to homeowners.
If someone in your family served, the VA programs below and the Limestone County VSO in Mexia are worth a call before you pay out of pocket.
The county's economy moved from farming toward retail and services, and many households have limited room for a large private home project. That makes public and nonprofit help more important here.
None of the programs listed below names stair lifts outright as covered. One, the VA HISA grant, explicitly excludes stair glides. The others cover home modifications or accessibility in general, so the best move is to call and ask directly whether a stair lift can be funded or referred.
Statewide, you can also ask about the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program (AYBR) and the Community Living Assistance and Support Services (CLASS) Waiver. For general aging help, the Heart of Texas AAA office is at 320 Franklin Ave., Waco, 76701, phone (254) 756-6631.
A case manager arranges contracted repairs and modifications for accessibility, safety, structure and weatherization for low-income homeowners 60 and older in the six-county region that includes Limestone County; stair lifts are not listed by name, so call (254) 292-1800 to ask.
Offers disabled veterans up to $6,800 or $2,000 over a lifetime for medically needed home accessibility changes, but the VA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so it does not cover stair lifts.
Larger grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, with FY2026 caps of up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA; the VA describes ramps and wider doorways but does not list stair lifts, so ask the Limestone County VSO at (254) 562-6288.
A Medicaid waiver for Texans 65 and older, or 21 and older with a disability, who meet nursing facility level of care and income and asset limits; it covers home modifications and adaptive equipment, stair lifts are not named, and there is an interest list, so call (800) 252-7031.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can get a 1% loan up to $40,000, and those 62 and older who cannot repay a loan may get a grant up to $10,000; accessibility safety work is possibly eligible, but stair lifts are not named.
A Belton-based independent living center serving people with disabilities of all ages and income levels in Limestone County and nearby counties; stair lifts are not listed, so call (254) 933-7487 to ask what it can fund or refer.
Older adults
320 Franklin Ave., Waco, 76701
Veterans
205 S. McKinney Street, Mexia, 76667
The Heart of Texas AAA home repair service is for homeowners 60 and older. The STAR+PLUS waiver accepts adults 21 and older with a qualifying disability, and the Heart of Central Texas Independent Living Center serves people with disabilities of all ages.
The HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants cover home adaptations for qualifying severe disabilities but do not name stair lifts, so call the Limestone County VSO at 205 S. McKinney Street in Mexia, (254) 562-6288, to ask.
Yes, in most cases the steps to deal with are the outside entry steps. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift is usually the fit there.
Slots are capped statewide, and applicants go on an interest list. Wait times run from months to years depending on region.
Much of Limestone County outside its small incorporated cities is likely in a USDA-eligible rural area, but each address has to be checked on the USDA eligibility map. Grants also require age 62 or older and very low income.
For a homeowner 60 or older, the Heart of Texas AAA home repairs line at (254) 292-1800 is a good start. Veterans should also call the Limestone County VSO at (254) 562-6288.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
