Mason County sits on the Edwards Plateau in the Texas Hill Country, about 932 square miles of limestone and granite hills, canyons and ranchland. The town of Mason is the county seat and its largest city, and the 2020 census counted 3,953 residents across the whole county. Many of the homes here are ranch houses and older town-lot houses with raised foundations and steps up to the front porch.
That means a lot of families in Mason County run into stairs right at the front door, not just between floors. This page walks through which kinds of stair lifts fit the homes you see around Mason, what the distances out here mean for planning, and which programs may help with the cost.
Much of the housing in Mason County goes back to pre-1950s Hill Country construction, shaped by the county's German settlement history. Raised foundations, front porch steps and multi-level additions are common. Each of those can call for a different kind of lift.
A raised foundation with a set of porch steps is often a job for an outdoor stair lift, which is built to handle weather. If the steps are short and someone uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may be the better fit. Inside, an addition that sits a few steps above the original house can usually take a short straight lift.
Single-family and detached houses make up most of what we see, including ranch-style homes. A ranch house may have no inside stairs at all, so the real problem is often the entry or a step down to a back room. That is worth checking before anyone assumes a lift is needed indoors.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels. When a flight runs straight, a straight stair lift is the simpler install. When the stairs turn or have a landing, a curved lift is made to follow that shape, and it takes more measuring up front.
Walk-up apartments are different because the stairs usually belong to the building owner. If you rent, get the landlord's written approval before planning any install. One of the Medicaid programs below requires that approval for renters.
About 22.2 percent of Mason County residents are 65 or older, and 67.8 percent of households own their home. Owners can generally make changes to their own steps, which keeps the options open.
If that describes someone in your family, the VA programs listed below and the Mason County Veterans Service Officer are good places to start, though one VA grant does not cover stair lifts.
Mason County is fully rural with low population density. Installers, medical providers and home-modification contractors are often based in San Angelo or other regional hubs, so travel time is part of the picture.
It helps to have the stair measurements, photos of the steps and any doctor's notes ready before the first visit. If a program needs a medical-necessity record, start that paperwork early so it does not hold up the install.
No single program here is confirmed to pay for stair lifts by name. The Texas Medicaid waivers, STAR+PLUS HCBS and CLASS, fund minor home modifications, but stair lifts are not listed in their covered examples, so approval would be case by case. The VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides.
For local help sorting this out, the Concho Valley AAA in San Angelo is at (325) 944-9666, and the Mason County Veterans Service Officer at 201 Ft. McKavett Street in Mason is at (325) 650-9867. The Amy Young Barrier Removal Program (AYBR) is another statewide program worth asking them about.
A Texas Medicaid waiver benefit with a $7,500 lifetime limit per member, plus $300 yearly for repairs once that limit is reached, for people 65 and older or 21 and older with a qualifying disability. Stair lifts are not listed among covered modifications, so any request would go through the member's managed care organization as medically necessary.
A Medicaid waiver for people with a related condition that began before age 22, with a $10,000 lifetime limit for minor home modifications and no age limit. Stair lifts are not listed as covered; call (877) 438-5658 for information.
Serves adults 60 and older in 14 counties including Mason County with information and referral, benefits counseling, care coordination and caregiver support. It does not list a stair lift or home-modification fund, but it is a good first call at (325) 223-5704.
A VA lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability rating, for medically necessary structural changes to a veteran's home. It does not cover stair lifts; the VA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
VA grants for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA, to buy, build or adapt a home. Stair lifts are not named as covered or excluded; call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
2801 W. Loop 306, Suite A, San Angelo, 76904
Veterans
201 Ft. McKavett Street, Mason, 76856
No. The HISA grant explicitly excludes removable equipment such as stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way, so ask the VA at (800) 827-1000 or the Mason County Veterans Service Officer at (325) 650-9867.
Not by name. STAR+PLUS HCBS and CLASS both fund minor home modifications, but stair lifts are not in their lists of covered examples. A request would need to be documented as medically necessary and approved case by case.
The Area Agency on Aging of the Concho Valley mainly serves people 60 and older. STAR+PLUS HCBS includes adults 21 and older with a qualifying disability, and CLASS has no age limit for people with a related condition that began before age 22.
An outdoor stair lift is often the fit for porch steps, since it is built for the weather. For a short rise where someone uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may make more sense. A home visit with measurements will settle it.
The Concho Valley AAA is at 2801 W. Loop 306, Suite A, San Angelo 76904, phone (325) 944-9666. The Area Agency on Aging of the Concho Valley also lists (325) 223-5704 and 1-877-944-9666.
Possibly, but you will need the landlord's written approval. STAR+PLUS HCBS requires that approval before it will fund a home modification for a renter.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
