From the granite town of Barre to the state capital in Montpelier and out to Waitsfield, Cabot and Roxbury, Washington County spreads 24 towns across 695 square miles of central Vermont. Many houses here are farmhouses, Cape Cods and colonial-inspired village homes, some dating from the 1800s, mixed in with ranch-style and newer builds.
That mix matters when you are thinking about a stair lift. A straight staircase in a newer ranch is a very different job from a turning stair in an older village home, and an entry with outside steps may need its own solution. This page walks through what we see in local homes and which programs in the county may help with the cost.
Real-estate sources describe much of the county's housing as traditional Vermont architecture: farmhouses, Cape Cods and colonial-inspired homes in places like Barre and Montpelier. Homes built over many decades often have staircases that were added onto or reworked along the way.
If your stairs run in one straight line from bottom to top, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest and quickest install. If the stairs turn at a landing or curve, a curved lift with a custom-built rail is the usual answer. We measure the staircase in person before recommending either one.
Split-level homes, townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings are also part of the local housing picture. A split-level often has two or more short flights, and each flight may need its own lift or a rail that follows the turns.
In a walk-up apartment or a shared building, the person living there may not own the stairway. Talk with the building owner before planning an install, since permission usually comes first. For some programs, such as the VA HISA grant, renters need notarized owner authorization.
The county runs from village centers along Interstate 89 to rural towns like Worcester, Woodbury and Marshfield, with part of the Green Mountain National Forest inside its borders. Plenty of homes sit up from the road with steps to a porch or side door.
When the problem is the outside steps, an outdoor stair lift built for exterior use or a platform lift may fit better than an indoor model. A platform lift can also carry a wheelchair, which a seated stair lift cannot. We look at the whole route from the driveway to the bedroom before suggesting anything.
About 20.7% of county residents are 65 or older, and 72.3% of households own their homes. That is a lot of people who want to stay in a house they already own, and a stair lift is often one of the first changes that makes that possible.
Veterans should know that one well-known VA benefit does not cover stair lifts, which we explain in the programs list below.
Medicare is not one of the programs listed here, so plan around the options that are. The strongest leads are Vermont Choices for Care, which can include home modifications within an individual plan, and the USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants for lower-income rural homeowners.
Local nonprofits fill in some gaps. Green Mountain Home Repair through Downstreet Housing & Community Development covers accessibility repairs, and the Vermont Center for Independent Living runs two funds worth a call. If you are not sure where to start, the Central Vermont Council on Aging can help sort out which programs fit your situation.
A state Medicaid long-term care program run by the Dept. of Disabilities, Aging & Independent Living, with an individualized budget that can include home modifications, so a stair lift may be covered case by case. For 2026 the monthly income limit is $2,982 for an individual or $5,964 for a couple, with a $10,000 asset limit; call (800) 642-5119.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can borrow up to $40,000 at 1% fixed over 20 years, and homeowners age 62+ can get grants up to $10,000 for accessibility or safety work, which can support a stair lift case by case. Washington County is in the eligible rural area; call (603) 223-6035.
Offers grants up to $5,000 and low-cost loans up to $20,000 for health, safety and accessibility repairs for households under 80% of area median income in Washington, Orange or Lamoille County. Stair lifts are not named on the program page, so ask directly at (802) 476-4493.
Helps income-qualified Vermont residents with a physical disability with home entry and bathroom accessibility work such as ramps and entrance doors. The program page does not mention stair lifts; call (802) 229-0501 to ask.
An income-limited grant fund from the Vermont Center for Independent Living for equipment and services for residents with a disability, with past examples like dentures, air purifiers and scooters. Stair lifts are not mentioned; call (802) 224-1825.
A VA grant for veterans with a medical prescription that pays for things like entrance access, ramping and roll-in showers, up to $6,800 or $2,000 depending on disability status. The VA states it does not cover stair glides or porch lifts; call (802) 295-9363.
The Area Agency on Aging for Washington, Lamoille and Orange County, offering case management and connections to Choices for Care, Medicaid and other benefits. It does not fund home modifications itself and its service list does not mention stair lifts; call the helpline at (802) 477-1364.
Older adults
59 N. Main St., Suite 200, Barre, 05641
Veterans
118 State Street, Montpelier, 05620-4401
Not through HISA. The VA states that HISA excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Veterans can still look at the other programs on this page, and the Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs in Montpelier can be reached at (802) 828-3379.
Yes, the USDA Section 504 program offers grants up to $10,000 to homeowners age 62+ for accessibility and safety work, and Washington County is in the eligible rural area. Call (603) 223-6035 to check eligibility.
It can. The program's individualized budget can include home modifications, but stair lifts are not itemized, so coverage is decided case by case. Call (800) 642-5119 to start the eligibility process.
Usually, yes. Stairs that turn or curve need a curved stair lift with a rail built to fit that staircase. We measure in person to confirm what will work.
The Central Vermont Council on Aging serves Washington County and offers case management and benefit referrals. Its office is at 59 N. Main St., Suite 200, Barre, phone (802) 479-0531, and the helpline is (802) 477-1364.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts and platform lifts are made for exterior steps. A platform lift is the choice if a wheelchair needs to go up with the person.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
