Hardy County's homes are spread between two towns, the county seat of Moorefield (established 1777) and Wardensville (chartered 1832 and named for Jacob Warden), with a lot of farmland in between. Much of that housing is older and owner-occupied, built on land first settled by Scotch-Irish, German, English, and Dutch families.
That older, rural housing stock shapes what a stair lift job looks like here. Stairways in long-standing family homes were not built with a lift in mind, so we measure every staircase before recommending a straight, curved, outdoor, or platform unit.
Most homes in the county are single-family homes and detached houses, with ranch-style and split-level homes common too. A straight staircase with no landings is the simplest case and usually takes a straight rail.
Split-level homes often have short flights between floors, and sometimes more than one. Each flight may need its own lift, or a curved rail if the stairs turn at a landing.
Ranch-style homes keep most living space on one floor, but entry steps or basement stairs can still be a problem. For outside steps, an outdoor-rated lift or a platform lift is worth discussing.
Hardy County covers about 584.6 square miles in the Potomac Highlands and Eastern Panhandle, divided by South Branch Mountain. The South Branch of the Potomac, the Lost River, and the Cacapon River all run through it, and part of the George Washington National Forest sits inside the county.
That terrain limits road access to some rural households. Installation and service visits can take longer to schedule for homes out past the towns, so it helps to plan ahead rather than wait until a fall forces the decision.
A county estimate puts the median age at 46.7.
The state encyclopedia lists a homeownership rate of 76.9% and a median home value of $141,500. Owning the home matters, because owners can install a permanent rail without asking a landlord, and several funding programs require ownership.
The median household income is $49,272 and the poverty rate is about 17.7%, above the national average. For many families, outside help is the difference between a lift and no lift.
None of the programs below name stair lifts outright, except the VA HISA grant, which explicitly excludes stair glides. Some cover home modifications in general, so call and ask whether a stair lift can count for your situation.
The Hardy County Committee on Aging at 409 Spring Avenue in Moorefield is a good first call for local referral. The Upper Potomac Area Agency on Aging handles intake for the Aged and Disabled Waiver and state home modification funds. West Virginia also has a Technology-Related Assistance Revolving Loan Fund among its statewide programs.
The Moorefield Veterans Benefits Office of the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance is at 225 North Main Street, Moorefield, WV 26836. You can reach it at (304) 538-2839.
The VA HISA grant does not pay for stair glides. The larger SAH and SHA grants are for severe service-connected disabilities and do not name stair lifts, so ask the benefits office how they apply to your home.
A Medicaid waiver for West Virginians 18 and older who qualify for nursing-facility level of care and choose care at home; it includes Environmental Accessibility Adaptations for the home, though stair lifts are not named. Apply through the Upper Potomac Area Agency on Aging or call Acentra Health at (866) 767-1575.
The local intake and referral point for people 60 and older in its 15-county region, including Hardy County, for services such as the ADW waiver and state home modification funds; no stair lift program is listed. Call (304) 257-1221 to ask what is available in Hardy County.
A state program for people 60 or older who need home modifications or accessibility devices to live more independently; specific covered items such as stair lifts are not listed. Call (866) 981-2372 to confirm current scope and get an application.
A Moorefield office at 409 Spring Avenue, open Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm, offering meals, health assessments, personal care, and information and referral; home modifications and stair lifts are not among its listed services. Call (304) 530-2256 to ask about referral to home modification funding.
Loans up to $20,000 at 1% over 20 years and grants up to $7,500 for owners 62 and older, combined up to $27,500, for very-low-income rural homeowners; stair lifts are not named, but grants can address a health or safety hazard with local office approval. Call (304) 284-4860.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary home changes like ramps and roll-in showers; stair glides are explicitly excluded. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for a permanent home; ramps and doorway widening are listed, but stair lifts are not named. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
229 E. Martin St., Suite 3, Martinsburg, 25401
Veterans
225 North Main Street, Moorefield, 26836
Usually, yes. Split-level homes often have short flights, and each flight may need its own lift or a curved rail if it turns. We measure each staircase first.
The Aged and Disabled Waiver starts at age 18 for people who meet Medicaid financial rules and nursing-facility level of care. Most other local programs, like UPAAA and the state home modification program, start at 60.
The HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts, so ask the Moorefield Veterans Benefits Office at (304) 538-2839 how they apply.
The Hardy County Committee on Aging in Moorefield at (304) 530-2256 can point you toward home modification funding. The Upper Potomac Area Agency on Aging at (304) 257-1221 handles intake for the waiver.
Yes, but mountain roads and dispersed homes can lengthen scheduling times in Hardy County. Calling early gives more room to plan the visit and the install.
Section 504 grants up to $7,500 go to rural homeowners 62 and older with income at or below 50% of area median who need to remove a health or safety hazard. Call (304) 284-4860 to ask whether a stair lift qualifies.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
