From Bluefield and Princeton out to Athens, Lashmeet, Montcalm and Oakvale, Mercer County sits higher than any other county in West Virginia. Houses here climb hillsides, step down into hollows and sit on multi-level foundations, so many families deal with stairs both inside and outside the front door.
Much of the housing is older and well established, a legacy of the early-20th-century coal boom that also gave Bluefield the 12-story West Virginian Hotel. This page walks through how those homes and that terrain affect the choice of a stair lift, and which programs in the county and state may help with the cost.
The county runs from the rolling farmland of the New River Valley in the east to Pinnacle Rock State Park and the coalfields in the west, with East River Mountain to the south and the Bluestone Gorge to the northeast. Building on that ground means sloped lots and multi-level foundations are common.
In practice, that often means a flight of steps up from the driveway, another set inside, and sometimes a basement level on the downhill side. Before recommending anything, we look at each of those stairways separately, because the right answer for one may not fit the other.
A single straight run of stairs in a detached house or single-family home is usually the simplest fit for a straight stair lift. If the staircase turns at a landing or curves, a curved stair lift is built to follow that specific path.
Split-level homes deserve a closer look. Their short half-flights between levels can make it harder to choose which trip matters most, so we ask where the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen are before suggesting a layout.
For steps outside, an outdoor stair lift is made to handle the weather on an exposed entry. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a short rise, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat.
Townhouses often have narrow, straight interior stairs, which can still take a lift if the width and the landing at the top allow it. Walk-up apartments are a different situation, since the stairs are usually shared and the owner of the building has to approve any installation.
With a median home value of $104,100 and a large stock of long-standing houses, many homes in the county have stairs, railings and wiring from an earlier era. We check how solid the treads are and where an outlet can go before anything is mounted.
At the 2020 census, 22.1% of Mercer County residents were age 65 or older, a share notably above the national average. Many of those residents are staying in the homes they have lived in for decades, stairs and all.
If that includes someone in your family, the VA programs below are worth reading closely, since one of them excludes stair glides by name.
None of the programs listed on this page names stair lifts as a covered item, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. That does not rule out help, but it means you should ask each agency directly how it treats a stair lift before you count on the money.
A good first call is Mercer CASE WV at (304) 425-7111, which connects county seniors to state programs such as the Aged and Disabled Waiver and the Bureau of Senior Services home modification funds. The regional aging office, Region III - WVDA Southern AAA, is reachable at (304) 340-3501.
Veterans can start with Princeton Veterans Assistance at (304) 425-5194, located at 195 Davis Street Suite 123 in Princeton. Statewide, the West Virginia Technology-Related Assistance Revolving Loan Fund is another option families may want to ask about.
A state Medicaid waiver for residents 18 and older who need nursing-facility level of care and help with at least five daily activities; its EAA-Home service pays for physical adaptations to the home, though stair lifts are not named in the source. Call the WV Bureau of Senior Services at (304) 558-3317.
State funds for people 60 and older who can show a need for home modifications or accessibility devices to live more independently; stair lifts are not specifically named. Apply through the WV Aging & Disability Resource Center at (866) 981-2372 or through Mercer CASE WV locally.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 lifetime for veterans with a service-connected disability or a non-service-connected disability rated at least 50%, or $2,000 for other non-service-connected veterans. It covers items such as ramping and widened entrances but explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
VA grants for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 in FY2026 figures. The VA page does not list stair lifts or platform lifts among covered adaptations.
Rural homeowners with household income at or below 50% of area median income can borrow up to $20,000 at 1% interest, and owners 62 and older may get grants up to $7,500 to remove health or safety hazards. Stair lifts are not named in the source, and most of Mercer County outside Bluefield and Princeton is USDA-eligible rural territory.
The county senior center at 355 Bluefield Ave in Bluefield, offering in-home care, transportation and meals, and serving as the local access point for state programs. It is not a home-modification grant itself; call (304) 425-7111.
Older adults
1900 Kanawha Blvd. East, Charleston, 25305
Veterans
195 Davis Street Suite 123, Princeton, 24739
No. The HISA grant lists stair glides among the removable equipment it excludes. A veteran may still ask Princeton Veterans Assistance at (304) 425-5194 about other VA options, though the SAH and SHA grant page does not list stair lifts either.
The WV Bureau of Senior Services Home Modification and Accessibility Program is open to people 60 and older who can show a need for home modifications or accessibility devices. Stair lifts are not named, so ask when you apply through the ADRC at (866) 981-2372 or Mercer CASE WV at (304) 425-7111.
Possibly. Most of Mercer County outside Bluefield and Princeton is USDA-eligible rural territory, and owners 62 and older with low income may qualify for grants up to $7,500 for repairs that remove a health or safety hazard. The program does not mention stair lifts by name.
It can, but each half-flight is its own stairway. We look at which levels hold the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, then decide whether one lift, a curved lift around a landing, or a different layout makes the most sense.
Yes, an outdoor stair lift is designed for exterior steps, which are common on the sloped lots found around the county. If a wheelchair user needs to get up a short rise, a platform lift may be the better fit.
Call Mercer CASE WV at (304) 425-7111. It serves as the county access point for referrals to the Aged and Disabled Waiver and the Bureau of Senior Services home modification funds.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
