Randolph County stretches across roughly 1,040 square miles of the Allegheny Mountains, from Elkins and Beverly out to Valley Bend, Mill Creek, Montrose, Womelsdorf, East Dailey and Norton. With Cheat Mountain, Laurel Mountain and Shavers Mountain shaping the land, a lot of houses here sit on hillside lots with steps at the door and more steps inside.
Many of those homes are older and multi-level, built to earlier standards with narrow, steep interior staircases. Long-term owners tend to keep and maintain these houses instead of replacing them, so the practical question is usually how to make the stairs you already have work for you again.
Elkins grew mostly after 1890, when the railroad and the timber industry arrived, and much of the county was settled long before that. Houses from those eras often have tight stairwells, steep risers and landings that turn. A straight stair lift can fit a single steep run, but a staircase with a turn or landing usually needs a curved rail built to that exact stair.
Narrow stairs are the other thing we measure carefully. The rail and folded seat need to leave room for anyone else using the stairs, so the width of the staircase often decides which model makes sense.
The county's housing includes single-family homes, townhouses, walk-up apartments, split-level homes and ranch-style homes. Split-level homes have several short flights, so the question is which flight gets used every day and whether one lift or more is needed.
On a hillside lot, the hardest stairs are sometimes outside. Multiple entry-level changes at the porch or side door can call for an outdoor stair lift, or a platform lift where a wheelchair is involved. In a walk-up apartment, the stairs belong to the building, so the owner has to be part of the decision.
About 16.8% of the county's 10,068 residents are 65 or older, and 65.9% of households own their home. For owners, a lift is a modification to a house they plan to stay in, which also opens the door to several of the repair and modification programs below.
If that includes someone in your family, read the VA program notes carefully, because one common VA grant does not pay for stair lifts at all.
Budgets are tight for many families here. The county's median household income is $47,343 and the poverty rate is about 15.2%, so private pay is not always realistic. None of the programs listed on this page names stair lifts directly, so ask each one before you commit.
The most promising routes are the state home modification fund for people 60 and older, the Environmental Accessibility Adaptations service under the Aged and Disabled Waiver, USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants for rural homeowners, and LiveAbility's office in Elkins. The West Virginia Technology-Related Assistance Revolving Loan Fund is another statewide option worth asking about.
Population is spread thin at about 26.9 people per square mile, and outreach and contractor availability can be harder to reach outside Elkins. Starting calls early gives the paperwork time to move.
A statewide Medicaid waiver for in-home services that includes Environmental Accessibility Adaptations (EAA)-Home, but the source does not name stair lifts, and a waiting list exists. Confirm whether a specific stair lift qualifies with your assigned case manager, or call (866) 767-1575.
The designated Area Agency on Aging for Randolph County, which funds and coordinates senior-center programs such as meals, transportation, in-home care and Medicare counseling; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed. Call (304) 257-2448.
West Virginia residents age 60+ who can show a need for home modifications or accessibility devices may apply for funds to help with the cost; stair lifts are not named specifically. Call the ADRC at (866) 981-2372.
Provides up to 60 hours a month of personal care, mobility, nutrition and housekeeping help on a sliding fee scale for seniors above Medicaid income limits; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed. In Randolph County it runs through the Committee on Aging for Randolph County at (304) 636-4747.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can borrow up to $40,000 at 1% for 20 years, and homeowners age 62+ who cannot repay a loan may get grants up to $10,000 lifetime to remove a health or safety hazard. Stair lifts are not named, so ask your USDA Rural Development specialist whether one qualifies.
Pays for permanent alterations such as ramps, roll-in showers and lowered fixtures, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on disability status. HISA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so it does not fund stair lifts; call (800) 827-1000 with questions.
For veteran homeowners with certain severe service-connected disabilities, SAH pays up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 (FY2026) to build, buy or remodel for accessibility; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (800) 827-1000.
Serves people with disabilities in a 13-county area that includes Randolph County, with an office in Elkins, and funds home modifications like ramps, grab bars and roll-in showers; stair lifts are not named. Call (304) 296-6091.
Older adults
1948 Industrial Blvd., Suite 400, Morgantown, 26505
Veterans
2275 Beverly Pike, Elkins, 26241
Not through the HISA grant, which specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH and SHA grants cover remodeling for accessibility but do not name stair lifts, so ask the VA at (800) 827-1000. The West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance office on Beverly Pike in Elkins, (304) 637-0235, can help with applications.
The state home modification fund starts at age 60, but the Aged and Disabled Waiver is described as starting at age 18 for people who qualify for Medicaid and need nursing-facility level care. LiveAbility in Elkins serves people with disabilities without an age limit listed.
Rural Randolph County, including Elkins and surrounding unincorporated areas, generally qualifies for USDA Section 504. You also need to own and live in the home and have very-low household income, and grants are limited to homeowners age 62+ who cannot repay a loan.
Often, yes. A turning staircase usually needs a curved rail built to fit, and the width of the stairs decides how much room is left when the seat is folded. That is why we measure the actual staircase before recommending anything.
The Committee on Aging for Randolph County, also called the Randolph County Senior Center, delivers the LIGHTHOUSE Program at (304) 636-4747. The Upper Potomac Area Agency on Aging, (304) 257-2448, coordinates senior programs for the region.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
