From Neillsville and Greenwood down to Humbird, and up through Thorp, Owen, Withee and Dorchester, Clark County is a place of small farmsteads, not suburban subdivisions. Many homes here are older, multi-story farmhouses with an interior stairway running up to the bedrooms. As of 2013 the county also had 16 Amish church districts, which fits that older style of farmhouse construction spread across the countryside.
That kind of house is often a good fit for a stair lift, because the stairs are inside and the layout has stayed the same for decades. This page walks through the home styles you see in Loyal, Granton, Chili, Curtiss and the other towns, what each one means for a lift, and the programs that can help pay for one.
The first thing we check in an older farmhouse is the shape of the staircase. A single straight run from the first floor to the second is the simplest case, and a straight stair lift rail mounts to the treads, not the wall.
Some farmhouse stairs turn at a landing or wind near the top. Those need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairs, which takes measuring on site and more lead time. We look at the width of the stairs, the turn and the space at the top and bottom before recommending either type.
Ranch-style homes keep daily living on one floor, but many still have basement stairs to the laundry or a few steps at the entry. A short straight lift on the basement stairs or an outdoor lift at the door can solve the one place that has become hard.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels, so a person may face stairs several times a day. Depending on the layout, that can mean one lift on the most-used flight or a platform-style option where steps are few but frequent. Walk-up apartments are a different situation, since the stairs are usually shared and the building owner has a say in any installation.
Clark County covers about 1,210 square miles of land, with roughly 29 people per square mile and essentially everyone living in areas the Census counts as rural. Homes can be a long drive from each other and from Neillsville, the county seat.
That distance matters for planning. It helps to have one home visit cover everything: which stairs, any outdoor steps, the electrical outlet near the stairs and who will be using the lift. Rolling farmland, like the area around North Bluff near Willard, also means some homes have uneven ground at the entry, which affects outdoor lift placement.
The Clark County Veterans Service Office is at 517 Court Street in Neillsville and can be reached at (715) 743-5160 to sort out which VA benefits apply.
Be aware that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, porch lifts and other removable equipment. The VA Specially Adapted Housing grants do not name stair lifts on their official page, so ask the office before counting on them for a lift.
The clearest path is the Wisconsin IRIS Medicaid waiver, which names stair lifts as a covered home modification within a person's self-directed budget. Family Care uses the same eligibility rules but does not list stair lifts on its source page.
The ADRC of Clark County in Neillsville is the local starting point for IRIS and Family Care. For homeowners who do not qualify for Medicaid, the CDBG Home Repair Program offers 0% deferred loans that include accessibility improvements. Wisconsin also has statewide options such as the Community Options Program (COP), WisLoan (WisTech Alternative Loan Program) and the WHEDA Home Improvement Loan Program (HILP), which the ADRC can help you look into. Each program is summarized below.
A self-directed Medicaid waiver for people who meet nursing-facility level of care, with 2026 limits of about $2,982 a month in income and $2,000 in assets for a single applicant, and no waitlist. Stair lifts are named as a covered home modification; call (888) 515-4747.
A managed long-term care program with the same financial and functional rules as IRIS, available statewide including Clark County. Home modifications are covered, but the source lists only grab bars, ramps and doorway widening and does not mention stair lifts; call (800) 362-3002.
The local information and enrollment point for IRIS, Family Care and other long-term care programs, with an Adaptive Equipment and Visual Aid Loan Library. It does not list a stair lift benefit of its own; call (715) 743-5166.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home alterations, depending on disability status. It does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides and porch lifts are excluded; call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for homeowning veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026. The VA page mentions building, buying or remodeling but does not name stair lifts; call (800) 827-1000.
0% interest, deferred-payment loans up to $100,000 for low- to moderate-income homeowner-occupants, including in Clark County, repaid when the owner no longer owns or lives in the home. Accessibility improvement is an eligible repair, though stair lifts are not named; call (715) 726-7933.
A nonprofit serving people with disabilities in Clark County and nearby counties with independent living help, caregiving coordination, transportation and advocacy. It does not list stair lift or home modification funding; call (715) 233-1070.
Older adults
517 Court St., Room 301, Neillsville, 54456
Veterans
517 Court Street Room 304, Neillsville, 54456
IRIS names stair lifts as a covered home modification within the person's approved self-directed budget. The person must meet Wisconsin Medicaid financial rules and be screened as needing nursing-facility level of care. Start with the ADRC of Clark County at (715) 743-5166.
No. IRIS is an entitlement program with no waitlist, so people who qualify can enroll.
No. The VA program page lists stair glides and porch lifts as excluded removable equipment. The Clark County Veterans Service Office at (715) 743-5160 can help you look at other VA benefits.
The Clark County ADRC is at 517 Court Street in Neillsville, WI 54456. The phone number is (715) 743-5166.
The CDBG Home Repair Program offers 0% deferred loans up to $100,000 to low- to moderate-income homeowner-occupants in Clark County, and accessibility improvement is an eligible repair. You need enough home equity to cover your mortgage plus the repair and must be current on mortgage, taxes and insurance. Call (715) 726-7933.
Most interior farmhouse stairways can. A straight run takes a straight rail, while stairs that turn at a landing need a curved rail made to fit. A home visit to measure the stairs is the way to know for sure.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
