Menominee County has no incorporated cities or villages. Its homes are spread across unincorporated communities like Keshena, Neopit, Middle Village, Zoar and the Legend Lake area, with woods covering most of the county's 365 square miles. That spread matters when you are planning a stair lift, because nearly every house here is its own rural project.
The county is essentially the same as the Menominee Indian Reservation, and most land, including most housing, sits on land held in federal trust for the Menominee Nation. That shapes how financing and home modifications work compared with other parts of Wisconsin. This page walks through which homes suit which lift and where local families can look for help paying for one.
The 2020 Census counted roughly 2,145 housing units in the county. Most are single-family homes and detached houses, along with ranch-style homes, split-level homes and some walk-up apartments.
A ranch-style home usually puts daily living on one floor, so a lift is often needed only for a basement stairway or the steps up to the door. Split-level homes tend to have short flights between levels, and each flight may need its own straight lift. If a staircase turns at a landing, a curved rail built to that stair is the usual answer.
Walk-up apartments are a different case. A renter will need the property owner's agreement before any rail goes on a shared stairway, so that conversation should come first.
The county is heavily forested and rural throughout, bordered by Oconto County, Shawano County and Langlade County. Many homes sit on their own lots with entry steps, decks or porches that face the weather year round.
When the hard part is getting from the driveway to the door, an outdoor stair lift built for the weather or a vertical platform lift may fit better than an indoor unit. A platform lift also works for someone who uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat.
About 36.6% of housing units were recorded as vacant, and seasonal properties around Legend Lake are part of that. If a lift is going into a cabin that sits empty part of the year, mention it during the home visit so the unit and its power supply are planned for that.
Veterans should check with the Menominee County Veterans Service Office in Keshena at (715) 799-3729 before paying out of pocket, since VA rules on lifts are specific.
Around 64.3% of residents are homeowners. Owners generally have more options for permanent modifications, while renters should line up landlord approval early.
Menominee County is the only Wisconsin county designated a federal persistent poverty county, so many families look to public programs before private pay. The clearest route for a stair lift is the IRIS program, whose covered home modifications name stair lifts directly.
Both IRIS and Family Care are reached through the ADRC of the Wolf River Region, which handles applications for Menominee County residents. Its toll-free line is (855) 492-2372, and the Menominee County ADRC office in Keshena lists (715) 799-3861.
Because most homes sit on trust land, ask any loan program how trust status affects eligibility before you apply. Other statewide options to ask the ADRC about include the Community Options Program (COP), WisLoan (WisTech Alternative Loan Program) and the WHEDA Home Improvement Loan Program (HILP).
A self-directed Medicaid waiver that gives a budget based on assessed need, and its home modification category names stair lifts. Menominee County residents apply through the ADRC of the Wolf River Region; the program line is (888) 515-4747.
A managed-care Medicaid program whose listed home modifications are grab bars, wheelchair ramps and widening doorways; stair lifts are not named in its service list. Call (800) 362-3002 or apply through the ADRC of the Wolf River Region.
Free information, benefits counseling and application help for IRIS, Family Care and other long-term care programs for Menominee, Shawano and Oconto County residents. It is not a cash grant and its pages do not list a stair lift benefit; call (855) 492-2372.
The tribal aging program in Middle Village offers services such as case management, home health, personal care and information and referral for Menominee elders. Its service list does not mention stair lifts or home modifications; call (715) 799-5240.
A VA grant for medically necessary structural changes, with a $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime maximum depending on disability status. It explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so it does not pay for a stair lift.
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 gives ramps and widened doorways as examples and does not mention stair lifts.
Repair loans and grants for very-low-income homeowners who live in eligible rural areas, and all of Menominee County is rural and USDA-eligible. The source reviewed does not mention stair lifts or state dollar amounts.
Older adults
W3272 Wolf River Rd., Keshena, 54135
Veterans
W3191 Fredenburg Drive, Keshena, 54135
The IRIS program lists stair lifts by name among its covered home modifications. Applicants need a Nursing Facility Level of Care on the functional screen and must meet the income and asset limits. Start with the ADRC of the Wolf River Region at (855) 492-2372.
For 2026 the income limit is $2,982 a month for a single applicant and the asset limit is $2,000. Home equity is exempt up to $752,000 if the applicant lives in the home.
Yes. IRIS and Family Care also serve adults age 18 to 64 with a physical, developmental or intellectual disability who meet the level of care requirement.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Veterans can call the Menominee County Veterans Service Office at (715) 799-3729 to ask about other benefits.
It can. Most housing in the county sits on land held in federal trust for the Menominee Nation, which shapes financing and modification options differently than elsewhere in Wisconsin. Ask each program, especially loan programs, how trust status applies to your home.
The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin Aging Division in Middle Village offers case management, information and referral and other elder services at (715) 799-5240. Its service list does not include home modifications, so pair it with an IRIS application through the ADRC.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
