Rusk County is farm country, forest and water spread across about 931 square miles of northwest Wisconsin, with Ladysmith, Bruce, Hawkins and Sheldon as its towns. The Census Bureau counts the whole county as rural. Most homes here are older, modest single-family houses, not multi-story city buildings.
That housing creates a familiar problem. A split-entry house or a home with the bedrooms upstairs or the laundry in the basement works fine until the stairs stop feeling safe. This page walks through how a stair lift fits the homes found around Rusk County and which programs may help pay for one.
The local mix runs to single-family homes, detached houses and split-level homes, with some walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings in town. In an older detached house, the basement or upstairs staircase is often a single straight run. A straight stair lift is usually the simplest and quickest fit for that layout.
Split-level homes are different. Short flights broken by landings, or a stair that turns, usually call for a curved rail built to the shape of your staircase. We measure the stairs first so you know which type you are looking at before anything is ordered.
Walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings bring a separate question: who owns the stairway. If you rent or share a common stair, the building owner needs to be part of the conversation.
The Chippewa and Flambeau rivers run through the county, and there are more than 250 lakes, rivers, streams and flowages. Many lake-rimmed vacation-home areas have steps from a deck, porch or yard that are just as hard to manage as the stairs inside.
For those spots an outdoor stair lift, built to handle weather, is worth asking about. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a few steps to the door, a vertical platform lift may make more sense than a seat-style lift. We can look at both during one visit.
About 23.8% of Rusk County residents are 65 or older, and the county's median age of 49.8 years is well above the Wisconsin median of 40.2. A lot of families here are working out how a parent can stay in the home they already know.
If that includes someone in your household, the Rusk County Veterans Service Office in Ladysmith is the place to start on VA benefits, though some VA grants exclude stair lifts, as noted below.
The clearest path in the facts we have is Wisconsin IRIS, a Medicaid waiver that lists stair lifts by name under home modifications. A case manager documents the medical need in your plan of care, and the state approves the amount before the work is billed.
Family Care also covers home modifications, but its published list names grab bars, ramps and wider doorways, not stair lifts. For both programs, the ADRC of Barron & Rusk Counties is the local front door, at (715) 537-6225.
Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. The larger SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way, so ask the county veterans office before counting on them. Rural homeowners with very low income can also look at USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants, which cover accessibility changes in general.
A self-directed Medicaid waiver for Wisconsin residents 65 and older, or 18 to 64 with a qualifying disability, who meet Nursing Facility Level of Care; stair lifts are listed as a covered home modification. Enroll through the ADRC of Barron & Rusk Counties, or call (888) 515-4747.
A managed long-term care program run through a regional Managed Care Organization, with the same age, level-of-care, income and asset rules as IRIS; its home modification list does not mention stair lifts, so coverage is case by case. Call (800) 362-3002 or apply through the ADRC.
A VA grant for medically needed structural changes such as entrance ramps, roll-in showers and lowered counters, open to homeowners and renters. Stair glides are specifically excluded; call (715) 532-2299 for help with other items.
Up to $126,526 (FY2026 max) for major home modifications for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home. The VA page does not mention stair lifts; call (715) 532-2299 to ask.
Up to $25,350 (FY2026 max) for permanent adaptations for veterans with certain service-connected disabilities, in their own home or a family member's. Stair lifts are not named among covered items; call (715) 532-2299.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% for very-low-income rural homeowners, plus grants up to $10,000 for those 62 and older who cannot repay a loan. Accessibility changes are eligible in general, but stair lifts are not specifically named.
The first stop for older adults, adults with disabilities and caregivers in Rusk County, offering benefits counseling, referrals and a medical-equipment Loan Closet. It does not list a stair lift grant of its own; call (715) 537-6225.
A Center for Independent Living serving people with disabilities and older adults in Rusk and nearby counties, with Buy - Sell - Donate and WisLoan resource links. It does not list a stair lift or home modification grant.
The county office at 311 E Miner Avenue, Suite C230 in Ladysmith that helps veterans and dependents apply for VA benefits, including SAH and SHA housing grants. It does not fund modifications itself; call (715) 532-2299.
Older adults
311 Miner Ave. E, Suite D-100, Ladysmith, 54848
Veterans
311 E Miner Avenue, Suite C230, Ladysmith, 54848
The IRIS waiver lists stair lifts as a covered home modification. You need to meet Nursing Facility Level of Care, and for a single applicant the 2026 income limit is $2,982 a month with a $2,000 asset limit. Home equity is exempt up to $752,000.
Yes, IRIS and Family Care are open to Wisconsin residents 18 to 64 who have a physical, developmental or intellectual disability and meet the level-of-care requirement.
No. The VA names stair glides as excluded from HISA. SAH and SHA do not mention stair lifts either way, so ask the Rusk County Veterans Service Office at (715) 532-2299.
Outdoor stair lifts are made for steps exposed to weather, and a vertical platform lift is another option for a few steps up to a door. We look at the slope, the steps and the entry before recommending one.
Section 504 covers accessibility changes for a household member with a disability, but stair lifts are not named. The grant portion is for homeowners 62 and older with very low income who cannot repay a loan.
Call the ADRC of Barron & Rusk Counties at (715) 537-6225 to ask about IRIS and Family Care. Veterans can call the Rusk County Veterans Service Office at (715) 532-2299.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
