Vilas County covers roughly 1,018 square miles of far northern Wisconsin, with 1,318 lakes and large stretches of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest. Homes in Lac du Flambeau, Eagle River and Boulder Junction sit spread out along shorelines and wooded roads rather than packed into a town center.
Many of those homes are two-story lake cabins and cottages, some built into sloped lakefront lots, alongside ranch homes and rural single-family houses. For an owner who has spent decades at the lake, the stairs are often the first thing that makes staying put harder. This page walks through which stair lift fits which kind of Vilas County home and where to look for help paying for one.
The county's housing leans older and lake-oriented. Multi-level cabins on wooded or sloped lots often have narrow stairways, landings that turn, or a lower level that opens toward the water. Each of those details changes which lift will work.
A straight staircase with no turns usually takes a straight stair lift, the simplest and quickest install. Stairs that wrap around a landing need a curved lift with a rail built to the exact shape of the staircase, which takes measuring first and longer to build.
Ranch-style homes keep daily living on one floor, but a basement stairway can still matter if the laundry or a furnace is down there. Split-level homes have several short runs of stairs, so it helps to decide which run matters most before anything else.
Two-story houses and cottages with the bedroom upstairs are the most common case for a full-length lift. If the stairway is tight, a lift with a folding seat and footrest keeps the stairs usable for everyone else.
On a lot built into a slope, the hardest climb may be outside: deck stairs, entry steps, or the path down toward the lake. Outdoor stair lifts are built to handle weather, which matters in a county where winter brings ice fishing and snowmobile season.
When someone uses a wheelchair, a chair-style lift may not be the answer at all. A platform lift carries the chair itself, but it needs more room and more planning around the entry.
The 2020 Census counted 24,486 housing units in Vilas County, and 55.9% of them were vacant, mostly seasonal and vacation homes. Among occupied homes, 81.1% are owner-occupied, so many year-round residents own the house they would be modifying.
If a cabin is moving from summer use to full-time living, that is a good moment to look at the stairs. Because homes are spread across lakes and forest, it also helps to plan visits and installs ahead of the busiest seasons.
The clearest public option is Wisconsin's IRIS program, whose source explicitly lists stair lifts as a covered home modification. Family Care through Lakeland Care, Inc. covers home modifications in general, but stair lifts are not named, so ask a case manager directly.
Both programs start at the ADRC of Vilas County at 330 Court St. in Eagle River, phone (715) 479-3625. Veterans should know the VA HISA grant does not fund stair glides; the Vilas County Veterans Service Office at (715) 479-3629 can help sort out other VA benefits. The full list of programs is below.
A self-directed Medicaid waiver for people 65+ or 18-64 with a disability who meet a nursing-facility level of care; its home modification budget explicitly covers stair lifts. Enrollment for Vilas County runs through the ADRC, and the program line is (888) 515-4747.
Lakeland Care, Inc. is the Family Care managed care organization for Vilas County and covers home modifications, but the source does not mention stair lifts, so confirm with your case manager. Call (920) 906-5100.
Free information, benefits counseling and enrollment help for residents 60+ and caregivers, and the single access point for IRIS and Family Care; the source does not list stair lifts or home modifications. Call (715) 479-3625.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% for 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for very low income homeowners age 62+, for repairs and accessibility work such as ramps; stair lifts are not mentioned. It is handled through USDA Rural Development area offices.
Pays for permanent alterations like ramps and roll-in showers, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on disability status. It does not cover stair lifts; the VA excludes stair glides by name.
Grants for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA (FY2026); the source names ramps and wider doorways but does not mention stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
The Center for Independent Living for Vilas County, offering assistive technology assessments, short device loans and architectural accessibility assessments; stair lifts are not named among its loan devices. Call (715) 344-4210.
Older adults
330 Court St., Eagle River, 54521
Veterans
Vilas County Courthouse, 330 Court Street, Eagle River, 54521
Through the IRIS waiver, yes: its source lists stair lifts as a covered home modification within a participant's budget. You must meet age or disability rules, a nursing-facility level of care, and income and asset limits. Start with the ADRC of Vilas County at (715) 479-3625.
Family Care covers environmental accessibility adaptations, but the source does not name stair lifts. Ask your Lakeland Care case manager to confirm, or call (920) 906-5100.
No. The VA excludes porch lifts and stair glides from HISA. The Vilas County Veterans Service Office in the courthouse at 330 Court Street, Eagle River, (715) 479-3629, can review other VA options.
The ADRC's general aging services are for residents 60 and older, but it is also the access point for IRIS and Family Care, which serve adults 18 and up with a qualifying disability. MILC also serves people with disabilities in Vilas County.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are made for exterior steps and weather. On a steep lakefront lot, a home visit will show whether a chair lift or a platform lift fits the space.
The Vilas County ADRC is at 330 Court St., Eagle River, WI 54521. The phone is (715) 479-3625.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
