Crook County sits in Wyoming's northeastern corner, in the Black Hills country around the Missouri Buttes and Devils Tower National Monument. Its four towns, Moorcroft, Sundance, Pine Haven and Hulett, are spread across 2,865 square miles, and plenty of households live on ranches or in small unincorporated communities well outside town.
Sundance, the county seat, was established in 1875 and still has older buildings like a preserved wooden jail and a stone school. Much of the county's housing is settled, older single-family stock, and many of those homes were built with raised entries, basements or split-level layouts. Those are the stairs this page is about.
The common house types here are single-family homes, detached houses, ranch-style homes, split-level homes and some walk-up apartments. Each one puts the stairs in a different spot, and that decides which lift makes sense.
A ranch-style home often has everything on one floor except the basement, where the laundry, freezer or extra bedroom may be. A straight stair lift on the basement flight is usually the simplest fix there.
Split-level homes are different. You may have two or three short flights instead of one long one, so we look at which flights the person really uses every day before suggesting anything.
A straight lift runs on a rail along one unbroken flight. If the stairs turn at a landing or wrap around a corner, a curved rail is built to follow that shape.
Raised entries are common in older rural Wyoming homes, and the problem can start before you even get inside. An outdoor stair lift is made for exterior steps, and a platform lift can be a better fit when someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat.
In a walk-up apartment, the stairway is often shared, so the building owner usually has to agree before anything is installed.
Countywide, roughly 78.1% of the county's 3,722 housing units are owner-occupied, so most people asking about a lift own the house and can make the decision themselves.
At about 2.7 people per square mile, distances are long. Installers, home-modification contractors and medical providers can be a good drive away from a ranch outside Sundance, Moorcroft or Hulett, so it pays to start planning before a fall or a hospital stay forces the issue.
The median household income in Crook County was $79,637 in 2024, and the poverty rate is about 6.0%. Many homeowners here pay for a lift themselves, but help is worth checking, especially for people living on a fixed income.
None of the programs below list stair lifts by name as a covered item, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. That does not mean the answer is always no. Call and ask directly, and have the type of stairs and the person's needs ready when you do.
A good first call for most families is Crook County Senior Services, Inc. at (307) 283-1711. The state Aging Division is at (307) 777-7986, and veterans can reach the Wyoming Veterans Commission State Veteran Service Officer serving Crook County at (307) 772-5235. Statewide, you may also ask about the Wyoming Technology Access Program (WyTAP) and the Wyoming Property Tax Refund Program.
A Medicaid home and community-based waiver for Wyoming residents 65 and up, or 19 to 64 with a confirmed disability, who meet nursing-facility level of care; services follow each person's approved care plan. Its sources do not mention stair lifts, so call (307) 777-7531 to ask.
A state-funded in-home support program for older and at-risk adults, handed out by county through senior centers, which in Crook County means the Sundance and Moorcroft Senior Centers. Stair lifts are not mentioned in its sources; the state number is (307) 777-7995.
A local nonprofit serving any senior in Crook County and their caregivers from centers in Sundance and Moorcroft, with services reaching Hulett, including a Medical Loan Closet. Stair lifts are not listed, so call (307) 283-1711 to ask whether any program can help.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan, for very-low-income rural households. Stair lifts are not named in the program sources; call (800) 414-1226.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary structural changes prescribed by a VA provider. It does not cover stair lifts, because stair glides and porch lifts are specifically excluded; the VA number is (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities to buy, build or adapt a home, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 lifetime (FY2026). The VA describes ramps and doorway widening but does not list stair lifts by name; call (800) 827-1000.
A nonprofit center for people with disabilities of any age, offering referral, advocacy and other support, with the nearest regional center to Crook County in Gillette. It does not mention stair lift or home-modification funding; reach it at (307) 266-6956.
Older adults
6101 Yellowstone Road, Suite 259B, Cheyenne, 82002
Veterans
5800 Central Ave, Cheyenne, 82009
Start with Crook County Senior Services, Inc. at (307) 283-1711. It serves seniors and caregivers from centers in Sundance and Moorcroft and reaches Hulett, and staff can tell you whether its Medical Loan Closet or another program can help.
No. The VA states that stair glides and porch lifts are excluded from HISA. Veterans with severe service-connected disabilities can ask about the SAH and SHA grants at (800) 827-1000, or talk with the State Veteran Service Officer serving Crook County at (307) 772-5235.
The Community Choices Waiver covers adults 19 to 64 who have a disability confirmed by the Social Security Administration, are on or eligible for Medicaid, and meet nursing-facility level of care. Wyoming Independent Living serves people with disabilities of any age.
The Section 504 grant requires the homeowner to be 62 or older and unable to repay a loan, with household income at or below the very-low-income limit. The grant must be repaid if the home sells within 3 years. Call (800) 414-1226 for details.
Not always. Many split-level homes have several short flights, and the person may only need to get past one or two of them each day. We look at the daily routine before recommending a straight or curved lift.
It mainly changes timing. With long distances to installers and contractors across the county, it helps to start the conversation early rather than waiting until a lift is needed right away.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
