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Stair Lift Assistance in Michigan: Who Pays and How to Apply (2026)

Stair lift assistance in Michigan: what MI Choice calls a home modification, its last-resort rule, the 2026 income and $9,950 asset limits, and where to apply.

By ElderHearth Editorial Team · July 4, 2026 · Updated September 16, 2026 · 6 min read

A home staircase in Michigan, the kind a stair lift is fitted to

ElderHearth offers general information, not medical, legal, or financial advice. Program rules change; confirm current details with the agencies linked below.

Michigan's route to stair lift assistance in Michigan runs through the MI Choice waiver, and MI Choice has a rule worth knowing before the first call: it is the payer of last resort for home modifications, and the file has to show that other funding was asked for first. The second thing to know is a number in the family's favor. Michigan raised the asset limit for waiver applicants well above the $2,000 federal SSI resource standard; for 2026 a single applicant can hold $9,950.

Does Medicaid cover stair lifts in Michigan?

Yes, as an Environmental Accessibility Adaptation under MI Choice. The waiver's service definition covers "physical adaptations to the" participant's private residence "required by the participant's plan of service that are necessary to ensure the health and welfare of the participant or that enable the participant to function with greater independence in the home." The examples given are ramps and grab bars, widened doorways, bathroom and kitchen modifications, specialized electrical and plumbing, and door openers; a stair lift is not named, so the request rests on the assessment.

Three conditions in the same waiver document decide whether it is approved:

  • Cheapest reasonable fix, including moving. "The case record must contain documented evidence that the adaptation is the most cost-effective and reasonable alternative to meet the participant's need." The document adds that a reasonable alternative "may include changing the purpose, use or function of a room within the home or finding alternative housing." A ground-floor bedroom that already exists is likely to be the first thing a supports coordinator asks about.
  • Other money first. "The MI Choice waiver is a funding source of last resort." The participant "must make a reasonable effort to access all available funding sources, such as housing commission grants, Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and community development block grants", and the record "must include evidence of efforts to apply for alternative funding sources and the acceptances or denials". A denial letter from MSHDA or the local housing commission is part of the application, so ask for those applications on day one.
  • A signed bid before work starts. The waiver agency "must assure there is a signed contract or bid proposal with the builder or contractor prior to the start of an environmental adaptation."

A rented home can be modified "when the lease or rental agreement does not indicate the landowner is responsible for such adaptations, and the landowner agrees to the adaptation in writing", with a written agreement covering restoration if the tenant moves. Excluded, per the document, are items "of general utility", "standard housing obligations of the participant or homeowner", and anything "not of direct medical or remedial benefit". Medicare and the regular Medicaid benefit are billed first where they apply.

Who qualifies in Michigan (2026)

The state's eligibility manual, BEM 106, lists the target group: people who "Are age 65 or over, or" are "at least age 18 years and disabled", who "Medically qualify", and who "Have needs that cannot be met by the Home Help program and may be addressed with MI Choice services." On income: "Income eligibility exists when gross countable income does not exceed 300 percent of the SSI benefit rate." The Social Security Administration's cost-of-living notice sets the 2026 rate at $994, so the line is $2,982 a month. The manual is also clear that there is no spend-down route: "Income eligibility cannot be established with a patient-pay amount or by meeting a deductible."

Assets are where Michigan differs. BEM 400, the assets chapter effective April 1, 2026, gives the waiver categories an increased limit: "For an asset group of one: $9,950 effective January 1, 2026" and "For an asset group of two: $14,910 effective January 1, 2026". The home and one vehicle are handled under separate exclusions, and Michigan's divestment look-back applies to waiver applicants.

Enrollment also depends on capacity. BEM 106 defines approval as the agent having conducted the assessment and "There is an available wavier slot for the individual's placement", so a parent can be eligible and still wait.

Who to call first in Michigan, and what to file alongside

MI Choice is run by regional waiver agencies under contract with the state, and they do more than assess. Per BEM 106, "The agent will assist prospective waiver participants in applying for MA and for initial asset assessments."

  1. Find the waiver agency for your parent's county. BEM 106 lists them by county in its exhibit, with Region 2 Area Agencies on Aging and Macomb-Oakland Regional Center among them; the MDHHS MI Choice page is the program's home. Ask for an assessment and say a stair lift is the reason.
  2. Apply for Medicaid through MI Bridges, with the agency's help. The MI Bridges help desk is 1-844-799-9876 for problems with the online application.
  3. Apply for the other funding the waiver expects you to try. Ask the supports coordinator which sources apply in your county, typically MSHDA and the local housing commission, and keep the responses; they go in the file.
  4. Get a written bid from an installer for the supports coordinator, and be ready to explain why a stair lift beats the alternatives the waiver names, including using a different room.

A parent with both Medicare and Medicaid may be in MI Health Link instead of MI Choice; the request then goes through that plan's care coordinator under the same service name.

Veterans: apply to the VA first, and keep the letter

A veteran with a service-connected disability should apply for the VA's Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation grant before anything else, for two reasons. The grants are not income-tested. And applying for them is exactly the kind of other-funding effort MI Choice wants to see documented, so even a denial letter does work in the file. The federal figures and the application route are in help paying for a stair lift.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Medicaid cover stair lifts in Michigan? It can, through the MI Choice waiver's Environmental Accessibility Adaptations service, when the case record shows the lift is the most cost-effective reasonable option and that other funding sources were applied for first. The waiver is the payer of last resort for home modifications.

What does the MI Choice waiver require before it pays for a stair lift? Contact the MI Choice waiver agency for your parent's county and ask for an assessment, apply for Medicaid through MI Bridges with the agency's help, and apply in parallel to MSHDA and the local housing commission so the denials or approvals are on file. A signed installer bid is needed before work can start.

What are the MI Choice income and asset limits in 2026? Income of $2,982 a month or less, which is 300 percent of the SSI rate, with no spend-down allowed. Countable assets of $9,950 for one person or $14,910 for two, under the increased limit Michigan applies to waiver categories.

The file is the application

In Michigan the file matters as much as the need: the waiver pays after the other doors have been tried, and it wants to see that you knocked. Start the MSHDA and housing commission applications the same week as the assessment, and have the ground-floor question answered before the supports coordinator asks it. If you are the one providing the daily care, Michigan's Home Help program can pay you by the hour; see getting paid to care for a parent in Michigan. The Medicare question, which comes up in nearly every message we get from Michigan, is answered in does Medicare cover stair lifts?; the model question waits until the waiver has said yes, and our honest stair lift comparison is for then. Send us the plan before the assessment if you want it read: our inbox is open.

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