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

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

Two numbers do most of the work in stair lift assistance in Texas, and they point in opposite directions. Medicaid's STAR+PLUS waiver caps minor home modifications at $7,500 for the member's whole life, which a straight stair lift fits inside and a curved one usually does not. The state housing department's Amy Young Barrier Removal Program grants up to $22,500 for accessibility work, three times the Medicaid figure, to households under 80 percent of area median income, and it does not require Medicaid at all. Between them sits the thing the old version of this page got right and is worth repeating: STAR+PLUS home services have an interest list, places are taken in the order names go on, and the list is the first call to make.

Does Texas Medicaid cover stair lifts?

Through STAR+PLUS, yes, as a minor home modification, with the word minor doing real work. The STAR+PLUS Handbook defines the service as "those physical adaptations to a member's home, required by the service plan, that are necessary to ensure the member's health, welfare and safety, or that enable the member to function with greater independence in the home." The handbook's long list of approved items runs from wheelchair ramps through bathroom and kitchen work to "grab bars and handrails", "automatic door openers", "door widening" and "lever door handles"; it does not mention a stair lift, so the request goes in under "Specialized accessibility or safety adaptations or additions" and rests on the service coordinator's assessment.

The cap is the handbook's section 6630: "There is a lifetime limit of $7,500 per member for this service and $300 yearly for repairs. Once the $7,500 cost limit is reached, only $300 per year per member, excluding associated fees, will be allowed for repairs, replacement or additional modifications." Two consequences. A bathroom remodel done under the waiver first can leave nothing for the stairs. And a stair lift that fails after the cap is spent has $300 a year of repair money behind it, which is why the warranty on the installer's quote matters more here than in most states.

Three more handbook rules apply. Per section 6640, "When the member has a landlord or when the owner of the home is not the member, written approval prior to the initiation of any requested modification must be obtained." Per section 6650, once the modification is on the service plan the managed care organization "must ensure completion of the MHM within 90 business days", and must "document and notify the member of any delay in completing the MHM, the reason for the delay and the new proposed completion date." And the state "allows a member to select a relative or legal guardian, other than a spouse, to be the member's provider for this service", so a son or daughter who is a contractor can do the installation and be paid.

The interest list comes before everything else

Texas Health and Human Services describes STAR+PLUS as "a Texas Medicaid-managed care program that provides free health coverage for adults who have disabilities or adults age 65 or older", and its home and community-based services as help for "people live at home who would otherwise need to be in a nursing home", on its STAR+PLUS page. The page also says how need is judged: "HHSC assesses a person's need for this program when they apply for Medicaid."

The waiver services, including minor home modifications, are the part with the list. The state's interest list page explains: "Because the demand for community-based services and supports often outweighs available resources, applicant's names may be placed on an interest list until services are available." Order is by date: "Applicants are placed on interest lists on a first-come, first-served basis", and "People who have been on the interest lists the longest are enrolled first." Two lines on that page matter for a family that is not sure yet: "People can receive Medicaid or other community services while they are on the interest list, if they are eligible", and "Receiving other services does not impact a person's place on an interest list."

So the order in Texas is: call 1-844-438-5658 and put your parent's name on the STAR+PLUS HCBS interest list today, whether or not you have decided on a stair lift; apply for Medicaid through YourTexasBenefits.com or 2-1-1 in parallel; and when the name reaches the top, ask the service coordinator for a minor home modification by that name, with the landlord's approval already in hand if the home is rented. Financially, the waiver uses the institutional income standard of 300 percent of the federal SSI rate, $2,982 a month in 2026 on the Social Security Administration's cost-of-living notice, with a resource test and a qualified income trust route for income above the line; the state confirms the current figures at application.

The grant that is three times the Medicaid cap

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs runs a program built for exactly this, and it does not care whether the parent is on Medicaid. The department's program page says: "The Amy Young Barrier Removal (AYBR) Program provides one-time grants of up to $22,500 for qualified households with Persons with Disabilities who need modifications to increase accessibility and eliminate hazardous conditions in their home." Eligibility is by income and disability: "AYBR assists Person with Disabilities, with a household income that does not exceed 80% of the Area Median Family Income (AMFI) and may be tenants or homeowners."

The catch is geography. The same page explains that "TDHCA contracts with nonprofit organizations and local governments to administer the AYBR Program", and is direct that "The AYBR program is not available in all areas of Texas." The department's Help for Texans directory lists which providers currently hold a reservation in each county, filtered for accessibility modifications. A parent who does not qualify for Medicaid, or who is on the interest list with no date in sight, should search that directory before anything else; a curved stair lift that the $7,500 waiver cap could never reach fits inside $22,500.

A veteran with a service-connected disability has a third source larger than either: the VA's Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation grants, not income-tested and not subject to an interest list. Our guide to help paying for a stair lift has the current federal figures and the installed price ranges for straight and curved lifts, which is the comparison that decides whether the waiver cap is enough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Texas Medicaid cover stair lifts? STAR+PLUS can pay for one as a minor home modification when the service coordinator includes it in the service plan, up to a lifetime limit of $7,500 per member with $300 a year for repairs afterward. The handbook's list of modifications does not name stair lifts, so the request is made under specialized accessibility adaptations.

How long is the STAR+PLUS interest list in Texas? The state does not publish a fixed wait. Names are enrolled in the order they were added, and a person can receive Medicaid and other services while waiting without losing their place, which is why the list is the first call regardless of how far along the stair lift decision is.

Is there a grant for a stair lift in Texas without Medicaid? The Amy Young Barrier Removal Program grants up to $22,500 for accessibility modifications to households with a person with a disability and income at or below 80 percent of area median, for tenants and homeowners, through local nonprofits and governments that hold program funds. It is not available in every county.

Who can install a STAR+PLUS home modification? A contractor the managed care organization authorizes, and the handbook allows a relative or legal guardian other than a spouse to be the provider if they meet the requirements. The MCO must complete the modification within 90 business days of it being added to the service plan.

Where this leaves a Texas family

The list first, the directory second, the quote third. Put the name on the STAR+PLUS interest list the day the stairs become a worry, search Help for Texans for an Amy Young provider in the county the same week, and get a straight-rail quote so that whichever door opens, the number is already known. Does Medicare cover stair lifts? is the page to send the relative who is sure Medicare will handle it, and our honest stair lift comparison is for the day the money is settled. If you are providing the daily care yourself, STAR+PLUS may pay you for it; see how to get paid to care for a parent in Texas. And if you would like the plan read through before the first call, our inbox is open; a stair lift is one part of the larger aging-in-place plan we write about every week.

Sources

• Texas Health and Human Services, STAR+PLUS Handbook, section 6600, Minor Home Modifications (definition, list, lifetime limit, landlord approval, time frames).
• Texas Health and Human Services, STAR+PLUS and Interest List Reduction.
• Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Amy Young Barrier Removal Program.
• Social Security Administration, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026.