Expert Stairlift Installation in South Union, PA

Most straight stairlift installs in South Union take about 3 hours from arrival to cleanup. Curved installs run 4 to 6 hours because the custom rail has more sections to align. We bolt the rail directly to the stair treads — never to the wall — so there's no drywall repair, no painting, no mess. In the older coal-era homes around Hatfield and Hutchinson with solid oak treads, the install is actually faster because the wood holds the bolts securely without shimming. You can use the lift the same day.

No wall modifications, period. The rail bolts to the stair treads — not the wall, not the banister, not the drywall. In South Union's older homes, where original oak treads and woodwork are part of the house's character, this matters. We use five to six lag bolts per rail section, driven into the treads. When the rail is removed, the bolt holes can be filled and stained to match. The only requirement is that your staircase is at least 28 inches wide, which covers virtually every home in the township — even the narrow back staircases in Victorian-era Hopwood houses.

Yes. The minimum width for our straight stairlift is 28 inches, and our curved model fits stairs as narrow as 26 inches at the tightest turn point. Many coal-era homes in Hutchinson, Chadville, and Leith have staircases that are 30 to 34 inches wide — tighter than modern code but workable. The seat and armrests fold up when not in use, leaving about 18 inches of clearance at the bottom for someone to walk past. For the very narrow back staircases in some Hopwood Victorians (26–28 inches), we may recommend a perch seat that keeps the folded depth to just 13 inches.

Yes. Every unit we install has a DC motor with a sealed 4Ah battery that sits on the rail and charges while the lift is parked at either end. In a power outage — common during Fayette County ice storms and heavy snow — the battery runs the lift for roughly 6 hours of normal use (about 20–25 round trips). The battery recharges automatically when power returns. There's nothing to reset or switch over. If you live in a more remote part of the township — out toward Revere or Continental — where outages can last longer, ask Luis about the extended battery option during your measurement visit.

Yes, through the HISA (Home Improvements and Structural Alterations) grant, administered by the Fayette County VA Clinic at 627 Pittsburgh Road, Suite 2, Uniontown. Service-connected veterans can receive up to $6,800 — which covers a straight stairlift fully and makes a significant dent in a curved unit. Non-service-connected veterans qualify for up to $2,000. The grant is one-time, tax-free, and never repaid. The Fayette County VA Clinic can provide the medical-necessity form; we help you submit the HISA application and coordinate the install once approved. For more complex cases, the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center-University Drive handles approvals that need specialist review.

Yes. Pennsylvania's Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver — managed by the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) — covers home modifications including stairlifts for individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid or Medicaid-only with a disability and a nursing-facility level of care. The stairlift must be deemed medically necessary and must allow the person to remain in their home rather than enter a facility. CHC operates through managed care organizations (MCOs) in Fayette County — PA Health & Wellness, UPMC for You, and AmeriHealth Caritas. We work with all three and can start the prior-authorization process after the in-home assessment.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging (SWPA-AAA) serves Fayette County and offers home modification assistance for caregivers 55 and older. This is not a dedicated stairlift grant, but the agency can connect you with available funding streams. Separately, the USDA Section 504 Home Repair program provides grants of up to $10,000 for elderly very-low-income homeowners in rural areas — and South Union Township qualifies as rural under USDA definitions. The grant covers health and safety hazards including stair access. Unlike a loan, these funds are never repaid if you stay in the home for 3 years. Contact the Fayette County USDA Rural Development office to check income eligibility.

We offer financing starting at $79 a month through a third-party lender, with terms up to 60 months. There's no prepayment penalty, and the application takes about 10 minutes — you'll have an answer before the measurement visit ends. For families where an adult child is helping a parent pay, the financing can go in either name. Some South Union residents also use a reverse mortgage line of credit — if the stairlift is medically necessary and keeps the homeowner out of a facility, the cost typically qualifies. We can provide the documentation your lender needs: a written quote, the medical-necessity statement from your primary care provider, and photos of the staircase.