Expert Stairlift Installation in Westerville, OH

About 3 hours for a straight rail, 4–5 for a curved. The rail bolts into the stair treads — not the wall — so there's no drywall repair, no painting, no mess. We bring drop cloths and clean up afterward. Most Westerville installs are done in a single morning. If you're in a historic Temperance Row home with original oak treads, we use specific fasteners that won't split the old wood.

No wall damage — the rail mounts to the treads, not the wall or drywall. When the lift is eventually removed, you'd need to fill a few bolt holes in the treads and touch up the stain, which any flooring contractor can handle in an hour. In historic Westerville homes with original hardwood, we use narrower fasteners. For carpeted stairs — common in Annehurst and Autumn Woods — the bolts go through the carpet into the sub-tread, and the carpet fibers close back around them.

Yes. The minimum stair width we work with is about 28 inches. The Temperance Row Craftsman bungalows on Grove Street, built in the 1910s, have some of the steepest, narrowest stairs in Westerville — we've done several installs there. The rail hugs the wall side, and the seat, footrest, and armrests all fold up when not in use, leaving about 18–20 inches of clearance for walking.

No. A stairlift is classified as a residential accessibility device, not a structural modification. No permit is required in Westerville, Blendon Township, or anywhere in Franklin or Delaware County. The install is non-invasive — five to six bolts into the treads, a standard wall outlet for power, done. We do check that your staircase meets the 28-inch minimum width and that the outlet is within reach of the lift's power cord.

Yes — through the PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver. As of March 2026, the home modification benefit covers up to $15,000 per calendar year, which easily covers a straight or outdoor stairlift and puts a significant dent in a curved-rail cost. You must be 60 or older, Medicaid-eligible, and assessed as needing nursing-facility-level care but choosing to stay at home. Contact the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) at 614-645-7250 to start the screening. We help with the paperwork at your in-home assessment.

The HISA (Home Improvements and Structural Alterations) grant through the VA covers up to $6,800 for service-connected veterans and $2,000 for non-service-connected. It's a one-time grant, tax-free, never repaid. You apply through the Chalmers P. Wylie VA Outpatient Clinic at 420 N. James Road in Columbus (about 10 miles from Westerville), or through the Columbus VA Clinic at 2720 Airport Drive. The grant covers the stairlift, installation, and any electrical work needed.

Franklin County doesn't run a separate home-modification grant program, but the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) administers Older Americans Act funds that sometimes cover minor home modifications for qualifying seniors. The Blendon Township Senior Center at 6330 S. Hempstead Road can connect you with a COAAA caseworker. Additionally, we offer financing at $79/month with no prepayment penalty — most families in Westerville use a combination of PASSPORT or HISA plus financing if there's a gap.

Many long-term care insurance policies cover stairlifts as durable medical equipment or home modification. We provide an itemized invoice with the diagnosis and medical-necessity language that most insurers require. Check your policy for home-modification or DME coverage. We've worked with policies from Genworth, Mutual of Omaha, and John Hancock for Westerville clients. Reimbursement typically takes 30–60 days after claim submission.