Press Release
By Military.com | By Amanda Miller
11/1/25
Military retirees and disabled veterans will receive 2.8% increases to their monthly paychecks for 2026, thanks to the annual Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA, tied to inflation.
The 2.8% raise for 2026 is up from 2.5 % in 2025 after a string of raises as high as 8.7% in 2023.
The Social Security Administration announced the COLA increase Friday. Most government disability and retirement payments must, by law, go up annually by the same amount to account for the rate of inflation.
Read More: See Your 2026 VA Disability Pay Rates
The Department of Labor determines the annual COLA by measuring the Consumer Price Index, or CPI, a measurement of a broad sampling of the cost of consumer goods and expenses. The CPI is compared to the previous year; in the event of an increase, there is a COLA. With no increase, there is no COLA, and benefits remain the same — they don’t decrease.
Military Retirees
For 2026, retired military members will receive a $28 increase for each $1,000 of military retirement pension they receive each month.
Retirees who entered military service on or after Aug. 1, 1986, and opted for the Career Status Bonus (CSB/Redux retirement plan) will have any COLA increases reduced by a percentage point, so they will receive a smaller increase of $18 per $1,000 in 2026.
Survivors receiving Survivor Benefit Plan payments will receive increases to their payments by the same amount as retirees.
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