Social Security 2027: VA disability payments to increase alongside COLA. Here’s how much the adjustment amounts to

Some good news for military veterans who collect disability and retirement benefits each month: Effective December 1, military retirement checks and Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits will increase 3.6%. (However, veterans will most likely not see the increase until December 31 or early January 2027, according to Stars and Stripes.) The increase is tied to the Social Security Administration’s announcement on Wednesday of the largest annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in years, for next year, 2027. That number was based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) consumer price index from September inflation data, showing inflation at 3.7%, up from 3.4% in August. Like other Americans who receive Social Security benefits, those receiving veteran disability and retirement checks will also get a 3.6% bump, which amounts to an extra $36 for every $1,000 in their pension, per month. According to Robert Laura, a financial planner and founder of the Retirement Coaches Association, “many military retirees are far younger than the typical Social Security recipient, so they’re still paying a mortgage, raising kids, supporting a spouse whose career took a hit from years of …

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