2027s Social Security COLA boost may raise VA benefits some worry it wont be enough

The latest COLA bump for the US’s 71 million Social Security recipients will also affect the over six million veterans receiving disability compensation — though some are worried the historic increase still won’t be enough to keep up with rising everyday costs.The newest cost of living increase for 2027 was announced yesterday by Frank J.Bisignano, the commissioner of the Social Security Administration, to be 3.6% — a notable jump from last year’s 2.8% adjustment, and the largest annual increase since 2023’s sky-high 8.2% increase.

The extra money is meant to soften the blow of yearly inflation on financially vulnerable recipients.The announcement follows the release of September inflation data by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is used annually to determine the increase. Though the Department of Veterans Affairs is not directly tied to the Social Security Administration, the latter’s COLA bump generally provides VA members with the same increase in their tax-free monthly payments (though the organization has yet to publish its official payment tables, and the increase still necessitates Congressional approval, per Newsweek).This expected 2027 VA benefit increase would boost payments across the board for all veterans who receive varying degrees of disability benefits (determined by the organization after evaluation of the severity of their mental or physical disability and number of dependents when applicable) and those who also receive Special Monthly Compensation, which helps veterans who have lost specific organs or extremities as a result of their service, by the corresponding 3.6% rate.For example, VA disability checks would increase by around $6.50 a month for veterans with a 10% rating (meaning the VA has determined someone’s service-related medical condition or injury to impair 10% of their overall functioning), while those at 100% without dependents would get around $147.08 per month, according to Military.com.This new rate, pendi...