Veterans’ 2026 COLA Update: What Raise Can Veterans Expect in May?

Veterans’ 2026 COLA: There’s some good news and some not-so-good news for veterans receiving VA disability compensation. The good news is that their payments are expected to go up next year because of the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). However, the increase will be the smallest it’s been in the past six years. This raise is tied to the 2026 COLA and will start affecting payments from December 1, 2025, with the new amounts paid out starting January 1, 2026.

After a few years of big increases in the early 2020s, the amount veterans get is going up more slowly now, following a trend of smaller COLA increases for VA and other federal pension recipients. Experts say this year’s increase looks less promising compared to previous years.

Veterans’ 2026 COLA: How Much Will the Raise Be?

According to early predictions, the raise for 2026 will be around 2.3%. That number comes from the Military Officers Association of America and the Seniors League. It’s a little less than the 2.5% increase for 2025. It’s also a lot smaller than the 8.7% bump in 2023 and the 5.9% in 2022. Those big raises happened because prices were going up fast. Now, inflation has slowed down, so the raises are getting smaller.

When Will the Raise Happen?

If the predictions are right, the raise will start on December 1, 2025. Veterans will start seeing the extra money in their checks starting January 1, 2026. The government decides the final raise using a price index called the CPI-W.

That index looks at how much prices go up for working people. The Social Security Administration will make the final announcement in October 2025, using price data from July, August, and September.