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.

As an example, a military retiree who receives $2,500 in retired pay will see a COLA increase of about $70 a month. For a veteran receiving $1,500 per month in benefits, the increase would be about $42 in 2026.

Time is running out to find the next solution to get service members paid during the government shutdown, as the $8 billion the Trump administration found to cover troops’ paychecks is due to run

In a Sept. 30 address to military leaders and an Oct. 9 Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump made false claims about military pay raises and recruitment.

Some 1.5 million civilian federal government employees fall under the General Schedule or “GS” pay and promotion system, making them the biggest civilian white-collar federal workforce. Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force ...