It is official. The 2013 COLA for military retired, SBP annuities, Social Security checks and VA disabilty/survivor benefits is 1.7% effective December 1, 2012. The COLA will first appear in January checks.
Do you think with the COLA that your check will cover the same, more or less?
ABOUT FOUNDER
Benjamin Krause is an award winning veterans rights advocate, attorney, and investigative reporter fighting to advance the rights of veterans for more than a decade. His advocacy work has been featured in national publications such as Bloomberg News, Foreign Policy Magazine, Washington Times, Fox News, CBS, NBC, Star Tribune and more.
Author of the Voc Rehab Survival Guide for Veterans, Benjamin earned degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude.
Contact Benjamin at Krause Law, PLLC with any legal questions.
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i currently recieve 60% sc my total increase amounted to $20.00 give 2 to 3 dollrs. It literally blew my mind to think that going from1,169 to 1,183 is going to change anything. I thought Veterans deserved better. how does this help? it doesn’t. COLA is no where near the cost of inflation. WE DESERVE BETTER.
Firstly, am grateful in this still-dire economy they are even GIVING a COLA. However, the way in which COLA is mathmatically computed is not real-world refelction because basic grocery staples have increased well over 6% on TOP of a mid-year increase of approx. the same. In my case, because I firstly won fight with Soc Sec SSDI and use Medicare, then a few years later granted 100% Svc. Connected/T&P, IU, am able to keep SSDI with no offset,(it’s the ONLY way one can rec’v both with no offset–100% Svc Connection P/T and IU–we are indeed a minority amongst Vets), but it ALSO means Medicare is first payer ALWAYS with the VA taking a LONG time to decide if they are going to pay their share, if any, it has made me utilize Medicare in private healthcare to maintain my sanity. This also means Medicare Part D Drug Plan, of which, my premium has gone up for 2013 to 100% more than two years ago. The COLA collectively through year doe not even cover one month’s increase in premium. Yes, I know I could use the VA Dr.s and pay less for my medications but wanted to make clear that ALOT of medications keeping me alive for chronic health issues from unsterile VA medical procedure and/or tainted blood products —those medications ARE NOT on VA Drug Formulary and VA also wanted to take me off ALL PSY meds that have finally put a dent in PTSD anxiety, and even though I had a notarized letter with listed PSY meds tried and did not work from PSY Dr. whom is CHAIR of his Dept and teaches at CASE WESTERN Univ., the VA PSY Dr. actually wanted to place me on the VERY listed drugs tried and failed in past that actually made me worse!! Honestly, if I had continued to use VA due to specifics am not willing to disclose here, I would NOT have been still alive and kicking to this date! Almost would rather the VA get their act together and be standardized according to Regs. and better serve we Veterans with that measely COLA increase. Even slight increases with VA acquired prescriptions would consume that COLA increase in no time.
How about we FREEZE the pay of ALL POLITICIANS and leave it to the VOTORS to decide IF THEY deserve ANY COLA!!! As it stands, congress gives themselves a raise that increass their basic income around ten grand each time–IS THIS FAIR?!
Please forgive spelling errors as have peripheral neuropathy in hands and feet pretty bad and am still fine-tuning Dragon Naturally Speaking Program coupled with learning to better enunciate wearing dentures. Thanks!