The Bureau of Labor Statistics has set the Dec. 1, 2005, cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security recipients at 4.1 percent. Accordingly, military retirees who have been retired for the entire year will see a 4.1 percent increase in their Jan. 2006 military retirement payments. Those who retired during the first quarter of the year will receive a 3.4 percent bump, while second quarter retirees will get 2.8 percent, and third quarter retirees 1.4 percent. Those who retired after Sept. 30, 2005, will not receive a COLA in their January checks. The amount of COLA is calculated annually by comparing the increase in the Consumer Price Index from third quarter to third quarter of each year. The 4.1 percent increase, which is the largest since 1991, came mostly from a recent surge in the cost of energy.