Military retirees, veterans who are eligible for disability compensation, survivors who receive annuities, and Social Security recipients will see their checks rise by 5.8 percent in January. The increase in the 2009 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is pegged to the rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is based on the cost of a “basket” of goods and services for the previous fiscal year, as calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The “basket” includes gasoline, electricity, food, housing, transportation, and medical care.
