Through eight months of the counting period toward the January 2009 retiree COLA, the indicated figure stands at 4.5 percent. A COLA of that amount or higher would be the largest since the 5.4 percent increase in 1990. CSRS retirees get the full COLA while FERS retirees who are eligible for COLAs—generally, not until age 62—get 1 percentage point less, when the indicated figure is above 3 percent, as it likely will turn out to be.