Congress Approves VA COLA Bill
By PVA National Staff
Unlike Social Security payments and federal pensions, VA’s disability and compensation programs require a special act of Congress in order to receive an annual increase.
Recently, lawmakers approved H.R. 1200, “Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Act of 2019,” which will provide cost-of-living increases for wartime disability compensation; compensation for dependents; clothing allowance; dependency and indemnity compensation to surviving spouses; and dependency and indemnity compensation to children.
The rate of next year’s increase won’t be known until the Bureau of Labor Statistics announces the COLA for Social Security recipients in mid-October. Assuming there is a COLA, the higher rates would go into effect on December 1 and are payable in January 2020.
