The VA has confirmed what many local veterans have been waiting to hear: the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment is 3.6%. The Department of Veterans Affairs matched its figure to the Social Security Administration’s rate, which was announced Wednesday. That’s a bigger raise than 2026’s 2.8% and 2025’s 2.5%, making it the strongest adjustment in three years for military retirees and disabled veterans.
In real dollars, that means an extra $36 per month for every $1,000 of retirement pension. If your pension pays $2,000 a month, you’re looking at roughly $72 more. The raise applies to all benefits earned through the VA, and it follows the same formula Social Security uses, which bases the adjustment on third-quarter inflation data from the prior year. Both checks, VA and Social Security, will rise at the same 3.6% rate when the new year begins.
For the thousands of veterans and military families across Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte counties, the increase is modest but meaningful, especially with insurance premiums and everyday costs still elevated along the Gulf Coast. The change should show up in January statements.
Are you a veteran or military retiree here on the Suncoast? How will this raise affect your monthly budget? Let us know in the comments.
