"...There will be no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for civil service annuities, Social Security benefits or military retirement annuities in 2016.
Each year’s COLA is determined by comparing the change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from year to year, based on the average of the third-quarter months of July, August and September. To trigger a COLA for the upcoming year, the average CPI-W for the third quarter must be greater than the highest previous third-quarter average..."
Read more at narfe.org
