A Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report that will reveal the final figure needed to calculate the cost-of-living increase for military retirees, Social Security and VA disability benefit recipients, and others receiving federal funds will be published more than a week after its planned release date.

Details on the September 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be published Oct. 24 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, the BLS announced on its website Oct. 10. The site has been dormant since the federal shutdown began.

“No other releases will be rescheduled or produced until the resumption of regular government services,” according to the announcement. “This release allows the Social Security Administration to meet statutory deadlines necessary to ensure the accurate and timely payment of benefits.”

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The report had been set for an Oct. 15 release. The July, August, and September figures for the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) are used to calculate the coming year’s COLA through an established formula:

• Find the average CPI-W from those months in the current calendar year.
• Subtract the average CPI-W from those months in the previous calendar year.
• Divide the result by the average CPI-W from those months in the previous calendar year.
• If the result is a negative number, COLA is zero for the year (the benefit does not decrease).

An adjustment of between 2.7% and 2.8% is likely for the coming year – more than this year’s 2.5% hike, but less than the previous three increases.

MOAA will update its COLA Watch page the morning of Oct. 24 with the new figures.