Lawmaker Wants To Revamp Cola

[allan]

Note: we all know our expenses went up..almost every local govt agency asked for a raise, taxes, sales, property, fees, fines, parking meters, beer, cigarettes, Cable, water, gas, elec, etc. To say that NO raise for Soc security, Retirees, VA compensation, Mil Retiree, etc is not warranted is BS

The current COLA based on CPI is a fraud…Let your Congress know.. change the way CPI/COLA is figured…ColonelDan

Army times Page 18, 12/21/2009

Lawmaker wants to revamp COLA

WHAT’S UP: Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., knows how to give voters what they want. He introduced a bill Dec. 3 that would guarantee a minimum 3 percent annual increase in Social Security benefits, which would result in an identical increase in military and federal civilian retired pay. His bill, HR 4193, also would order the government to come up with a new way to measure consumer prices specifically for the elderly. The bill, HR 4193, was referred to two major committees, the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee.

WHAT’S NEXT: There is no chance that Engel’s legislation will pass in time for a retroactive COLA for this year; retirees received no adjustment Dec. 1. It is also not clear that the bill could ever pass. Promising a minimum 3 percent-a-year increase is a fundamental change in a COLA plan designed to protect purchasing power, not provide pay raises. And it’s not clear that switching to a special consumer index for the elderly would result in bigger increases. The Congressional Research Service, looking at consumer prices from 1983 through 2007 to see whether a special elderly rate was needed, found that in most years the elderly experienced overall price increases that were three­tenths of a percentage point higher than for the under-62 population, but there also were years when prices were lower for the elderly.

"Keep on, Keepin' on"

Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan"

See my web site at:

http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/

[Testvet]

that is not the "current administration" that sets the cost of sodas, at the Post Office the lunch rooms used to be run by the "blind organization" and their "profits" assisted projects that the "blind group" dealt with and they set the prices, I imagine the monies from the machines are used for some veterans program and not into operating accounts for the hospital

COLA raises are also NOT set by any administration Congress back in the late 70s early 80s made COLA's based on the CPI formulas and for the past 25 years it has worked pretty well with few complaints, if I remember right most of us were happy with the 5.8% we got last year especially when the price of gas which a lot of it had been based on in 2007 was lowered it meant something, the largest raise we had gotten in years this year the CPI numbers did us in no inflation there was actually deflation and luckily for us they do not "take back negative numbers" there is just no raise. so like Flip we each have to figure out ways to raise our net income reduce vehicle payments, cut off HBO, stop the newspapers at home we can read them online etc,

Many of us are better off than many of the unemployed 10% wow, worst economy in 30 years, I realize not all of us are 100% or TDIU but those of us that are are better off than many of our friends and neighbors one of my wife's best friends lives on SSI which is something like 660 a month honestly I don't know how she makes it

Yes we have earned our benefits thru our SC disabilities and I like most of you did not expect our retirements to be as decrepit worn out disabled veterans, I had envisioned working at the Post Office until age 67 in 2022 but my PTSD and my heart said nope you are out of there at age 42 SSD found me disabled in 4 months based on VA medical tests, the VA not anywhere near as fast I wish I didn't need the walker or the power chair I envisioned traveling to the Grand Canyon, Las vegas, Utah, Hawaii etc now a trip to me is to Augusta to see my doc and then I need 3 days to recover.... not the dream retirement I envisioned

but as bad off as I am I am really grateful for the friends here and other boards, this is my "world now" this is my window to it and basically all I see now. It's better than watching re-runs all day long

Sometimes it helps to look on the bright side of things instead of all the negatives physically most of us are as negative as it gets I don't need any more people to pee on me and tell me it's raining life could be a lot worse than it is I could be taking that "long dirt nap" at that new national cemetary we have here in Columbia SC I am not ready to "buy" that lot yet....I hope it is many years in the future that is up to God and my doctors but after a stroke and 7 heart attacks everyday is an extra one for me.....

[timetowinarace]

I know lots of healthy unemployed people that got a 100% decrease in their pay this year.

I feel pretty good about the current COLA system.

[Teac]

The current cola system stinks. Sure it is an automatic raise most years but it really doesn't cover the increased cost of living. While some of you feel your better off than others, many of us are living on less because a 100% rating is not compensation for those of us that were GS11, or had other high paying jobs when we were forced to retire. In fact anyone that is content well that is your business, but I think the government needs to revamp the whole compensation system. I am tired of counting pennies. If I were still working I would be making more that $80K a year that is a far cry from the sorry $36K the va calls compensation. This is just another reason the claims system is so backed logged, a new claim is the only way a veteran can get a raise.

So for those of you that are happy with your compensation I am glad for you... but many of us are not being compensated for our actual income loss and therefore why should we be content. Of course this is just my humble opinion. And yes whining about it does no good because the system will not change in our lifetime.

Edited December 16, 2009 by Teac

[carlie]

Thread is closed.

COLA is a non issue at this point.

We don't get it this year, plain and simple.

carlie