Military and federal civilian retirees, veterans receiving disability compensation and Social Security recipients will get a 2.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment in January. The increase also will boost annuities under the military’s survivor benefits plan.

The increase is tied to inflation as measured by the government’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). The increase is based on the average change in prices for a market basket of goods and service from the third quarter of 2006 to the third quarter of 2007. – Tom Philpott

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