For the second straight year, millions of Social Security
recipients, disabled veterans and federal retirees can expect historically
small increases in their benefits come January.
An analysis of preliminary figures suggests a
benefit increase of roughly 1.5 percent. That would be among the smallest
raises since automatic increases were adopted in 1975.
Next year's raise will be small because consumer prices, as
measured by the government, haven't gone up much in the past year.
The size of the cost-of-living adjustment won't be known until
the Labor Department releases the inflation report for September. It's been
delayed indefinitely because of the partial shutdown.
The Social Security Administration has given no indication that
raises would be delayed because of the shutdown, but advocates for seniors say
the uncertainty is unwelcome.
