COLA INCREASE

Below is the latest information regarding the annual COLA increase excerpted from the Chief-Leader.. Retired public employees in New York will see a 1.4-percent cost-of-living-adjustment for the first $18,000 of their pensions this year, an increase of $252 annually.

The increase amounts to $21 extra per month for anyone with a pension worth $18,000 or more. Those earning less will see smaller increases—for example, a $12,000 pension will get a $168-a-year bump. The increase matches the 2011 rise, which was the largest since a 2-percent bump in 2008