Published October 14, 2026. The benefits-news items below were current as of that date. This is an archived issue of our weekly email — subscribe here to get new issues first.
The number that sets your 2027 raise is due today
Nothing in retired pay, CRDP, or CRSC rules changed this week, so the money story is the date on the calendar. The Bureau of Labor Statistics scheduled its September inflation release for today, October 14, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. It is the last of the three monthly readings used to set the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment. (Source: BLS CPI release schedule.)
Social Security says it will announce the next COLA in October. We are not printing a percentage here, because the official figure comes from the agencies, not from estimates. Once it is published, check it at ssa.gov, then confirm how it flows into your own retired pay or CRSC payment with DFAS rather than assuming a number.
Does this touch your check? Eligible retirees may see an adjustment in January. Wait for the official figure before you rebuild any budget or CRSC-versus-CRDP comparison.
VA is piloting faster VA.gov account setup
On October 7, VA announced a pilot at six VA facilities meant to help Veterans establish VA.gov accounts faster. (Source: VA news release, October 7, 2026.) The release is about getting into your account, not about how claims are rated or decided, so it does not change what a CRSC packet requires.
It still matters for one practical reason: your VA.gov account is where your decision letters and records live. If you have never logged in, or stalled on identity verification, the account is the first thing to sort out before you can gather what a packet is built on.
Building from the summary letter instead of the rating decision
The VA benefit summary letter shows your combined rating and monthly amount. It does not show the conditions one by one. A CRSC packet is built condition by condition, so it needs the full rating decision, which lists each rated condition, its diagnostic code, its percentage, and its effective date.
Working from the summary alone is a common way for a condition to go unclaimed or for a packet to be missing the documentation behind it. Eligible retirees who miss a rated condition may leave potential back pay unclaimed.
This week, log in to VA.gov and download your rating decision letters, not just the summary letter.
Open each decision and write down every rated condition with its diagnostic code, percentage, and effective date. If a decision is missing from your account, note which one, so you know what to request before you file.
Want to see what those ratings could mean for your check? Run the free CRSC calculator — an estimate for education only, not a guarantee of eligibility or payment.
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