# Social Security COLA Boosts Benefits for Kentucky Retirees in January **Published:** 2026-10-15T00:54:50.641Z **Source:** [Public News Service - Kentucky](https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/social-security-cola-increase-to-benefit-older-kentuckians-1/6ffad31d-61d5-43d6-a477-f07e4e859ce4) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-5-5) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/social-security-cola-boosts-benefits-for-kentucky-retirees-in-january More than 1 million Kentuckians who receive Social Security payments will see their benefits rise in January, after the [Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% benefit increase](https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/cola/) for 2027 on Oct. 14. The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is designed to help beneficiaries keep pace with inflation. The annual increase is calculated from changes in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. Advocates say the adjustment matters more than ever for older residents, given that one in five older Americans has no retirement savings to rely on. Scott Wegenast, communications manager for AARP Kentucky, said more households feel financially insecure than they did a year ago. "Too many older Americans are still feeling like they're falling behind, and that can be from prescription drug costs increasing, utilities on the increase, fuel prices, grocery prices," Wegenast said. Those concerns are reflected in a national survey. According to an [AARP survey of adults 50 and older](https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/work-finances-retirement/social-security/social-security-cola-2027/) released just days before the administration's announcement, most respondents said a 3.5% increase would not be enough to keep up with rising prices. The majority said an increase between 5% and 8% would be sufficient to cover everyday expenses. Wegenast said advocates are continuing to push to strengthen Social Security for the long term. "Part of our work is to make sure that Congress takes action to ensure Social Security is there for today's retirees and for generations still paying into Social Security out of every paycheck," he said. The program's financial outlook remains a central concern. The Social Security Trust Fund is projected to run out of reserves by late 2032. At that point, incoming payroll taxes would cover only 78% of participants' benefits, according to projections cited in the source report. ## Sources - [Public News Service - Kentucky](https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/social-security-cola-increase-to-benefit-older-kentuckians-1/6ffad31d-61d5-43d6-a477-f07e4e859ce4) - [Social Security Administration, 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) announcement](https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/cola/) - [AARP survey on the 2027 Social Security COLA](https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/work-finances-retirement/social-security/social-security-cola-2027/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) based on source material from Public News Service - Kentucky. The original source is available at https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/social-security-cola-increase-to-benefit-older-kentuckians-1/6ffad31d-61d5-43d6-a477-f07e4e859ce4.