Safety Members Plan C Center

Increase for Safety Plan C as of April 2026: 2.0 Percent

Safety Plan C retirees and eligible survivors will receive the maximum allowable annual COLA of 2.0 percent, starting with their April 2026 payment.

How the Current COLA Was Determined

At its February 4, 2026 meeting, LACERA’s Board of Retirement approved a 3.0 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) award for 2026, which exceeds the maximum allowed for retirees and eligible payees in Safety Plan C. (Safety Plan C will receive the maximum allowed annual increase, and the excess CPI percentage will be added to the COLA Accumulation, as summarized below.)

The 2026 COLA award is based on the cost-of-living increase from December 2024 to December 2025, as reflected in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all urban consumers in the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim metro area. The calendar year-to-date CPI change is 3.0 percent. In determining the applied COLA award, the amount is rounded to the nearest one-half percent, as prescribed by law, also resulting in a 3.0 percent increase.

COLA Accumulation

Current COLA Accumulation Chart

According to the provisions of LACERA retirement plans, if the COLA percentage exceeds the maximum allowable amount, the excess CPI percentage is accumulated to supplement future COLA benefits (called the COLA accumulation). LACERA uses the COLA accumulation balances available to fund the maximum increase allowable under each plan. The longer you have been retired (or receiving a survivor's allowance), the more COLA carryover you may have accumulated.

The current CPI percentage increase of 3.0 percent is used to calculate this year’s COLA Accumulation. That amount exceeds the 2.0 percent maximum allowed in Safety Plan C, so the remaining 1.0 percent will be added to the COLA Accumulation.