COLA levels across Pacific beginning to level off in May

[unhappycamper]

COLA levels across Pacific beginning to level off in May
By Jennifer H. Svan, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, May 3, 2008

Those big gains in COLA last month are leveling off for U.S. servicemembers stationed in Japan.

For the first half of May, the cost-of-living allowance at most locations in Japan dropped two points or remained the same.

After increasing by six points the first half of April, COLA is trickling downward in some places.

The COLA index for military members assigned to Okinawa, for example, is 136 starting Thursday. That means an E-5 with six years of service and two dependents will earn $26.40 daily or $396 for the pay period. During the same pay period in April, the member’s COLA was $30.80 a day or $462 for the pay period.

If living in Yokosuka, that same servicemember would have brought home $528 the first half of April and could expect to earn $484 in COLA for the current pay period.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54495