Separate from FY 2026 COLA, funded through excess revenues
Hagåtña, Guam — Governor Lou Leon Guerrero today announced that eligible Government of Guam retirees received an additional $200 Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) payment, in addition to the COLA retirees received in October 2024 and separate from the upcoming COLA scheduled for distribution on or before November 1st–just a few weeks away.
This additional payment was authorized by Public Law 37-135, which appropriated $1.5 million from excess General Fund revenues to supplement the base COLA established under Public Law 37-125. That base COLA of $2,300 was distributed last October at the start of FY 2025.
“Guam’s retirees have dedicated their lives to serving our island. This additional $200 payment recognizes their service and fulfills the commitment made by law to share excess revenues with our retirees in FY 2025,” said Governor Leon Guerrero.
While it is best practice to verify excess revenues through the government’s annual audit, in its absence, this payment is being made now—both to support retirees and to comply with the law.
The Governor also emphasized that this supplemental payment was made possible only because of the prior year’s strong revenues and legislative appropriation. Unfortunately, the Public Law requiring the added $200 benefit did not include language sufficient to cover retirees of autonomous agencies.
We also thank the men and women of the GovGuam Retirement Fund for their work in diligently issuing these payments.
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