She helped veterans in crisis. DOGE cuts eliminated her job.

An office manager at a VA center in Wyoming, where the veteran suicide rate is 50% higher than the national average, was fired despite a glowing job review.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – For years, a small office suite tucked into a nondescript strip mall has provided a lifeline for veterans with mental health issues. It’s one of hundreds of tiny centers across the United States designed to act as a refuge for veterans in crisis.

But last month, the office manager, a Marine veteran with a glowing performance review, was fired as part of sweeping cuts across the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

The manager, Carla Nelson, was the person who greeted every veteran at the front door. She was the one whose voice they heard when they called in seeking help. 

Her termination and the potential for wider cuts have caused concern in the veteran community in Wyoming. Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, more than 140,000 vets have lost their lives to suicide nationwide, according to the VA, vastly more than the roughly 7,000 U.S. service members who died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And the veteran suicide rate in Wyoming is 50% higher than the national average, according to the latest VA data.

“We lose too many,” said Justin Tripp, a Navy veteran who is now the Wyoming state commander for the VFW. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/helped-veterans-crisis-doge-cuts-eliminated-job-rcna196803

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