Shaneka Best, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, took a significant pay cut to work at the Department of Veterans Affairs, aiming to assist other veterans facing similar challenges. However, she was recently informed of job cuts affecting approximately 6,000 veterans across various federal agencies, a decision impacting the very stability these individuals were promised. These layoffs not only create financial uncertainty but also put the veterans' sense of purpose and their treatment for disabilities at risk, igniting feelings of betrayal within the veteran community.
"You feel betrayed, let down and like you don't matter," said Best, summing up her feelings and those of veterans across the country who are now wondering how they'll support themselves and their families.
The cuts, many of which target probationary employees, cast a shadow on the implicit promise the United States makes to military members that they'll get preference in federal hiring - leading to a secure job that can ease them into the civilian workforce.
Roughly 6,000 veterans have been laid off in recent weeks by the U.S. DOGE Service - an estimate that a spokesperson for the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee said is probably understated amid ongoing job cuts at the Social Security Administration.
Those roles, veterans said, also give them opportunities to keep serving their country, flexibility to seek treatment for service-related disabilities and, in many cases, a sense of purpose.
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