VA To Open New Clinics

Continuing an ongoing plan to place health care services closer to a dispersed population of veterans who need them, the VA announced plans to open 44 new independent and community-based outpatient clinics in 21 states during the next 15 months. The expansion will bring the number of such facilities across the country to 782. The move toward community-based clinics has enabled VA to treat more veterans quickly, providing appointments within 30 days to 98 percent of all patients. While the clinics lack the complete services available at the VA