A report on the outpatient clinic in Chattanooga that was released in July identified many problems with patient care, including inadequate staff and resources, the long distance veterans must travel to the referral hospital in Murfreesboro, and the need for greater peer review.

"Since the report, I have been diligent in pressing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to fix these problems," Congressman Zach Wamp said. "During a meeting with the VA about these problems, I asked them to update me every 30 days on changes being made to improve the care our veterans receive at the Chattanooga outpatient clinic.

"The fifth and most recent update I received indicates that the VA is moving forward with a plan to contract locally for specialty care. This should bring down the amount of time veterans have to wait to get an appointment with a specialist. And if the care is delivered in the community, our veterans won't always have to travel the long distance to the VA hospitals in Murfreesboro or Nashville. The VA has told me they hope to award the first contract by July 31st.

"Officials at the Chattanooga VA Clinic have also decided to schedule Saturday physical exam clinics once a month. This should also help reduce the amount of time veterans have to wait to see a doctor," Wamp said.