UPDATED 14:13 PM EST, February 26, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs has put a dozen new or expanded clinics on hold and says it may have to close others unless Congress comes up with money to pay for the long-planned expansion.
Since the mid-1990s, the VA has turned to outpatient clinics to bring health care closer to veterans.
Lawmakers first took a look at the clinics last year and estimated 2013 costs at tens of millions of dollars. The estimate from the Congressional Budget Office came in at $1.2 billion, taking into account the full cost of the leases.
