Southeast Georgia will have to wait a little longer for two clinics slated to ease pressure on area veterans. The region is home to several military bases and a growing population of both older and younger veterans.

For those reasons, the Veterans Administration announced three years ago that it would build clinics in Brunswick and Hinesville. The clinics would bring services closer to veterans, but both have been delayed.

The Hinesville clinic is being reworked to make it larger. It could open by 2012.

The V.A.'s James Robinson says, the Brunswick delay was caused by irregularities in the contracting process. "We had a team down there last week," Robinson says. "Solicitations are going out. You probably could be looking later in the calendar year, but it's more likely early in F.Y. 2010."

The timelines came at a Senate committee field hearing in Jesup called by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson. Isakson spoke only briefly about the larger health care debate, saying there was no provision to change veterans health care.

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