An audit last summer revealed that Veterans Affairs clinic in El Paso had one of the nation's worst backlogs.

Although the clinic has struggled has tried to reduce wait times since audit, it still struggles to attract staff and build enough capacity to treat a large veteran population.

Also, after several efforts nationwide to lessen the wait times for veterans seeking health care, VA medical facilities across Texas have shown no progress.

According to federal data gathered by the Associated Press, nearly 66,000 medical appointments completed from September through February at VA facilities in Texas didn't meet the US Department of Veterans Affairs' goal to see patients within 30 days.

The AP compiled wait times for 940 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics .The Fort Wayne medical center ranked 456th for the highest percentage of waits of more than a month. The highest rate was 19.62% of appointments at the VA outpatient clinic in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Veterans across the nation waited at least 31 days for non-emergency care in 2.78% of the appointments made at Veterans Affairs facilities during a recent seven-month period.

Media reports of VA treatment delays, preventable patient deaths and fraudulent bookkeeping led Congress to pass legislation last August aimed at VA-provided health care. It will provide an additional $16.3 billion to hire doctors, open more clinics and expand a program that allows vets to get private-sector care.

Among other things, the law allows veterans to look for VA-covered care from private providers if appointment waits exceed 30 days.

During the timeframe studied by AP, the Fort Wayne center recorded 79,484 patient appointments and its wait-time performance ranked fifth best among 11 medical centers.

According to Michael Brady, public affairs officer for the VA system, the reason behind Fort Wayne center's lower-than-average percentage of long waits is space modifications to improve efficiency and the introduction of innovations such as Telehealth, an electronic communications system for physicians and patients.