OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has received a recommendation that could mean new outpatient clinics in the state, including one in Altus, but an Oklahoma official said the endorsement is a long way from getting the money needed to make them a reality.

A VA commission is supporting proposals for five new outpatient clinics in Oklahoma, which could go a long way toward achieving officials' goal of having at least 75 percent of state veterans within a half hour of primary health care.

Besides the possible outpatient clinics here and in Enid, Stillwater, Talihina and Vinita, the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services commission report calls for more inpatient beds.

The commission's endorsements require several levels of approval before construction can begin.

VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi has to approve the proposal, and federal funding would have to be assured, said Steven Gentling, director of the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center.

''There's still a fairly quantum leap in that endorsement and funding them for implementation,'' Gentling said.

Thirty-eight percent of all American military veterans are 65 or older. There are 350,000 veterans in Oklahoma.

''The commission definitely felt there was a need for more inpatient beds, both in the Oklahoma City area as well as in the Tulsa area, and a significant need for better outpatient access,'' Gentling said.

The VA has hospitals in Oklahoma City and Muskogee and medical clinics in Ardmore, Lawton, McAlester, Ponca City, Konawa and Tulsa. A clinic in Clinton will be reopened as soon as the VA can recruit a physician to staff it, Gentling said.

VA facilities have trouble competing with the salaries offered in the private sector, officials said.

Gentling said the Oklahoma City medical center has ways to deal with both.

The Oklahoma City center, as a teaching hospital aligned with the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, attracts physicians who want to instruct. It also is a desirable research destination, he noted.

Federal lawmakers also are trying to close the salary gap, Gentling said.

U.S. Navy retiree David Shugart, the secretary for the Fleet Reserve Association service group, said the VA has been working to better its service.

''At one time getting an appointment or being seen after you had an appointment was an all-day job,'' Shugart said. ''But that's a thing of the past.''

The first step to solving wait-time problems, as well as learning the outcome of the state's five potential VA clinics, could come soon.

Principi is expected to issue his response to the commission endorsements in the next month.