EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso veteran James Austin is pushing for a full-service veterans hospital to be built in El Paso.

He told KFOX that he has suffered from neuropathy for the past 8 years, and his ailments do not end there.

"I'm walking on numb feet as it is," said Austin. "I have low back pain, and I have either arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome."

Austin said the VA clinic in El Paso does not have the specialists needed to treat his condition. So he has been shuffled around to hospitals in Albuquerque, San Francisco and now Oklahoma City.

"Why Oklahoma? Why can't El Paso have it," asked Austin. "These are issues that Congressman Reyes needs to address and get them fixed. Because if not, it's going to pose a major problem for all us veterans down the road."

To build a full service VA hospital in El Paso, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said first a study needs to completed, showing a large veteran base in the area. In the mean time, Reyes said the partnership with William Beaumont Army Medical Center is being strengthened.

"Veterans will be well provided for here in the interim," said Reyes. "But obviously we're looking forward to the day when we have the base to do a full fledged hospital."

But Austin said that does not help him, or other area veterans, now. He's considering moving away from El Paso to Oklahoma because his needs cannot be treated here.

"We served our country, and everybody deserves fair treatment," said Austin. "And if they don't have the means of being able to provide the service, they need to look into it."