Something is badly wrong at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Clarksburg, W.Va.

The question is, what? Both U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., visited the hospital after allegations it is part of a national scandal involving health care for veterans.

Many area veterans rely on the Clarksburg VA center. What the two lawmakers found puzzled them. Manchin related that during his visit, he received "overwhelmingly positive feedback" from patients and others at the Clarksburg facility.

McKinley was told a government audit of times veterans must wait for appointments at the Clarksburg center was incorrect.

The audit indicated an average delay of 54 days for veterans who request appointments to see primary care doctors at the Clarksburg center.

But McKinley was told the wait time is 8-11 days. "There's a big difference" between the two reports, he observed. Indeed there is.

Both Manchin and McKinley have vowed to get to the bottom of allegations about the Clarksburg VA center. The two lawmakers are of opposite parties.

Sometimes they disagree. But on care for veterans, they are close, firm allies. They should make getting the truth a top priority.