Who Is Impacted?
For over a decade, thousands of Veteran patients and hundreds of VA employees at VA Puget Sound’s Building 18 were exposed to mold-infested walls, constant leaks, and a nonexistent air exchange system—violations of basic infection-control standards. PBS and NWPB exposed these conditions in 2024 (Article 1​,  Article 2​,  Article 3), with additional reporting in the 2025 PBS Newsfeed video. OSHA records, an internal VA Fact-Finding report, and whistleblower testimony all documented serious health risks. (These reports are linked in the 2024 Article 1 for your review) Yet even after the building was closed, VA senior leaders publicly denied any problems—contradicted by internal documents later released through FOIA. Throughout 2023-2024 staff have pleaded for help from Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Adam Smith, with no meaningful action. Only after whistleblowers went to the media did the Joint Commission conduct a surprise inspection on June 14, 2024, which forced the permanent closure of Building 18 just four days later. Without these whistleblowers, the unsafe building would still be operating today.
What Is At Stake?
The stakes are enormous. More than 20,000 Veteran patients passed through Building 18 between 2020 and 2024—during the height of the COVID years—while hundreds of employees worked there every day. How many elderly and immunocompromised Veterans were unnecessarily exposed to COVID in a clinic with no functioning air exchange? How many patients developed or worsened mold-related illnesses while receiving care in a building with visible mold and leaks, including in the wound/ostomy or allergy or respiratory therapy clinic? We also know that dozens of employees filed occupational health complaints in 2023, only to have senior leaders close them after relying on a single, insufficient airborne mold test to falsely label the building “safe.” This manipulated finding allowed the VA to illegally block employees from accessing workers’ compensation and conceal the true scope of harm.  If Congress continues to accept the VA’s conflicting statements—rather than the documented facts—Veterans may never be informed of the medical risks they were exposed to. Worse, allowing the VA to withhold key reports, including the June 14, 2024 Joint Commission Inspection Report that forced the building to close, undermines the very purpose of federal oversight. Without transparency, accountability, and a GAO-supervised investigation, senior leaders will continue to conceal the truth, retaliate against whistleblowers, and escape responsibility for the conditions they allowed to persist for more than a decade.
Why Now?
Now is the moment for urgent action. In late 2025, FOIA releases revealed that VA senior leaders gave statements to the OIG in December 2024 that directly contradict the internal reports they possessed—including OSHA findings, maintenance logs, environmental data, and mold assessments. They continued to deny problems months after the building was shut down. Congressional offices, including those of Senator Patty Murray and Rep. Adam Smith, have been aware of these contradictions and the forced closure of Building 18, yet have not demanded a true, independent investigation.  We demand our elected representatives fulfill their oversight responsibilities, require the VA to comply with FOIA law, and order the immediate release of the June 14, 2024 Joint Commission Inspection Report. Veterans and employees deserve the truth. Accountability cannot wait.