VA records obtained by Pritzker Hageman describe recurring Legionella contamination at Salem VA Medical Center in Virginia during 2025 and 2026. They also describe known infections resulting from this contamination, including a July 2026 Legionnaires’ disease diagnosis that VA infection-control staff classified as related to inpatient care at Salem. Water treatment reduced positive samples in some areas, but later testing continued to detect the bacteria.
These findings matter to people who developed Legionnaires’ disease or severe pneumonia after receiving care at or visiting the medical center. They concern the Salem VA Medical Center at 1970 Roanoke Boulevard. Records obtained by Pritzker Hagemen do not establish how many people were sickened by the contamination.
If you or a family member was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease after time at Salem VA, request a free consultation with Pritzker Hageman or call 888-377-8900. Our Legionnaires’ disease lawyers can evaluate the diagnosis, possible exposure and legal options. You do not need to have identified the source yourself before contacting us.
What the recent Salem VA records describe
The recent findings come from summaries of VA laboratory reports, executive-leadership reports, Water Safety Committee minutes and infection-control records covering 2024 through August 2026. They are separate from but related to the 2023 federal audit and the contamination publicly reported in 2014.
Legionella remained in Building 143 during 2025 and 2026
Building 143 is the main hospital building and includes inpatient and critical-care areas. The records describe repeated positive water samples, including detections of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1. CDC identifies this type as responsible for much of Legionnaires’ disease.
The following table summarizes the quarterly Building 143 sampling cycles in 2025 and the first three quarters of 2026.
| Sampling month | Samples with Legionella detected | Percentage of samples |
| January 2025 | 37 of 40 | 92.5% |
| April 2025 | 24 of 40 | 60% |
| July 2025 | 25 of 40 | 62.5% |
| October 2025 | 28 of 40 | 70% |
| January 2026 | 19 of 40 | 47.5% |
| April 2026 | 15 of 40 | 37.5% |
| July 2026 | 15 of 40 | 37.5% |
These are water-sample results, not counts of infected patients or estimates of a person’s chance of becoming sick. “Legionella detected” includes different species and serogroups, including results below levels that trigger particular corrective actions. Sampling locations also varied, so the table does not track the same individual faucets over time.
Additional treatment brought improvement but positive samples continued
The committee records describe installation of supplemental monochloramine treatment for the hot-water systems in Buildings 143 and 170 in December 2025. Monochloramine is a disinfectant used to control bacteria in water.
Results improved after installation. In Building 170, positive samples fell from 14 of 20 in October 2025 to 5 of 20 in January 2026 and 2 of 20 in April 2026. Building 143 also improved, as the table shows, but 15 of 40 samples remained positive in both April and July 2026. The added treatment addressed hot water; it did not treat the buildings’ cold-water systems.
The distinction matters because the records describe Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in cold-water samples from Building 143 inpatient units in 2026. Fewer positive samples show progress, but they do not establish that every patient-care area was free of Legionella.
A July 2026 illness prompted a response
An infection-control record describes a veteran who tested positive for Legionella after an inpatient stay in Building 143. Staff wrote that the illness “will qualify as inpatient Salem related case.”
According to the committee-record synopsis, the response included a special July 20, 2026 meeting, filters for affected rooms, increased flushing, continued monochloramine treatment, additional testing, and reporting to the Virginia Department of Health and the VA’s surveillance system.
A subsequent August 5 water sample from a cold-water shower in a room the patient had occupied contained 23 colony-forming units per milliliter of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1. Colony-forming units measure bacteria that can grow in laboratory culture. That environmental finding is relevant to investigating exposure, but it does not by itself prove exactly when or where the patient acquired the infection.
What the 2023 VA Inspector General audit found
The October 3, 2023 VA Office of Inspector General audit examined an earlier period, April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022. For Salem, it found:
- No remediation for 133 of 144 positive Legionella pneumophila quarterly samples, about 92%.
- Six post-remediation tests for those 144 positive samples, a 4.2% compliance rate.
- Persistent contamination despite previous treatment efforts.
- The audit did not show healthcare-associated Legionnaires’ disease cases identified or reported for Salem in that period’s VA surveillance data.
The OIG’s recommendation tracker lists the Salem-specific recommendation for engineering assistance and an action plan as closed and implemented on September 19, 2024. That status concerns the recommendation; the later water results still warrant separate examination.
Do you need a Legionnaires’ Disease Lawyer?
The 2014 Salem VA disclosure is a separate event
In December 2014 reporting on Salem VA, Becker’s Hospital Review, citing The Roanoke Times, described Legionella in the facility’s water and one outpatient with Legionnaires’ disease. A hospital spokesperson said a causal connection between that person’s illness and the facility had not been established. However, that history provides context for Salem’s longstanding water-safety concerns. The report described flushing and point-of-use filters as response measures. VA facilities have been involved in other Legionnaires’ outbreaks as well, including one in 2018 at the Columbus VA clinic.
How hospital water can cause Legionnaires’ disease
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. According to CDC’s explanation of transmission, people most often become infected by inhaling tiny contaminated water droplets. Less commonly, contaminated drinking water enters the lungs during aspiration, such as when someone has difficulty swallowing.
Hospital plumbing, showerheads, faucets and cooling towers can provide routes of exposure when bacteria grow in the water system. In general, Legionnaires’ disease does not spread from person to person. Our guide to where Legionnaires’ disease comes from explains why the building’s water system is central to an exposure investigation.
Patients may be especially vulnerable because of age or medical conditions. People 50 and older, current or former smokers, people with chronic lung disease, and people with weakened immune systems face increased risk. Having a risk factor does not identify the source of an infection or answer whether a facility took appropriate precautions.
Symptoms and testing after a Salem VA visit or stay
CDC states that symptoms usually begin 2 to 14 days after exposure, although they can take longer. Symptoms can include fever, cough, shortness of breath, headache and muscle aches. Some people also develop diarrhea, nausea or confusion.
If you develop pneumonia symptoms after a recent Salem VA visit or stay, seek medical care promptly and tell the clinician where you were and when. Severe difficulty breathing or new confusion warrants emergency care. Mention Salem VA even if you are being treated at a different hospital or live outside Virginia.
Legionnaires’ disease cannot be reliably distinguished from other pneumonias by symptoms or a chest X-ray alone. CDC’s clinical guidance calls for appropriate Legionella testing and an exposure history. Public health investigators generally review the 14 days before symptoms began.
CDC recommends a urine antigen test together with testing of a lower-respiratory specimen, such as sputum, using culture or molecular methods. The commonly used urine test primarily detects Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1. Respiratory testing can detect additional Legionella types, and culture can produce bacteria that investigators may compare with environmental samples. Testing should not delay needed antibiotic treatment.
A Salem infection-control report for August 2025, summarized in the VA record analysis, listed 162 urine antigen tests for the fiscal year to date and no clinical Legionella cultures. That finding supports further examination of which tests were used for patients with pneumonia. Those figures do not account for every possible testing method and cannot establish a count of missed infections.
Why water management and follow-up testing matter
VHA Directive 1061 establishes the VA’s water-safety program for covered buildings and water systems. It requires building prevention plans, routine water testing and responses to positive results. Its requirements include:
- Testing covered building water systems at least quarterly.
- Evaluating controls such as water temperature and disinfectant levels when Legionella is detected.
- Taking appropriate corrective action and retesting to assess whether remediation worked.
- Communicating positive environmental results to clinical providers so they can maintain heightened awareness for illness.
- Routine sampling and post-treatment testing serve different purposes. A quarterly sample surveys conditions at that time. A follow-up test helps determine whether a corrective action worked where contamination was found.
The Salem synopses identify gaps in the available follow-up testing records. Additional records would be needed to determine whether testing occurred but was not included. Missing documents alone do not prove that no action was taken.
Can someone bring a claim after Legionnaires’ disease at Salem VA
A person whose illness resulted from negligent exposure at a VA facility may have a claim. A positive hospital water sample alone is not enough. An investigation must connect the person’s infection to the facility and determine whether a failure to take reasonable precautions caused the harm.
Our work on Legionnaires’ disease hospital claims involves examining medical testing, exposure dates and water-system records together. Relevant questions include which buildings and units a person entered, whether the timing fits, what the facility knew about contamination, and what corrective actions it took. Other possible exposure sources also need to be evaluated.
The process of determining liability for Legionnaires’ disease can involve physicians, epidemiologists and water-management professionals. A person does not need to be part of a publicly announced outbreak to ask for a legal evaluation.
Federal claims may have a different process and deadlines
Claims based on negligence by federal employees may need to proceed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, or FTCA. As the VA’s Office of General Counsel explains, a written administrative claim must include the allegations, a specific dollar amount and the claimant’s or attorney’s signature. Standard Form 95 is commonly used.
Federal law generally requires presenting the claim within two years after it accrues. A claimant must also satisfy the administrative process before filing a federal lawsuit. If the agency has not made a final decision within six months, the claimant may generally elect to proceed to court. A mailed final denial ordinarily starts a separate six-month filing period.
Accrual dates, exceptions and any request for reconsideration require individual review. It can’t be assumed that a hospital complaint, health-department report or VA benefits application preserves an FTCA claim. Independent contractors can present different liability questions and procedures.
Compensation depends on the evidence and applicable law
A supported claim may seek compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain, disability and future care needs. When negligence causes a death, the appropriate representative may be able to pursue a Legionnaires’ disease wrongful death claim. The available damages and who may bring the claim depend on the governing law. There is no automatic settlement amount for a positive diagnosis.
What patients and families should save
If you suspect an illness may be connected to Salem VA, preserve:
- Visit, admission and discharge dates, along with any building, unit or room information you have.
- The date symptoms began and a list of other places visited before the illness.
- Legionella laboratory results, discharge summaries and records of treatment at any hospital.
- Letters, portal messages or other communications about water restrictions, testing or possible exposure.
- Medical bills, work absences and a record of continuing care needs or limitations.
You can contact us before you have collected everything. If Legionnaires’ disease has been diagnosed, tell your healthcare provider and the health department about relevant Salem VA exposure so it can be considered in the public health investigation.
Questions about Salem VA and Legionnaires’ disease
No. A positive sample describes water collected at a particular location and time. It does not establish exposure for every person who entered the facility. Many people exposed to Legionella do not become ill. Each diagnosis requires its own assessment.
Potentially. An overnight admission is not the only circumstance in which someone could encounter contaminated water droplets. The relevant questions are whether exposure occurred, whether it caused the illness and whether negligence was involved. A visit by itself does not establish those facts.
Pneumonia alone does not confirm Legionnaires’ disease. Ask the treating clinician whether Legionella testing was performed and whether further evaluation is appropriate. For a past serious illness, the original medical and laboratory records are the starting point for reviewing what was diagnosed.
The records summarized here document improvement after additional hot-water treatment, along with continued positive samples in 2026. They do not establish the condition of every water outlet today. Patients should ask their care team about current precautions for their unit and follow the facility’s current instructions.
Contact Ray and our Legionnaires’ Disease Legal Team and find out how you can get compensation and justice
1-888-377-8900 (Toll-Free) | [email protected]
Talk with a Legionnaires’ disease lawyer
If you or someone in your family developed Legionnaires’ disease after receiving care at or visiting Salem VA Medical Center, Pritzker Hageman can review what happened. Our national team handles serious Legionella injury and wrongful death matters in all fifty states.
Contact Pritzker Hageman for a free consultation or call 888-377-8900. Tell us when the Salem VA visit occurred, when symptoms began, where the illness was diagnosed and whether hospitalization was required. Our team can explain what evidence is needed and evaluate the available legal options.
We have obtained 100+ separate verdicts and settlements greater than $1 million:
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Our client contracted Legionnaires’ disease at a hotel and was hospitalized for eight weeks.
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On behalf of a client sicked from contaminated water at a senior care facility.
Our client contracted Legionnaires’ disease at a hotel and was hospitalized for over a month.
On behalf of a women hospitalized for over two months from a contaminated hotel hot tub in Myrtle Beach.
We obtained this settlement for a woman sickened with Legionnaires’ disease after being exposed in a hotel hot tub.
We obtained this settlement for the family of a 52-year old man who died of Legionnaires’ disease linked to a hotel.
We collected this on behalf of a client who contracted Legionnaires’ disease from contaminated water at a hotel.
We recovered this settlement for the family of a 50-year old man who died of Legionnaires’ disease after being exposed to legionella bacteria at a hotel.
Collected on behalf of the family of a man who died as a result of Legionnaires’ Disease contracted while staying at a Wisconsin resort.
We obtained this on behalf of a man hospitalized after Legionella bacteria exposure at a hotel.
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