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 The calendar below provides a summary of the planned official business and leisure time for the trip.

Figure 1. OIG analysis of trip calendar.

Scheduled official business

Secretary Shulkin told OIG investigators that he found the trip substantively valuable to VA’s mission. While in Copenhagen, Secretary Shulkin and other members of the VA delegation had a number of meetings on issues related to Danish veterans’ health issues and their healthcare system, participated in a roundtable lunch with CEOs of Danish healthcare companies, and visited a veterans’ home and hospital. The joint communiqué of the London Summit noted that the delegates discussed a number of issues, including “post-traumatic disorder, rates of suicide and homelessness among veterans, barriers to mental health care, alternative therapies, veteran-centric approaches to the provision of services, and early intervention.” Secretary Shulkin stated that he also worked on other VA matters during the trip when there were no official functions, which is corroborated by his handling of matters relating to a media crisis that developed relating to allegations of substandard care at the Manchester VA Medical Center. The group’s schedule while in Europe, however, included significant personal time for sightseeing and other unofficial activities. While the OIG defers to Secretary Shulkin’s determination as to the value to VA of the three-and-a-half days of meetings in Copenhagen and London, the OIG identified a number of serious derelictions concerning the trip, including the following:

VA Office of Inspector General