EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Administrative Investigation
VA Secretary and Delegation Travel to Europe
In April 2017, Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin accepted an invitation to attend the Ministerial Summit on Veterans’ Affairs in London (London Summit). The purpose of the London Summit was to bring together senior officials from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to discuss topical issues related to veterans. The London Summit began with a reception on the night of July 18, with meetings on July 19 and 20, 2017. After accepting the invitation, Secretary Shulkin asked his staff to arrange a visit to Copenhagen, Denmark. Working with US Embassy staff in Copenhagen and officials of the Danish government, meetings were scheduled for the morning of July 13 and on July 14. To conduct both visits, Secretary Shulkin led a VA delegation to the meetings in Copenhagen and London—leaving the United States on July 11 and returning on July 21, 2017.
After the trip concluded, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) received an anonymous complaint alleging that the trip was a misuse of VA funds because the trip included a significant amount of personal time, including Secretary Shulkin’s attendance at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. The OIG conducted a thorough investigation that resulted in the findings and recommendations detailed in this report.
To provide some relevant context, less than two weeks before the start of the trip, Secretary Shulkin issued a memorandum to all VA staff titled, Essential Employee Travel. The memorandum instructed staff that before approving any employee travel, managers must determine whether the travel is “essential” in order to decrease “employee travel and generate savings” within VA. It was in this climate that the VA delegation for the Europe trip included Dr. Merle Bari, the Secretary’s wife, who is a dermatologist in private practice; VA Chief of Staff Vivieca Wright Simpson; then Acting Under Secretary for Health Dr. Poonam Alaigh; and Program Specialist James (Gabe) Gough. Six members of the Secretary’s security detail also went on the trip, with several additional days of advance travel. A VA Ethics Official approved Dr. Bari as an “invitational traveler,” which authorized VA to pay her expenses. The trip cost VA at least $122,334.
VA Office of Inspector General
