Military

Employees Accuse Wounded Warrior Project Of Wasting Funds

Luxury hotels, $2,500 bar tabs and the CEO scaling from a roof are some of the expenses employees have accused the company of writing off.

Employees Accuse Wounded Warrior Project Of Wasting Funds
Wounded Warrior Project
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Former and current employees of the Wounded Warrior Project are accusing the veterans charity of wasting donation money on luxury purchases.

CBS obtained Wounded Warriors' tax forms and found spending on conferences and meetings jumped from $1.7 million in 2010 to more than $26 million in 2014. That's about the same amount it spends on its largest program, combat stress recovery. (Video via Wounded Warrior Project)

"Donors don't want you to have a $2,500 bar tab. Donors don't want you to fly every staff member once a year to some five-star resort and whoop it up and call it team building," a former employee told CBS.

The charity's CEO declined CBS' interview request, but a spokesman said the company's spending is "the best use of donor dollars" to provide its services.

Charity Navigator reports 60 percent of the Wounded Warrior Project's budget actually goes to services to veterans. (Video via Wounded Warrior Project)

According to the Wounded Warrior website, the charity plans on helping 100,000 veterans by 2017. However, it's unclear how many have already been counted in the charity's 13-year history. (Video via Wounded Warrior Project)

Some issues have dramatically improved and may need less spending. Unemployment for veterans is at its lowest rate in almost eight years. (Video via U.S. Army)

Yet others may merit more focus and funding. For instance, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 31 percent of Vietnam veterans alone suffer from PTSD. (Video via U.S. Army)

This video includes images from Getty Images.