Veterans Benefits

Bryan Jenisch is the director of Veterans Funeral Care for Northeast Indiana including the Fort Wayne area. He is dedicated to making sure those in the veteran community understand that the government does an excellent job of providing veterans with burial benefits if they use a National or State Veterans Cemetery. Although additional benefits may be available to those who qualify, he finds most veterans and their families are unaware of the benefits they’re entitled to receive. He stresses that it’s important to note that the VA does not provide or pay for funeral and cremation arrangements as this is a common misconception.

Brian DeCamp, owner of Veterans Funeral Care, Northern Indiana Funeral Care, and Hite Funeral Home, recently announced the selection of his firm to be the exclusive Veterans Funeral Care provider for Allen County. Effective immediately, they join 100’s of licensed funeral providers across 48 states helping thousands of veterans take control of final arrangements by providing comprehensive savings, benefits, and planning services. VFC selects funeral homes to become benefit providers based on a history of uncompromised professional service and business practices, value pricing, community involvement and support of veterans.

Utilizing Veterans Funeral Care means you’ll obtain the lowest cost funeral and cremation services in the area and also receive a free wood and glass flag case. Whether you choose a simple or uniquely personalized cremation or funeral arrangement, Veterans Funeral Care promises that all services are performed in accordance with the highest level of ethical standards and procedures.

Trusting Veterans Funeral Care with your final arrangements is a gift that will ease the burden of decision making and provide peace of mind. By planning ahead you ensure your service is carried out according to your wishes along with receiving the special pricing exclusively available to VFC members. Northern Indiana Funeral Care is the provider of Veterans Funeral Care and achieved recognition as the leading provider of low cost funerals and cremation in Northern Indiana.  This program is open to veterans and their spouses as well as parents and adult children. To learn more call fellow veteran Bryan Jenisch at 260-413-8887 or visit http://www.northernindianafuneralcare.com for additional information.

Personalized Caskets from ‘Til We Meet Again

‘Til We Meet Again – Fort Wayne

Personalized Caskets and Urns from ‘Til We Meet Again

Brian DeCamp, always someone to think out of the box (pun intended), opened a store called Til We Meet Again in Fort Wayne in the fall of 2012.  The staff of Til We Meet Again believes a funeral should be an expression of life and what you and your family value. People today are planning funeral services as unique as the life being honored. Families are bringing new preferences and opinions that are changing the way we view traditional funerals. They are thinking differently and have fresh ideas and perceptions of how to honor the ones they love. Through personalization, funerals have become more meaningful. This is what memorialization is all about.

We often hear people say “just put me in a pine box”, but does that really sum up a life? At Til We Meet Again, we can personalize a casket to fit anyone’s unique personality. Whether it’s faith, farming, fishing, or firefighting, if you’re passionate about it, we can help you create a “one of a kind” way to make it part of a funeral service. For those who have served in the armed forces, we offer an inspiring collection of military caskets. They provide the proper salute for those who sacrificed and nobly served in the defense of liberty.

We understand that customized caskets may not be for everybody, and we’re OK with that. But for those individuals who have truly lived, we offer options limited only by your imagination. Whether you’ve experienced a death in the family or just want to plan in advance, we invite you to stop by our store on Lima Road in front of Meijer to see how one of our associates can help you personalize a casket.

‘Til We Meet Again Opens in Fort Wayne

Brian DeCamp, licensed funeral director for the past 28 years and owner of Hite Funeral Home in Kendallville, Northern Indiana Funeral Care of Fort Wayne and Veterans Funeral Care, announces the opening of his new retail store called ‘Til We Meet Again in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A new concept in the funeral industry specializes in the sale of custom-made, personalized, lifestyle, licensed and private label caskets, urns, jewelry and other funerary products. It officially opened its doors on September 15, 2012.

A new and unique retail concept, ‘Til We Meet Again franchise stores are the only ones of their kind. With locations in 3 states – Kansas, Indiana and Wisconsin, and two other locations opening soon, ‘Til We Meet Again continues to grow. ‘Til We Meet Again provides an opportunity to celebrate the lives of loved ones by offering a limitless selection of custom and personalized caskets, urns and other memorial products.

The retail stores of ‘Til We Meet Again have a comfortable, bright and friendly atmosphere versus other settings where at times the experience can seem emotionally overwhelming. For the Fort Wayne location only, DeCamp and the franchisor, The Willow Group, LLC, has modified its model to accommodate the needs of Fort Wayne residents by allowing the franchisee to locate their store outside of the super-regional mall setting. The only super-regional mall in Fort Wayne terminated the contract with the original ‘Til We Meet Again retail store in May 2012 prior to its grand opening.

Custom burial is resonating with baby boomers and younger generations reared on self- expression and turned off by the somber mood of traditional funerals. “We’re not only helping an industry that needs change, we’re helping break the taboo about caskets,” says Nathan Smith, Co-Founder of ‘Til We Meet Again and President of The Willow Group, LLC.

The new location will be located at 6413 Lima Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana in front of Meijer and next to Starbuck’s.

‘Til We Meet Again will be open Monday thru Friday 10 am to 7 pm and 10 am to 6 pm on Saturdays. Customers will also have the option of scheduling private appointments if needed. Phone 260-451-0555

Shoulder to Shoulder – Even the Fallen Stand Tall

A beautiful new memorial in Virginia, Minnesota.

Northern Indiana Funeral Care salutes all of the fallen soldiers and their families.  Thank you for the ultimate sacrifice.

A Very Un-Labor Day for Veterans

While many Americans will savor the long Labor Day weekend with a last cookout or a trip to the lake, the holiday will be far less joyful for legions of unemployed veterans.

Though many Americans remain hard-hit by the recession, veterans continue to bear the brunt of America’s unemployment woes.

Across all veterans who served in Afghanistan or Iraq, unemployment rates are at 4% above the national average. For those who came home disabled, that number is far, far higher.

But for veterans between the ages of 18 to 24, unemployment is epidemic, with rates soaring to 30% in some areas. That’s nearly one in three of our youngest vets – willing, yet unable, to find work.

To get a little perspective on that number, consider this: that’s even higher than the jobless rate in countries like Egypt, where unemployment has sparked protests and uprisings.

Imagine fighting to defend freedom, liberty and opportunity overseas, only to find that there are no opportunities for you at home … and to wind up unable to live an independent life yourself because you defended the independence of your country.

It makes a day like Labor Day seem like a cruel joke – especially for those veterans who have been forced onto friends’ couches, into shelters, even into the streets because they just can’t get a break in the job market.

All of these veterans sacrificed something profound to defend their country; many have come home permanently wounded in body and mind.

When they return to our shores, they expect their government to live up to its promises. They expect some help. They expect to at least be given the chance to work for a living!

These are surely not unreasonable demands. Yet when neither assistance nor opportunity materializes, American heroes wake up to find that they’re just another statistic – another hungry, homeless, hurting veteran.

Getting these veterans a job is one of the number one ways we can help them heal from war’s wounds and move past the grim memories they bring home.

But it’s also an absolutely essential means of combating appalling rates of alienation, hunger, homelessness and suicide among those who fought for you and me.

Even for those veterans who receive compensation for injuries sustained during their service, disability payments are often a fraction of what they previously earned.

Many risk financial ruin if they cannot find work.

Other veterans come home ready to hit the ground running. Promised that joining the military would improve their prospects, they return to civilian life filled with hope – only to find that jobs are scarce and employers are wary of hiring them.

Many employers fear what it might mean to hire a combat veteran. Some are also unable – or unwilling – to see the value in a military resume.

Many American heroes get pushed to the back of the line because they don’t come home with “typical” qualifications – because they forfeited going straight to college to serve America at war.

As disappointment and frustration mount for veterans desperate to pay their bills and care for their families, the risk of severe depression … even suicide … rises tragically.

It helps to explain why recent reports reveal that the number of deaths at home is actually outpacing fatalities on the battlefield.

For those of us lucky enough to have a job, it’s hard to imagine the anger and frustration of not being given the opportunity to work, of being forced to be idle – and dependent on others for the roof over your head or the food you eat.

Our veterans are a proud lot. And it’s nothing short of soul-crushing to make them ask for a handout or beg in the streets for some spare change.

The United States of America has to do better. And with help from people like you, we can. This Labor Day, you can speak out on behalf of veterans who just aren’t getting a chance. And if you do the hiring yourself, give a veteran a shot at a good job.

Finally, when you support NVF, you’ll help give veterans a fair shake at a job as you give them access to the employment resources they so desperately need.

I hope you’ll agree … it’s the least we can do for heroes who defended the American Way of Life!

From National Veterans Foundation: A Very Un-Labor Day for Veterans.

Indiana War Memorial – Honoring Hoosier Veterans

Brigadier General J. Stewart Goodwin, Executive Director of the Indiana War Memorial shares some information about the Indiana War Memorial and other space in Indianapolis dedicated to honoring the United States military veterans who have served for the USA. A truly remarkable space, both inside and out.

The Indiana War Memorial opened its doors for funerals of Hoosier veterans. The memorial in downtown Indianapolis is available without charge for funerals of service members who signed up for their military service in Indiana.

The director of the war memorials commission says funerals fit into the building’s overall mission to honor Indiana veterans and to make sure people are aware of their contributions. The War Memorial includes the ornate 500-seat General Pershing Auditorium and the Shrine Room, which features 24 blood-red columns made out of Vermont granite.

Call Bryan Jenisch at Northern Indiana Funeral Care at (877) 382-2756 for information about how you can honor your loved one with a funeral at the Indiana War Memorial.

Talk Not Accompanied by Action is Worthless

You’ve heard the phrase “talk is cheap”. The only thing cheaper is talk in the form of propaganda. In a business transaction it’s best to proceed the way Reagan did with our old adversaries in the Soviet Union which was “trust but verify”. Northern Indiana Funeral Care, the exclusive provider of Veterans Funeral Care in Northeast Indiana, is always willing to be scrutinized to any degree on the claim it makes to be the premier provider of funeral and cremation services for veterans and their families. They provide unequaled services for veterans and can back it up. Please don’t confuse that for arrogance because it’s a simple fact.  Feel free to test them. They recently had a phone call that brings into focus why Veterans Funeral Care was created to begin with and the phone call brought forth what they see over and over, family members of veterans rarely know about the many burial benefits available from the Veterans Administration (VA).

Bryan Jenisch, the local representative of Veterans Funeral Care, recently related a story to me about a lady who called regarding an obituary she was reading in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. The caller asked if he knew what high school the deceased attended because she was organizing a reunion.

She said she had never heard about his organization so he proceeded to tell her about Veterans Funeral Care and what makes them different. “I was explaining about the cost savings and how we promote having funeral services in churches instead of funeral homes and she said “well, wouldn’t most people prefer to have it in the church?” She then stated a good friend’s husband died a few weeks ago and it was $20,000 at a local funeral home. Bryan continued talking with her and telling her about Veterans Funeral Care and all the services they provide and how they truly cater to veterans. When the caller’s husband died a few years ago the same local funeral home told her that it was “too cold out to conduct military honors” to which Bryan’s reaction was “that’s simply unacceptable”. He then began to explain to her how Veterans Funeral Care files for all eligible VA burial benefits such as the burial or cremation allowance and the plot allowance and again she said “I never knew there was such a thing”.

Once again the usual suspects say they serve veterans but fail miserably in honoring that commitment. Like the people in Missouri say, “show me”. Actions are always louder than words. Being willing to back up what you say because, again, talk is cheap.

Northern Indiana Funeral Care has rapidly become the leader of cremation and funeral services for the Fort Wayne area. They encourage you to call with questions and fully investigate why they’re the ones more and more veterans are choosing

Is pre-financing a funeral safe?

Indiana law governs all payments made towards the pre-financing of funeral.  All funds must be placed into a trust fund, escrow, or used to buy an insurance policy to fund the arrangements you desire.

The funds are irrevocably held for the purpose of paying for the arrangements you contracted for and are paid directly to the funeral home – outside of your will and without probate.

It is illegal for someone to sell pre-need contracts without being a representative of a funeral home.  Don’t let someone sell you a funeral contract that will be “accepted by any funeral home.”

Northern Indiana Funeral Care has partnered with Unity Financial to provide a safe and secure way to pre-finance your arrangements.  Call us today at 1-877-382-2756 or visit our website at www.NorthernIndianaFuneralCare.com for more information about our affordable funeral and cremation plans.