Custer County board votes to leave CTSI for new workers’ comp and employee-benefit arrangements

CUSTER COUNTY, Colo. — The Custer County Board of County Commissioners voted Wednesday to end parts of its coverage with the County Technical Services, Inc. (CTSI) pool and to adopt new carriers and structures for workers’ compensation and employee health benefits beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The board voted separately to terminate CTSI workers’ compensation and CTSI medical/dental/vision/life coverage effective Dec. 31, 2025, and to accept new vendor quotes and a partially self-funded structure for benefits.

County officials said the changes are intended to give the county more hands-on management of claims and to create long‑term incentives to lower costs. The board’s action included a motion to accept a Pinnacle workers’ compensation quote and to pursue state “cost-containment” certification, and a separate motion to move medical, dental and ancillary benefits to a captive/partially self-funded arrangement using Aetna (medical network), Delta Dental (dental) and other selected vendors.

Why it matters: County officials said the CTSI renewal would have raised premiums about 8–9% and that CTSI’s pooled structure limits the county’s visibility into claim drivers. Commissioners and staff described the new approach as one that keeps unspent reserve funds in a county-controlled internal service fund and allows the county to target safety and return-to-work programs that…