County Commission | The Magazine March 2019 | Page 36

NEWS YOU CAN USE County Risk Services Inc. is Open for Business M embers of ACCA’s Self- Insurance Pools had an extra reason to celebrate on New Year’s Day with the official launch of County Risk Services Inc. (CRS), the new entity established to administer the Association’s insurance programs. “It’s exciting to be at the starting line, to know the possibilities of what we can do,” said CRS Vice President Mary Kay Fraze, “and how we can improve services for the membership and better equip the membership with tools to be more proactive.” All new claims filed in 2019 have gone directly to the new entity, and older ones have rolled over from Meadowbrook Insurance Group to CRS. Members can look forward to the announcement of additional enhanced services in the coming months. The new software system is up and running, and there will soon be an app so that claims can be submitted directly from a mobile device. “That will be a gamechanger,” Fraze said, noting that claims adjusters will be equipped to work in the field more frequently. “This is the first step in a series of things that are going to be rolled out that we believe will pay big dividends to the membership,” Fraze said. Safety programs and services will also be enhanced. “If we can make sure we are empowering members with knowledge and tools that can 36 | MARCH 2019 CRS County Risk Services, Inc. reduce workplace injury,” she said, “that is good for everybody.” The moment when 18 CRS employees reported to work at 100 North Jackson Street, the former Association headquarters building, was a year and a half in the making. The pools have always relied on an outside entity, known as a third- party administrator, to handle the nuts and bolts of daily operations. Now, these administrative tasks are handled by a team working exclusively for counties and county- related entities. ACCA Executive Director Sonny Brasfield praised the leadership demonstrated by members of the Association’s and insurance boards, as well as the work of staff members charged with implementing their vision. “I can’t say enough about the staff’s tremendous productivity and their commitment to this project,” he said. CRS marks a major milestone in the Association’s more than 90-year track record of counties working together to solve common problems, not to mention the 40+ year history of ACCA’s insurance programs. Almost all counties participate in at least one insurance program, and more than 40 counties provide for all their major insurance needs – workers’ compensation, liability and property – through the pools. n Contacting CRS [phone] 1(888) 608-2009 Toll Free [phone] P.O. Box 589, Montgomery, AL 36101 CLAIMS REPORTING [email protected] [email protected] workerscompclaims@ countyrisk.org © Julien Eichinger – stock.adobe.com