By Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Insurance assisted consumers with recovery of $29.2 million from insurance businesses in 2025 to more than double the amount the agency retrieved for policyholders during the previous year.
The office of Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt said the department worked with consumers and companies in 2024 to recover $11.8 million for Kansans. In the 2025 annual report released Thursday, the agency documented a 147% year-to-year increase in cash recoveries for consumers.
“Complaints and inquiries equip the Department to hold insurance companies accountable and better serve Kansans,” said Schmidt, who chose not to seek reelection this year to a third term as commissioner. “I am proud to advocate on behalf of our consumers to ensure they receive the services and protections outlined in their policies.”
Schmidt said the department relied on consumer complaints to identify insurance companies or agents that warranted investigation for violations of state insurance laws or regulations.
The department’s latest annual “complaint index” was compiled by tracking the top 20 premium-writing companies operating in Kansas and taking into account companies with 10 or more closed complaints for a specific type of insurance during calendar year 2025.
The agency’s report says more than 3,000 complaints were submitted in relation to auto, accident and health, home, life, annuity and long-term care insurance last year. One-third of those requests were tied to vehicle insurance, the report said, while one-fourth related to homeowner or insurance policies.
Overall, the department said, 69% of insurance complaints submitted to the state agency were related to claims handling.
When a consumer submits a written complaint to the department, an insurance company was required by state law to respond to the department’s inquiry within 15 business days. The insurance department retains a record of each complaint filed by a consumer for up to three years.
