Kansas Statutes Annotated

K.S.A. § 46-920 (2026)

Claims against the state; reimbursement payment by secretary of corrections of certain personal injuries and personal property losses of inmates authorized; limitation; setoff of moneys received by inmates for court ordered restitution

✓ current as of May 2026

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46-920. Claims against the state; reimbursement payment by secretary of corrections of certain personal injuries and personal property losses of inmates authorized; limitation; setoff of moneys received by inmates for court ordered restitution. (a) The secretary of corrections may reimburse any inmate of any correctional institution or other facility under the secretary's jurisdiction for any personal injury or personal property damage or loss occurring under circumstances which establish, in the secretary's opinion, that such loss or damage was caused by the negligence of the state or any agency, officer or employee thereof. No reimbursement payment shall be made on any claim for an amount of more than $750. An inmate shall provide notice to the secretary of the nature, time, date and place for claims exceeding $750. Failure to provide such notice shall not prevent a claim from being considered by the joint committee on claims against the state. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the crediting of any payment made to an inmate of a correctional institution or other facility under the secretary's jurisdiction to such inmate's account within the institution or facility, as the case may be.

(b) When an inmate owes an outstanding unpaid amount of restitution ordered by a court pursuant to K.S.A. 21-4603, 21-4603d or 21-4610, prior to their repeal, or K.S.A. 21-6604, 21-6607 or 21-6702, and amendments thereto, the secretary of corrections shall withdraw from the inmate's trust account as a set-off:

(1) Money received by the inmate from the state as a settlement of a claim against the state through the joint committee on special claims against the state which is otherwise specifically approved for payment by appropriation act of the legislature, or which is approved through the department of corrections internal claims procedure under this section; or

(2) money received by the inmate from the state as the result of a settlement or a final judgment in a civil action in which the state of Kansas or an employee of the department of corrections was a named defendant and the state was found to be liable.

(c) When an inmate on post release, parole or conditional release supervision owes an outstanding unpaid amount of restitution ordered by a court pursuant to K.S.A. 21-4603, 21-4603d or 21-4610, prior to their repeal, or K.S.A. 21-6604, 21-6607 or 21-6702, and amendments thereto, the state shall setoff the unpaid restitution from:

(1) Money payable to the inmate from the state as a settlement of a claim against the state through the joint committee against the state which is specifically approved for payment by appropriation act of the legislature or which is approved through the department of corrections under this section; or

(2) money payable to the inmate from the state as a result of a settlement or final judgment in a civil action in which the state of Kansas or an employee of the department of corrections was a named defendant and the state was found to be liable.

(d) Vouchers certifying the amount to be setoff under subsection (c) for the outstanding unpaid restitution and any balance remaining payable to the inmate shall be prepared and submitted to the director of accounts and reports of the department of administration.

(e) When more than one state court order of restitution is outstanding and unpaid, moneys shall be applied to and paid for the restitution orders in accordance with this section in the order in which the final judgment orders were entered.

(f) Money collected for payment towards outstanding unpaid restitution in accordance with this section shall be forwarded to the appropriate clerk of the district court for disbursement.

History: L. 1980, ch. 254, § 1; L. 1982, ch. 220, § 1; L. 1988, ch. 183, § 1; L. 1996, ch. 108, § 1; L. 2011, ch. 30, § 194; L. 2025, ch. 119, § 1; July 1.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 3 cases, 2003–2020 · leading case: CHELF v. State, 263 P.3d 852 (Kan. Ct. App. 2011).

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CHELF v. State, 263 P.3d 852 (Kan. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 2× “Relevant to this analysis, the court explained the rationale for making *527 either of these two alternatives available to satisfy an inmate’s exhaustion requirement: “The reason behind tire joint committee option may be found in K.S.A. 46-920, which governs personal injury…”

Bates v. State, 67 P.3d 168 (Kan. Ct. App. 2003). · cites it 2× “The reason behind the joint committee option may be found in K.S.A. 46-920, which governs personal injury claims against the State within the prison context.”

Jamerson v. Heimgartner (Kan. Ct. App. 2020). “IMPP 01-118(V)(D) states: "Pursuant to K.S.A. 46-920, if an offender owes an outstanding unpaid amount of court-ordered restitution, the facility business office shall withdraw from the offender's trust account as a set-off: [m]oney received by the offender from [KDOC] as a…”

— K.S.A. § 46-920(a) — 2 cases

CHELF v. State, 263 P.3d 852 (Kan. Ct. App. 2011). “Relevant to this analysis, the court explained the rationale for making *527 either of these two alternatives available to satisfy an inmate’s exhaustion requirement: “The reason behind tire joint committee option may be found in K.S.A. 46-920, which governs personal injury…”

Bates v. State, 67 P.3d 168 (Kan. Ct. App. 2003). “The reason behind the joint committee option may be found in K.S.A. 46-920, which governs personal injury claims against the State within the prison context.”

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