Maximus Inc. facts for kids
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Public | |
Traded as | NYSE: MMS S&P 400 component |
Industry | Healthcare, business services Government contractor |
Founded | 1975 |
Headquarters | Tysons, Virginia |
Areas served
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Canada, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States |
Key people
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Revenue | ![]() |
Number of employees
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39,600 (2023) |
Maximus Inc. is an American company that helps governments serve their citizens. It works in countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Maximus helps manage important government programs. These include programs for healthcare like Medicaid and Medicare, and programs that help people find jobs or manage student loans. The company is located in Tysons, Virginia. It has about 39,600 employees and earned $5.3 billion in 2024.
Contents
How Maximus Started and Grew
Maximus was founded in 1975 by David V. Mastran. It began as a company that gave advice to the government, especially about information technology.
Helping Governments Serve People
Over time, governments started asking private companies like Maximus to help run some of their programs. This happened more often in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1988, Maximus got its first contract to help with social welfare programs in Los Angeles County. This made the company focus more on helping states with their services.
Laws like the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 allowed states to manage social welfare and healthcare programs more freely. This led to even more partnerships between the government and private companies.
In 1997, Maximus became a public company. This meant its shares could be bought and sold on the New York Stock Exchange.
Expanding Services and Focus
In 2006, Richard Montoni became the CEO of Maximus. Between 2008 and 2010, Maximus sold off some of its smaller parts, like its security and education divisions. This helped the company focus mainly on health and human services.
When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010, it created more opportunities for private companies to help with healthcare programs. Maximus expanded its work with the ACA, Medicaid, and Medicare.
From 2010 to 2013, Maximus bought other companies to grow. It acquired Policy Studies Incorporated (PSI) to help more government clients in the U.S. It also bought Ascend to offer clinical assessment services. Globally, Maximus acquired Health Management Ltd. in the UK. In 2015, Maximus bought Acentia, a technology company, to grow its federal technology business.
New Leadership and Digital Focus
In 2018, Bruce Caswell became the new CEO after Richard Montoni retired. Caswell wanted Maximus to focus on helping governments use digital tools for customer service. He also aimed to modernize technology and expand clinical services. In late 2018, Maximus bought parts of another government contractor (GDIT) to improve its citizen engagement centers.
In 2020, Maximus hired Dr. Arvenita Washington Cherry to lead its efforts in DE&I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).
In 2021, Maximus made three more important deals. It took over managing 5.6 million student loan accounts for the U.S. Department of Education, creating a new group called Aidvantage. Maximus also bought Attain, a technology company, and Veterans Evaluation Services (VES), which does health assessments. In January 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs renewed its contracts with VES to continue providing medical disability exams for veterans.
In May 2022, Maximus moved its main office to a new building in Tysons, Virginia. This new office was designed with modern features for how people work after the pandemic.
In September 2022, Maximus won a 10-year contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This contract continued its role as the main operator of citizen contact centers, including the 1-800-MEDICARE helpline.
How Maximus is Organized
Maximus divides its work into three main parts:
- U.S. Services: This part helps U.S. state and local governments. It manages programs like Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and programs for food assistance (SNAP) and family support (TANF).
- U.S. Federal Services: This part works with the U.S. federal government. It helps with technology, develops new systems, and manages appeals and assessments.
- Outside the U.S.: This part provides services to governments and businesses in other countries. This includes health and disability assessments and helping people find jobs.
What Maximus Does
Maximus is one of the biggest companies that provides services to governments. It helps manage business processes, uses technology, and offers advice in areas like health, welfare, and citizen services.
Health and Wellness Support
Maximus helps with government health programs. This includes services for Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare, and health insurance exchanges from the Affordable Care Act.
For example, in 2012, Maximus helped the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services with its Medicaid program. It also helped Oklahoma manage its Medicaid program, SoonerCare.
Maximus is also the largest company that handles appeals for Medicare health insurance. This means if someone disagrees with a Medicare decision, Maximus helps review it. In 2012, this work created many jobs in New York and Pennsylvania.
The company also helps states set up and run their health insurance marketplaces. In 2012, it helped Minnesota create its new health insurance exchange. In 2013, it helped Connecticut run the customer service for its health insurance exchange, Access Health CT.
Helping with COVID-19
When the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020, Maximus began working with U.S. government agencies. It helped with things like providing test results and doing contact tracing in states like Arizona and Indiana. In September 2020, Maximus created Maximus Public Health to set up call centers and help with vaccine distribution.
In 2021, Maximus focused more on vaccine distribution. It worked with states like Colorado to give people information and help them schedule vaccine appointments. In May 2021, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) chose Maximus to help run a national hotline for vaccine distribution.
Welfare and Safety Net Programs
Maximus helps governments run programs that address social challenges like poverty. This includes programs that help people find jobs, like Ticket to Work. It also supports programs for food assistance (SNAP), family support (TANF), and services for refugees.
In 2012, Maximus started its first welfare-to-work program in Canada. It also expanded its work in Australia to help people with disabilities find jobs.
Maximus also helps with child support services. In 2009, it won a contract to help collect child support payments in Shelby County, Tennessee. One of its projects, Project NOW, helped collect over $35,000 for parents.
In the UK, Maximus helps the Department of Work and Pensions. It has helped job seekers find long-term employment. Its company, Centre for Health and Disability Assessments Ltd., also runs health and disability assessments.
Maximus helps the U.S. Department of Education with student loan management. It helps process student loan defaults and provides counseling for federal student loans.
Citizen Services
Governments offer many other services to citizens, like passports, driver's licenses, and disaster help. Maximus helps with these services.
Its work has included supporting:
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- The 2020 Census
Federal and National Agencies
Maximus helps federal agencies design and manage their programs and technology. This includes supporting agencies like the Defense Information Systems Agency, the Energy Department, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Maximus also helps the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) update its technology.
Awards and Recognitions
Maximus has received many awards for its work and as a good place to work.
In 2011, Gartner recognized Maximus for its business process management. In 2015, The Washington Post named Maximus one of the Top Companies to work for in the Washington, D.C. area. Fortune Magazine also listed Maximus among the World's Most Admired Companies in 2017. In 2020, Military Times honored Maximus as a Top Employer for veterans.
In 2022, Hired ranked Maximus as one of the top companies in the U.S. In 2023, Forbes ranked Maximus 13th nationally for America's Best Employers for Diversity. It was also recognized for having great diversity and inclusion efforts. Maximus was also named one of the 100 best corporate internship programs in the U.S. for the third year in a row.
In 2023, Maximus won two Platinum Hermes Creative Awards. One was for improving Medicaid services in Pennsylvania. The other was for helping job seekers in Maricopa County using social media.
In 2024, The Washington Post again named Maximus one of the Top Workplaces in the Greater Washington region. Maximus also received the VETS Indexes 5 Star Employer Award for the third year. Military.com recognized Maximus as a Top Veteran Employer in 2024.
Maximus won the 2024 Disability Matters North America Award for successfully hiring and supporting employees and customers with disabilities.
Maximus was featured in TIME Magazines list of America’s Best Mid-Size Companies for 2024. It was also included in Fortune Magazines Fortune 1000 list, which ranks companies by their earnings. Washington Technology also ranked Maximus among the top 20 federal contractors in 2024.
Giving Back to the Community
Maximus also supports charities and gives back to the community.
Company Donations
In 2010, Maximus and other companies helped digitize records for graves at Arlington National Cemetery for free.
In 2011, Maximus helped fund No Kid Hungry Texas, a program to reduce childhood hunger.
In 2012, Maximus gave money to the National Hispanic Health Foundation for scholarships and to the Urban League of Middle Tennessee.
The Maximus Foundation
The Maximus Foundation is a charity supported by donations from Maximus employees and grants from the company. It helps programs that assist people in need, especially those that help children.
In 2009, the Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation used a grant from Maximus to update its computers. In 2011, EMQ FamiliesFirst, a non-profit that helps children in crisis, received a grant. In 2012, the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (SoBRO) used Maximus Foundation money to start a program teaching job skills to young people. That same year, the Foundation gave over $100,000 to charities helping children in Washington D.C.
In 2013, the Maximus Foundation gave $29,000 to Nepal Earthquake Relief through Project HOPE. In 2015, it provided school supplies to 2,000 children in Austin, Texas.
In 2015, the Foundation gave about $390,000 to 121 non-profit groups in 22 states. These included CASA of Los Angeles and the Community Health Centers of Burlington.
The Maximus Foundation also helped fund high school students who developed Atheia, a new technology to help people with vision problems.