Maximus Inc. is an American government services company, with operations in countries including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Maximus provides administration and other services for Medicaid, Medicare, health care reform, welfare-to-work, and student loan servicing, among other government programs. The company is based in Tysons, Virginia, has 39,600 employees and a reported annual revenue of $5.3 billion in fiscal year 2024.
History Maximus was founded in 1975 by David V. Mastran, initially operating as a consulting firm for the federal government, including information technology services.
The history of Maximus follows the trajectory of significant government policy changes.
The government service reform policies in the '80s and early '90s which were enacted by the Reagan administration and continued in the Bush and Clinton administrations, led to the US government increasing private-sector contracting of administration program functions operated under the control of government. In 1988, Maximus was awarded its first contract for social welfare from Los Angeles County, and began shifting focus towards business process outsourcing and providing state-based consulting services.
Passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 under President Clinton granting states greater latitude in administering social welfare programs, and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 amending certain eligibility, enrollment, and beneficiary protections in Medicaid further increased government use of public / private partnerships for the administration of certain program functions.
In 1997, the company went public, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MMS.
The G.W. Bush Administration saw reauthorization and expansion of PRWORA, cementing the government's use of private sector contracting of administrative functions associated with Federally funded, state administered, entitlement programs.
In 2006, Richard Montoni, former chief financial officer for Maximus, was named CEO. From 2008 to 2010, Maximus engaged in a number of divestitures that included its Security Solutions, Justice Solutions, Education Systems, Asset Solutions and Enterprise resource planning (ERP) divisions, focusing the firm on providing health and human services core program solutions.
Passage in 2010 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) during the Obama Administration further expanded the use of private sector contracting of government administrative functions associated with the ACA, Medicaid, and Medicare, in conjunction with other human services related programs.
From 2010 to 2013, Maximus acquired Denver-based Policy Studies Incorporated (PSI) to increase its capacity to serve government clients in the US and expanded into clinical assessment services with the acquisition of Ascend. From a global perspective, Maximus acquired UK based Health Management Ltd. On April 6, 2015, the company completed the $300 million acquisition of Falls-Church-based technology contractor, Acentia, expanding the Maximus federal technology business.
In 2018, after twelve years as CEO, Richard Montoni announced his retirement and the company appointed President Bruce Caswell to the position of chief executive officer. Caswell articulated a strategic plan focusing the company's activities on helping governments advance digitally-enabled customer service, modernizing technology capabilities and expansion of clinical services delivery. In November 2018, Maximus acquired U.S. Federal citizen engagement center assets from another government contractor (GDIT) for $400 million in cash.
In September 2020, Maximus hired Dr. Arvenita Washington Cherry as Senior Director of DE&I to lead diversity and inclusion activities in its workforce.
In 2021, Maximus completed three additional transactions. Maximus and Navient announced the two companies signed a definitive agreement to transfer the loan servicing for 5.6 million U.S. Department of Education-owned student loan accounts through a contract novation, creating a new operating entity, Aidvantage. Maximus acquired Attain, a technology integration company, and Veterans Evaluation Services (VES), a clinical assessments company. In January 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs re-awarded VES, a Maximus company, contracts through 2026 for domestic regions 1 – 4 which collectively span the continental U.S. to continue providing medical disability exams services through the Veterans Benefit Administration.
In May 2022, Maximus relocated its headquarters to Tysons, Virginia in new office space that was reported to incorporate "many of the post-pandemic office designs that architects and companies are emphasizing."
In September 2022, after a 3-year long competitive procurement process, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded Maximus a 10 year contract that extended its existing role as lead operator of citizen contact centers, including 1-800-MEDICARE. In December 2023, US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced it would be recompeting this contract for the express purpose of inserting a labor harmony agreement. In November 2024, CMS decided to halt efforts to rebid its contract with Maximus. Some observers, including 17 state attorneys general, noted that there was little precedent for ending an ongoing contract and introducing new labor harmony provisions. Sen. Bill Cassidy, the incoming chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, stated, 'The Maximus contract should never have ended in the first place,' and expressed concerns that the administration's actions were aimed at promoting unionization among call-center employees.
Structure Maximus’ operations are divided into three segments: U.S. Services, U.S. Federal Services, and outside the U.S.
U.S. Services: business process services (BPS), appeals and assessments, and consulting work for U.S. state and local governments. This work has included supporting programs associated with Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Refugee Support Services, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) U.S. Federal Services: end-to-end solutions, appeals and assessments, system and application development, IT modernization, and maintenance services Outside the U.S.: business process services (BPS) for international governments and commercial clients. This includes health and disability assessments, program administration for employment services, wellbeing solutions, and other services related to work-support programs.
Services Maximus is one of the largest providers of government services. The company provides business process management, technology integration and implementation, and consulting services in policy and program areas that include Health and Wellness, Welfare and Safety Net, Citizen Services, and Federal/National Agencies.
Health and Wellness Maximus provides services for government health programs including Medicaid and workers' compensation independent medical review, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare and health insurance exchanges as required under the Affordable Care Act. Maximus serves on the Enroll America advisory council.
In September 2012, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services awarded Maximus Health Services a two-year, $76.8 million contract to help the state with its Medicaid program. That same month, Maximus announced a $23.5 million contract with the State of Oklahoma to operate a customer relationship management system for SoonerCare, the state's Medicaid program, and Insure Oklahoma, a program that provides employers with subsidies to help buy private market health insurance for their low- to moderate-income employees.
Maximus is also the largest provider of privatized health insurance appeals to Medicare. In 2012 it expanded its growing Federal operations, bringing 500 local jobs to upstate New York and Pennsylvania, including more than 325 jobs in Pittsford, NY and more than 125 jobs to Scranton, PA.
The company offers services in the health insurance exchange marketplace and in July 2012, the Minnesota Department of Commerce awarded Maximus a two-year, $41 million contract to create the state's new health insurance exchange. In February 2013, Connecticut awarded Maximus a $15 million contract to run the customer contact center operations for the state's health insurance exchange, Access Health CT.
COVID-19 Response
In March 2020, Maximus began working with government agencies in the United States at the federal, state, and local level to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic response. This work initially included providing testing results and conducting contact tracing, in states such as Arizona and Indiana. In September 2020, Maximus announced the creation of Maximus Public Health to establish citizen engagement centers and support “efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 and toward the purchasing and distribution of vaccines."
In 2021, Maximus shifted its focus to vaccine distribution. The company worked directly with states, like Colorado, to provide information to residents and schedule vaccine appointments. In May 2021, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced it had selected Maximus to “support a national hotline program" for vaccine distribution.
Welfare and Safety Net National governments, state agencies, and local governments administer and deliver programs that address complex social challenges like poverty and health equity. Maximus supports agencies in this area, offering services such as welfare-to-work programs, including Ticket to Work, as well as support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Refugee Support Services.
In 2012, the company launched its first welfare-to-work program in Canada and expanded its Australia operations with a five-year contract to help people with disabilities find employment.
Maximus also provides child support enforcement and other child support services. In 2009, the company won a five-year contract to collect and enforce child-support collections in Shelby County, Tennessee. Maximus launched Project NOW (Negotiating Outstanding Warrants), an initiative that collected more than $35,000 to help nearly 100 parents in Shelby County get back on track after missing child support payments.
Maximus provides support for the UK’s Department of Work and Pensions. In 2011, Maximus was recognized as the top performing provider for welfare-to-work services under the United Kingdom's Flexible New Deal programme, helping job seekers into long-term sustained employment. Following the Flexible New Deal, the United Kingdom government unveiled a replacement program, called the Work Programme, that created welfare reform changes. Maximus serves as a contractor in three regions under the UK's Work Programme initiative. Its subsidiary, Centre for Health and Disability Assessments Ltd., runs Work Capability Assessments with a contract which began in 2014 and runs until July 2021.
In 2012, the company launched its first welfare-to-work program in Canada and expanded its Australia operations with a five-year contract to help people with disabilities find employment.
Maximus provides support for the U.S. Department of Education’s student debt management and collection system and student loan counseling for the Federal Student Loan program. Maximus Federal Services is a contractor to FSA for DMS (Default Management System) one of the systems used to process student loan defaults.
Citizen services