Talk:Maximus Inc.

Untitled
This article is weak, but the company is notable. We need more about the many scandals involved with MAXIMUS (yes, they use all-caps) contract practices. -- Orange Mike  |   Talk  00:29, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

news item about subsidiary
Happened to look this wiki article up because of this news item about Maximum BC Health Inc., which keeps records for the British Columbia Ministry of Health.Skookum1 (talk) 21:52, 22 January 2014 (UTC)

This article is completely deficient. It completely ignores Maximus' origins in Texas, its nurturing by the Bush family and it's fixation on massive profits through crony capitalism at the expense of service to the middle class and working poor. This article should be deleted and re-built from the ground up. Maximus goes all the way back to 1981 in Texas, and may have existed before that. It did not just magically appear in 1997. It is a terrible, terrible thing, privatization of social services for profit off of the poor. The only way that can happen is by taking unlawful short cuts and gutting pay and benefits for their line employees. This is all through personal experience and observation of Maximus' work in other states, such as Arizona.

NYC SESIS lawsuit
(Can't seem to be able to edit this article, and not even sure how to use this talk page, but I hope someone more skilled can work this into the article) Add to company history:

In 2016 the New York City Public Advocate Letitia James sued the city's Department of Education over a system built by MAXIMUS. The system, called SESIS, was meant to help the city track services for students with disabilities, but was prone to malfunctions and did not fully answer its original defined functional scope. The system had cost the city ~$130 million to build, but also incurred at least ~$356 million more in lost Medicaid reimbursements.

--Ehudtal (talk) 04:28, 5 February 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done Thank you --allthefoxes (Talk) 04:38, 5 February 2016 (UTC)
 * You did almost perfect here, just remember next time new talk page entries go at the bottom :) --allthefoxes (Talk) 04:38, 5 February 2016 (UTC)

Unlock please
I don't believe it is in the public interest to keep this page locked.. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 106.131.169.41 (talk) 01:33, 26 March 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 January 2019
Under criticisms, june 2012 there's a section that reads "It's concerning, we've had concerns about M\AXMIUS in the past," I suggest that the "M\AXMIUS" should be followed by "[sic]", otherwise it's unclear whether that mistake is on the part of the article or the original text. 88.98.241.204 (talk) 18:23, 18 January 2019 (UTC)
 * The mistake was in the article. I added an archive link, and the original source did not contain the error. &#8209;&#8209; El Hef  ( Meep? ) 19:57, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 24 August 2017
there is a sectios that should be section 2605:E000:9161:A500:3832:5234:5BA4:7DB6 (talk) 05:29, 24 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. — nihlus kryik   ( talk ) 05:53, 24 August 2017 (UTC)

Incorrect link on Bruce Caswell
CEO Bruce Caswell is not the same Bruce Caswell that served on the Michigan senate — Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.81.80.3 (talk) 18:27, 7 June 2018 (UTC)

Revenue and number of employees
Hi, I'm Heather, and I'm on Wikipedia to suggest encyclopedic edits on behalf of my employer, Maximus Inc. Newer "revenue" and "number of employees" figures are available for the infobox that I hope editors will consider.

Current article Number of employees: 34,000 (unsourced)

Requested edit Number of employees 29,600 (2019)

Source: 2019 Form 10-K, page 14

Current article Revenue: ▲ US$2.39 billion (FY2018)

Requested edit Revenue: ▲ US$2.88 billion (FY2019)

Source: 2019 Form 10-K, page 19

Is anyone available to make these changes? While there were good-faith efforts by Maximus representatives in the past to update the article, I am now aware that Wikipedia rules prohibit direct editing if there is a financial conflict of interest. Thank you for your assistance. HSMaximus (talk) 17:20, 8 October 2020 (UTC)


 * Hi, I have ✅ the change. Apologies for the delay and thank you for complying with our paid contribution policies. Best, Blablubbs (talk • contribs) 19:31, 5 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Thank you Blablubbs! The latest figures in the "Financial performance" section are from 2014, so I will make a separate request below to add newer figures. HSMaximus (talk) 01:30, 16 November 2020 (UTC)

Financial performance
Hi, it's Heather from Maximus again. The latest figures in "Financial performance" are from 2014. Newer revenue figures from 2015 through 2019 are available that I hope editors will consider adding. I included the newer figures and references below.

Requested update

Is anyone available to make these changes? With my understanding of Wikipedia's conflict of interest rules, I will work on Wikipedia Talk pages to suggest edits related to Maximus instead of direct editing. Thank you for your assistance. HSMaximus (talk) 01:30, 16 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi . I know this is probably not the answer you're hoping for, but looking over this, I think it might be better to remove that section altogether; as far as I can tell, we usually don't include tables on financial performance data in articles about corporations. I'll remove the section if this is alright for you – if not, I'll leave this open so someone else can comment. Best, Blablubbs (talk • contribs) 00:38, 25 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Re. "we usually don't include tables on financial performance data" – that was my first thought before I scrolled down and saw your answer. Pelagic ( messages ) – (19:54 Thu 03, AEDT) 08:54, 3 December 2020 (UTC)


 * Hi Blablubbs and Pelagic. I'm totally OK with you removing the table if that's best practice. I was only looking to update it because it was so outdated. However, newer revenue figures for 2020 were just released. Would you be able to update the infobox once again with the latest revenue and number of employees based on the 2020 Form 10-K?
 * Revenue: $3.46 billion (2020)
 * Number of employees: 34,300 (2020)
 * Thank you for your assistance. HSMaximus (talk) 03:25, 7 December 2020 (UTC)


 * , ✅. Best, Blablubbs | talk 03:31, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

Logo
Maximus Inc.'s logo is available for use in the infobox. I uploaded the logo at File:Maximus_Inc._Logo.png. Is anyone available to add this logo to the infobox? I work for Maximus and have a conflict of interest, which is why I refrain from making the change myself. HSMaximus (talk) 10:07, 21 December 2020 (UTC)
 * ✅. Logo added. And the logo cannot be copyrighted, because it consists solely of a simple shape and text. I changed it to a PD-logo. ~Anachronist (talk) 23:48, 13 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Thank you Anachronist! I understand the change you made to the logo file and appreciate you adding it to the article. HSMaximus (talk) 13:51, 27 January 2021 (UTC)

Introduction
Hi, it's Heather from Maximus here again with a request for the introduction text. The description of the company as an "outsourcing company" doesn't match how it is typically described, and it doesn't accurately cover the type of work the company does. As well, the list of locations and the details about the number of employees and annual revenue can be brought up-to-date based on the 2020 10-K used for the infobox.

Requested update Maximus Inc. is an American company that provides business process services to government agencies, including health and human services agencies, in the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Maximus focuses on administering government-sponsored programs, such as Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), health care reform, welfare-to-work, Medicare, child support enforcement, and other government programs. The company is based in Reston, Virginia, has more than 34,300 employees and a reported annual revenue of $3.46 billion in fiscal year 2020.

Is anyone available to review and make these changes? Based on my understanding of Wikipedia's conflict of interest rules, I am using Wikipedia Talk pages to suggest edits related to Maximus instead of direct editing. Thank you for your assistance. HSMaximus (talk) 14:01, 27 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Hi Blablubbs and Pelagic, are either of you possibly able to review this request? Thank you in advance. HSMaximus (talk) 19:59, 18 February 2021 (UTC)


 * Hi – I agree that the lead is not ideal as it stands, but unfortunately this is still a   from my side. Relying on a self-published source to describe the company is very much suboptimal, especially in the lead. In addition, business process services strikes me as very vague (I know it's currently in the lead, but I think it probably has to go). The listing of countries and individual programs also strikes me as a little excessive, especially when not independently sourced. I'm strongly in support of a lead rewrite based on independent descriptions of the company though. I hope this helps. Thanks for complying with our COI guidelines and best practices and best, Blablubbs | talk 16:28, 5 March 2021 (UTC)
 * As an afterthought, the update to the financials and staff figures is however uncontroversial and therefore ✅. Blablubbs | talk 16:44, 5 March 2021 (UTC)


 * Thank you Blablubbs! Your explanation makes sense to me that the company's description should be based on third-party sourcing. So that we are on the same page, it was not my intention to use the 10-K as the source for the full introduction but just to confirm the locations and the figures in the final sentence. I thought that the current introduction wording was based on the rest of the article and didn't need new sourcing. Understanding now that the current introduction is not ideal from Wikipedia's perspective (as well as due to the issue I raised above about the description), I'm looking at how best to reword and source an updated version of the rest of the introduction based on your feedback here. I hope to be back soon with some suggestions! Thanks again. HSMaximus (talk) 18:27, 22 March 2021 (UTC)

Due weight
I just read through this article again and I have substantial due weight concerns, including with regard to section placement. Even after I trimmed some of it, large swaths of the article are just listings of charitable commitments and awards. While I'm certain Maximus does commendable work, the amount of weight we're giving it strikes me as undue for the article. The criticism section, which contains some of the most reliable sourcing in the article, is currently just a somewhat unappealing quasi-list at the bottom, and the history is mostly one of mergers and acquisition. I'm considering merging the two sections into one, which would address some of my due weight concerns, but I thought I'd bring it up here for. Also pinging, who is better than me at stuff like this – your input would be much appreciated. Blablubbs | talk 16:50, 5 March 2021 (UTC)
 * A couple thoughts:
 * Charitable actions by a company are usually not notable unless they are a major part of their brand, had a major impact on society or are culturally relevant. For me, giving money isn't enough: the company has to be actively involved in running the charitable organisation (like how McDonald's is linked to Ronald McDonald House Charities.) After a quick skim, the charity section can use a major trim.
 * Awards should only be listed if they are notable, again usually indicated by the award having their own wiki article.
 * Per WP:CRITS Wikipedia avoids criticism sections. I suggest this is renamed "Reception", the list be reformatted into paragraph form, and some of the minor controversies can be removed.
 * The History and Mergers section should be combined. Only notable mergers should be listed. I don't see a merge or acquisitions section though.
 * Let me know if have any questions. Z1720 (talk) 15:29, 6 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Hi Blablubbs and Z1720! I couldn't help noticing your discussion here about the due weight issues in the article. Reading what you have both said about the changes needed, I realized that the draft that I have worked on for this page might be helpful: User:HSMaximus/Maximus_Inc._draft
 * In the draft, I have significantly reduced the amount of material about charitable works, and included only the information that I could source appropriately for both that section and the Awards and recognitions section. I have also improved the History section and added references that were missing from that content. I did not really touch the Criticisms section aside from adding references where they were missing. I felt it was best that I not suggest any major changes with that content due to my conflict of interest.
 * What do you both think? Could the Awards and recognitions and Community service and charitable contributions sections from my draft be used in the article to help resolve some of these issues?
 * As I have mentioned above, I'm on Wikipedia to suggest encyclopedic edits on behalf of my employer, Maximus Inc. and I am using Wikipedia Talk pages to make suggestions instead of direct editing. Thank you. HSMaximus (talk) 18:29, 22 March 2021 (UTC)

Introduction (updated)
Hi, it's Heather from Maximus here again, with a fresh request for the introduction text. Earlier this year, I made a request as the description of the company as an "outsourcing company" doesn't match how it is typically described, and doesn't accurately cover the type of work the company does. I had also asked about updating the locations and revenue. User:Blablubbs made the changes to the figures, but explained that they would prefer to see an introduction that describes the company based on independent sourcing. They also mentioned not being comfortable with the phrase "business process services" as this seemed too vague.

Requested update Maximus Inc. is an American government services company, with global operations in countries including the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The company contracts with government agencies to provide services to manage and administer government-sponsored programs. Maximus provides administration and other services for Medicaid, Medicare, health care reform, and welfare-to-work, among other government programs. The company is based in Reston, Virginia, has 34,300 employees and a reported annual revenue of $3.46 billion in fiscal year 2020.

Line by line breakdown To be clear on how each part is sourced and why it should be updated, I have listed each line alongside a brief explanation:
 * Maximus Inc. is an American government services company: I found this description to be the most detailed one that is commonly used in sourcing. As well as the cited source, I found some older sources (e.g. Baltimore Sun and Associated Press)as well as a variety of recent ones (e.g. Washington Business Journal and Virginia Business) that each use this phrase
 * with global operations in countries including the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom Blablubbs had mentioned that the listing of countries seemed "excessive", so I broadened this language and listed the countries based on those already mentioned within the article's text (US, Canada, Australia and UK are mentioned in History and Services). As well, I added "global" and provided a source describing Maximus as a "global firm" to capture that the company has a broader presence.
 * The company contracts with government agencies to provide services to manage and administer government-sponsored programs. This is a rewrite on the existing introduction, and is a summary of the information from the History and Services
 * Maximus provides administration and other services for Medicaid, Medicare, health care reform, and welfare-to-work, among other government programs. This is also a rewrite of the existing introduction, based on Blablubbs' feedback that the current list of programs is excessive. This summarizes information from the Services
 * The final line is the same as the current article

Additionally, since the full list of countries where Maximus operates is not mentioned in the article yet and the introduction list is just partial, I wanted to ask if they could be added to the infobox. I looked at the full template and I see there's an "Areas served" parameter that could be used. Can following countries be listed under "Areas served" in the infobox? Here's the code and the source to support all the countries:

| areas_served = Australia, Canada, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

Is anyone available to review this and potentially make these changes? Due to my understanding of Wikipedia's conflict of interest rules, I am using Wikipedia Talk pages to suggest edits for Maximus instead of direct editing. Thank you for your assistance. HSMaximus (talk) 11:41, 7 July 2021 (UTC)
 * This request has been pending for nearly a month, with no response. It appears to address all of the concerns raised for the previous request. I am not as familiar with resolving such COI concerns, so I am deferring to Blablubbs and others for feedback. I have no conflict of interest.  If there is no objection by next Monday (2021-08-09), I will make the requested edit. EJSawyer (talk) 22:28, 5 August 2021 (UTC)


 * Yes check.svg Done EJSawyer (talk) 21:19, 9 August 2021 (UTC)


 * Hi! My name is Katie and I'm one of Heather's colleagues. She has been teaching me about Wikipedia's rules and how we can discuss this page with editors and make requests. I will be stepping in to take over from her as the company's main contact on Wikipedia, so I am disclosing that I work for Maximus and have a conflict of interest. Per Wikipedia's conflict of interest rules, I will use Wikipedia Talk pages to request edits for Maximus instead of direct editing. I wanted to explain and introduce myself here before I followed up about this request.


 * All that to say, thank you User:EJSawyer for reviewing this request and editing the introduction. I hope that if any editors have feedback on this change we can discuss it here. Thanks, Katie at Maximus (talk) 16:28, 16 August 2021 (UTC)


 * Waiting can be frustrating but that's part of the deal. Remember that there are no deadlines on Wikipedia. ~Anachronist (talk) 18:22, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

History (first paragraph)
Hi! Following up my introduction above, I have been looking at how I can pick up from my colleague Heather and begin contributing to this page. The first paragraph of "History" does not have any references and a lot of the content provides information about the company's founder that seems too detailed on the company page. The draft below summarizes the founding and early company history, and adds sources for verification. It also corrects the details re: the first contract for social welfare, which was in 1988 and with Los Angeles County.

Requested update Maximus was founded in 1975 by David V. Mastran, a Vietnam veteran and former employee of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Maximus initially operated as a consulting firm for the federal government and later became the first company to provide business process services for welfare reform, according to The Washington Post. It also offered information technology services. In 1988 Maximus received its first contract for social welfare, for Los Angeles County, and transitioned its business focus to operating government programs and services.

Are any editors available to review this and if possible add this to replace the existing first paragraph in the "History"? As I am an employee of Maximus and have a conflict of interest, per Wikipedia's COI rules, I will use Wikipedia Talk pages to request edits for Maximus instead of direct editing. Thanks, Katie at Maximus (talk) 19:49, 20 August 2021 (UTC)

@User:Katie at Maximus✅ WikiIsKnowledge (talk) 00:03, 30 September 2021 (UTC)


 * Thank you User:WikiIsKnowledge for reviewing this request and making the edits to the History. Thanks, Katie at Maximus (talk) 19:42, 4 October 2021 (UTC)

About Maximus
Hi - I am the Sr Director of Corporate Communications with Maximus and have a conflict of interest based on Wikipedia's rules. I am new to updating and would like to work with you all to update content on our Wiki page. I'll use the Talk page to request any edits so I'm not direct editing any content.

Under the about side panel, can you update the employee count to 39,000 and our revenue to $4.63 billion? I have provided a link to our SEC filings for reference.

https://investor.maximus.com/sec-filings/annual-reports

Thank you. Jaredacurtis (talk) 16:40, 22 February 2023 (UTC)

Improvement
This page definitely needs some focus and looking at the history of talk page discussions I see this has been an ongoing conversation for many years - almost a decade. Wow! One thing in particular was discussion about the Controversy content. There was a recommendation that minor controversies be removed and it be reformatted. As you see it is just a list. The sourcing is good and no doubt these things happened, however, many may not tell the full story and could either be removed or edited to share more information. My last edit was reverted due to "puffery", etc. As it stands now, the language mentions a settlement but does not expand to indicate the company neither admitted nor denied the allegations which is important to give context that the reader may not infer as you have @Anachronist. Would it be agreeable to add that back in without the quote from the analyst? I would really like to improve this section and believe you can be helpful in that endeavor. Please let me know your thoughts! Ctbw54 (talk) 13:01, 28 June 2024 (UTC)


 * There is no need for further additions to the statement about the settlement. Nearly all settlements omit any admission of guilt. It doesn't need to be said, especially not from a source written by the company. The Washington Post piece cited can be used as a source of further information, and that piece also says Maximus neither confirmed nor admitted guilt in the case (not the settlement) but this is a mundane fact that isn't necessary to highlight in a 2-line summary of what the cited source says. ~Anachronist (talk) 15:04, 28 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Hi again! "nearly all settlements omit any admission of guilt" - nearly all is not the same as all and so clarification on this settlement would be needed. Also, if the Washington Post says that the company neither confirmed nor admitted guilt in the case, that would indicate that it is important. Perhaps that is the language that can be added and cited. Regardless of how short or long, if the content appears on the page, it should be complete and factual, don't you agree @Anachronist? Ctbw54 (talk) 17:16, 5 July 2024 (UTC)
 * I disagree. The Washington Post article simply says Maximus didn't confirm or deny the allegations in the legal case. It didn't say anything about what the settlement contained. Using that language would not only misprepresent the source, but it is also redundant and unnecessary. ~Anachronist (talk) 23:02, 6 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Since not all case settlements omit admissions of guilt, the Washington Post included in its coverage of this case the language about neither admitting or denying the government's allegations in the case. This is content that makes the "controversy" statement more neutral. Can we agree on this proposed edit:
 * July 2007- Maximus settled a lawsuit brought against it by the United States government for involvement in falsifying Medicaid claims for $30.5 million. ADD: Maximus did not admit or deny the government's allegations in the legal case. (using source 92 which is this Washington Post article.
 * Thanks! Ctbw54 (talk) 21:58, 16 July 2024 (UTC)