Clarification from the agency

VEOA eligibles may apply for consideration who are (a) preference eligibles, or (b) Veterans whose most recent military separation was under honorable conditions after substantially completing at least 3 years of continuous active military service may compete under merit promotion procedures. Current permanent Veterans Canteen Service employees may apply and will be considered in the same manner as a current VA employee.

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This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-7. At the GS-5 grade level, you will perform assignments of a very limited scope and with less independence. At the GS-6 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-7. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and availability of funds.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Maintains and inputs accounting data into integrated computer systems, ensuring proper separation of duties within an automated, double-entry accrual-based accounting system.

• Classifies and processes financial transactions, including purchase orders, construction contract documents, deposits, debit vouchers, replenishments, returned checks, and accounts receivable, verifying accuracy, completeness, and compliance with accounting regulations.

• Analyzes vouchers and invoices to determine propriety of payment, including required certifications by authorized officials, compliance with contract provisions and price agreements, and coordinates resolution of discrepancies with accounting staff and certifying officials.

• Reviews and reconciles accounts by comparing account balances with related data, researching source documents to identify discrepancies, and determining the corrective entries needed to bring accounts into balance.

• Prepares journal vouchers, inter-office transfer vouchers, and expenditure transfers, and compiles financial reports; supports audits and financial reviews of Finance Service functions.

• Processes and establishes transactions, ensures funds are available to prevent anti-deficiency, and performs follow-up on outstanding items.

• Processes payment transactions across multiple electronic systems for vendors, veterans, employee travel, fee basis, contract hospitals, state homes, and prime vendors, comparing document amounts against original obligations and resolving payment discrepancies.

• Serves as alternate teller (agent cashier), accountable, credit card transactions, donation checks, sales receipt collections, check endorsement/scanning, cash disbursements, and bank account reconciliation, and is personally and financially accountable to the U.S. Treasury for a cash advance/revolving fund.

• Administers and provides technical support for programs such as employee travel processing, setting up participant accounts, providing training, auditing travel expense reports, and ensuring compliance with governing regulations.

• Safeguards sensitive financial and personal data in compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974 and VA/VHA security policy, while providing courteous, accurate, and professional customer service to veterans, their representatives, and VA staff.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.


Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. This position may be authorized for Ad-Hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Accounting Technician/PD50300A, PD50301A, and PD50455A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized


VA Whole Health Statement: The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/08/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.


You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Minimum Qualifications for GS-05 (Developmental):

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the position. Specialized experience includes: Processing and verifying accounting transactions within an automated, double-entry accrual accounting system; Assisting with account reconciliations, researching discrepancies, and supporting audits or financial reviews; and Serving as an alternate cashier/teller handling, credit card transactions, check endorsements, and cash accountability, while operating standard office equipment (calculator, credit card terminal, computer, check endorser). OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, in any field, from an accredited college or university. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first 60 semester hours may be combined with experience to qualify at this level.

Note: I kept this to the standard OPM combination boilerplate for GS-5 clerical/technical qualification standards rather than requiring accounting-specific coursework, since the 0525 series at GS-5 doesn't carry a positive education requirement in a specific field - any bachelor's degree qualifies on education alone. Let me know if your announcement needs it phrased differently (e.g., if your agency's standard boilerplate library has slightly different wording it should match).

Minimum Qualifications for GS-06 (Developmental):

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Processing and verifying accounting transactions within an automated, double-entry accrual accounting system; Assisting with account reconciliations, researching discrepancies, and supporting audits or financial reviews; Serving as an alternate cashier/teller handling, credit card transactions, check endorsements, and cash accountability, while operating standard office and equipment (calculator, credit card terminal, computer, check endorser); Independently processing and establishing obligations, payables, and payment transactions across multiple systems (e.g., vendor, employee travel, agent cashier replenishments, construction progress payments), including researching and resolving discrepancies with vendors and customers; and Preparing transfers, and assisting in training users on fund control point management or comparable accounting system processes.

Minimum Qualifications for GS-07 (Full Performance):

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Processing and verifying accounting transactions within an automated, double-entry accrual accounting system; Assisting with account reconciliations, researching discrepancies, and supporting audits or financial reviews; Serving as an alternate cashier/teller handling, credit card transactions, check endorsements, and cash accountability, while operating standard office and equipment (calculator, credit card terminal, computer, check endorser); Independently processing and establishing obligations, payables, and payment transactions across multiple systems (e.g., vendor, employee travel, agent cashier replenishments, construction progress payments), including researching and resolving discrepancies with vendors and customers; and Preparing transfers, and assisting in training users on fund control point management or comparable accounting system processes; and Administering a travel card or similar accountable financial program, including setting up participant accounts, providing technical training, and ensuring compliance with governing regulations.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Reading Comprehension
• Self-Management
• Teamwork

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.


For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.