SummaryThis Accounting Technician position is in the Fiscal Service at the VA Providence Healthcare System, located at the Providence, RI location. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week.
DutiesHelp
The purpose of this position is to serve as an Accounting Technician at the VA Providence Healthcare System in Fiscal Service. This position is responsible for a wide range of assignments and provides administrative support to the assigned section. Duties may include, but are not limited to:
- Reviews and approves requisitions for services, supplies, real property, equipment, and adjustments for all appropriations including General Post Funds (GPF) & Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) for the medical center.
- Reviews and approves all receiving reports for transmission to Financial Management System (FMS) and Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System (CAPPS).
- Researches all daily rejects for miscellaneous orders, service orders, contracts, A&E orders, receiving reports and amendments and makes corrections as necessary to resubmit transactions to FMS.
- Reviews daily CAPPS listing to determine if receiving reports are needed.
- Audit payment documents received from vendors, employees, Beneficiary Travel, Patient Funds, and the Agent Cashier for correctness. Forwards invoices to service that require certification.
- Processes invoices for payment in FMS or forwards invoices to the Online Certification System or CAPPS as appropriate.
- Posts payments to obligation documents when payment is processed.
- Processes 2237 and 1358 obligations and modifications on a daily basis according to accuracy, validity, and funding availability.
- Performs comprehensive audits, analysis, evaluations and related procedures for the purchase card system as required.
- Reviews records to determine accuracy of costing, timeliness of reconciliations, and appropriateness of purchases.
- Evaluates the internal controls to detect weaknesses in control procedures and recommends action.
- Ensures proper accounting procedures are enforced to accurately record financial transactions.
- Prepares written reports on the results of audits, reviews, and evaluations.
- Performs and submits Austin Purchase Card Reviews by required deadline.
- Offsets US Bank convenience checks against obligation documents in a timely manner.
- Examines credit memos and reclaims from vendors to determine appropriateness.
- Actively directs and performs research of current accounts, historical data, source documents, etc., to develop and explain detailed information not otherwise readily available.
- Develops comparative data which may reflect complex relationships between accounts and time periods. Identifies significant changes and determines related transactions and causes. Provides detailed recommendations for improvement based on the above process.
- Assists in training of personnel in the use of OLCS, FMS, CAPPS, and IFCAP.
- Reconciles and balances the Accrued Services Payable and Undelivered Orders Reports in FMS and IFCAP monthly.
- Conducts follow-up with service line to determine appropriate action to resolve aged items. Responsible for issuing bills of collection when necessary.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Ad-hoc. As determined by agency policy.
Position Description/PD#: Accounting Technician
/PD03098A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Notifications:- Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
- Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment.
- Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
- This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
RequirementsHelp
Conditions of employment- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
- To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 dentification 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 may 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
QualificationsTo qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/13/2026.
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-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 described below:
- 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: understands accounting principles, methods, procedures, and techniques to conduct difficult and responsible analysis; examines all accounts in order to analyze and detect trends and problems that affect the overall operations of accounting; makes determinations within a complete accounting system to validate transactions and to perform research to resolve in consistencies; and, uses various accounting system software package applications and computer systems and contents to resolve problems of processed transactions.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
- Accounting Operations
- Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
- Internal Controls
Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary, but some walking, bending, and lifting is required as in a normal business environment.
Work Environment: Work is performed in a normal office setting. There is pressure to meet mandatory deadlines of monthly, quarterly, and year-end reports and processing.
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/.
EducationThere is no educational substitution at this grade level.
Additional informationReceiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
The
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
BenefitsHelp
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
