Voucher Examiner - Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration

Summary This position is located within the Fiscal Service at VA Albany Healthcare Service - Samuel S. Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York. The Voucher Examiner serves as the facility voucher auditor/accounting technician and employee transportation assistant. The Voucher Examiner is responsible for preparing travel orders, authorizations, expense vouchers, and coordinating the Fed Travel Management Program. Responsibilities *THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION* Major duties and responsibilities include, but not limited to, the following: Understanding account relationships within the segment of the accounting system assigned (IFCAP) and a general understanding of the relationships with other accounts in the integrated system (FMS) Ensuring obligated and paid documents are accepted in the Financial Management System (FMS); rejected documents are properly and timely corrected; agent cashier replenishments and deposits are properly processed; and appropriate obligations are liquidated Reviewing documents to ensure their accuracy, they are authorized in conformity with existing regulations, they are charged to the proper appropriation and that sufficient funds are available Processing documents such as tort claims, beneficiary travel, bene-transit payments to employees and vendors, employee claims Reviewing and ensuring funds are not needlessly encumbered, thus ensuring outstanding obligated balances are resolved Taking appropriate action; ensuring open unpaid balances are not in obligated status past 60 days; and performing the reconciliation of the SF-224 (agent cashier deposit) report Assisting with duties of the agent cashier or a fiscal service representative for agent cashier audits Gathering and preparing documentation for several fiscal audits Providing excellent customer service skills; validating travel documentation/authorizations; preparing travel authorities; promoting/coordinating the issuance of government travel cards; and establishing employee files in the FMS payment system Preparing requests for travel advances, preparing travel authorities, purchasing airline tickets, analyzing travel itineraries/tickets, preparing audits and processing travel vouchers, and clearing travel advances Auditing/analyzing the Centrally Billed Accounts and Individually Billed Accounts billing statements for accuracy Serving as the point of contact for resolving problems related to Temporary duty travel, providing cost estimates to assist employees traveling and to assist managers in evaluating requests for travel Formulating the most convenient and economical travel arrangements, purchasing airline tickets, and arranging rental cars and issues travel authority Advising employees on conditions and requirements under which allowances are payable and providing information of ways to avoid excess cost or misuse of government funds Preparing employee's travel voucher, verifying that all expenses are authorized as per Federal Travel Regulations and documented with receipts as required Performing other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30 pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Voucher Examiner/PD05765A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/14/2024. 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 6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 5. 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. Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Voucher Examiner in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Specialized Experience (GS-06): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-05). Qualifying examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: utilizing the working knowledge of accounting and other financial management technical methods, techniques, and procedures to resolve problems (e.g., maintaining and closing out accounts in the accounting system; validating transactions and performing research to resolve inconsistencies; utilizing various accounting systems applications; applying knowledge of related financial regulations and rulings covering diverse types of transactions). (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Audit Reporting Control of Funds Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) 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. Physical Requirements: The work places no special physical demands on the employee other than some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light objects. However, there is a high level of stress due to demanding deadlines and the need for a high degree of accuracy. 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/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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.