Budget Technician

Summary

This developmental position, located in the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Aurora, CO, composes a career ladder structure to the full performance level of Budget Technician GS-0561-7. The employee is under the direction of the supervisor.

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Duties

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Areas of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current federal employees designated as surplus or displaced - Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) eligible candidates
2. Current permanent employees of the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (current SF-50 must show 554 in box 40)
3. Current permanent VA employees of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) (current SF-50 must show VHA in box 22)
4. Current permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs
5. All other status eligible candidates

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.

Major Duties :

• Processes standard and one time budgetary transactions for a variety of unrelated appropriated fund and reimbursable accounts: supplies, equipment, labor, transportation, etc.
• Reviews funding document, such as quotes and purchase orders for supplies and equipment, public vouchers, intergovernmental personnel, and reimbursable agreements, etc., to assure account codes and dollar amounts are correct in compliance with government procedures and regulations.
• Adjusts account balances to reflect effects of budgetary transactions (i.e., obligations, expenditures, transfers, and reimbursements).
• Provides historical data and guidance to directors, division chiefs, and program managers in preparation of short-term budget estimates.
• Prepares comprehensive budget reports showing status of funds in appropriated and reimbursable accounts managed.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not available

Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to in person work mandate in their current position.

Definition of Virtual Work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA owned or leased space.

Return to Office (RTO ): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exemption already in place.

Position Description/PD#: Budget Technician/ PD134610, PD134600, and PD134570

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Requirements

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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 ( 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, 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, 07/02/2026.

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-6 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5 grade level. For a GS-7 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6 grade level. 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:

GS-05 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Utilizing established and standardized bookkeeping and accounting procedures/techniques related to an automated accounting system
• Monitoring and accumulating budgetary data
• Computing pay, allowances, per diem, and travel authorizations
• Researching causes of discrepancies in order to determine appropriate corrective actions

OR

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years above high school.

OR

Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05.

GS-06 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Applying budgetary procedures and regulations for the allotment and distribution of funds.
• Verifying sufficient funds are available to cover travel and purchase requests.
• Processing transfers and realignment of funds.
• Inputting and extracting financial information and data on assigned programs.
• Reviewing extensive and detailed cost data (e.g. travel requests, work orders, purchase requests, contracts) for accuracy and conformance to budgetary and travel regulations.

GS-07 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:

• Assisting in reviewing budgetary documents such as work orders, vouchers, and accounting records to help extract basic financial data for senior staff.
• Supported higher-graded analysts by reconciling simple account discrepancies, verifying totals, and flagging issues for further review when accounts did not balance.
• Helped maintain routine control records by updating dollar amounts, object classes, and line items under close supervision to ensure accurate tracking of obligated and expended funds.
• Provided entry-level assistance in preparing status-of-funds summaries by compiling information from multiple sources for consolidation by senior budget personnel.
• Monitored funding limits in assigned accounts in order to notify team members of potential policy or procedural inconsistencies.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:

Additional information

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.

Receiving 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.

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

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.

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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.