Time And Leave Clerk (OA)

Summary

The position is located in the Division of Nursing Operations in the Directorate of the Office of the Nurse Executives located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois, West Campus.

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Duties

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Duties includes:

• Independently provides technical advice and assistance on pay and leave matters to employees, supervisors, and other management officials and services.
• Responsible for accurately setting up, posting and maintaining all Personnel and Accounting Integrated Data (PAID) time and leave records for each Nursing Divisions employee on a biweekly pay cycle. This includes entry of all regular time, overtime (OT), compensatory time earned and used (CTE/CTU) as well as other types of leave.
• Maintain an accurate, current and approved computerized tour of duty/work schedule database for each T &L unit. Responds to questions from employees concerning the application of pay, leave, and benefit policies and procedures explaining the rationale behind the procedures and solutions to pay and leave problems. Provides orientation to the Time and Leave System to all new or detailed Nurse Managers.
• Review the bi-weekly exception reports and notifying the T&L supervisors, or Nurse Managers of needed leave requests.
• Receives incoming telephone calls, gives information and takes messages. Exercises good judgement in determining priority and importance of calls and determines any need for immediate action.
• Assists with updating of Procedure Manual, Administrative Manual and Special Procedures Makes corrections for final distribution and sends to reproduction, then out to the units to be put in their manuals.
• Maintains files of completed certified time schedules for each T &L unit. Keeps T &L Unit supervisors informed as to the leave status of employees assigned to T &L Unit.
• Maintains official files in accordance with procedures outlined in the Records Control Schedule.
• Computer knowledge including a thorough knowledge of DHCP and PAID with an understanding of how the computer processes/computers time and leave data input, advanced knowledge of personal computers and the various Microsoft Suites (Excel and Microsoft
• Word). Skilled in operation of all office equipment.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 07:30AM- 04:00pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Time And Leave Clerk (OA)/ PD06995O

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
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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 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, 08/12/2026.

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-4 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. 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:

• Specialized Experience:

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the 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: knowledge of a body of standardized rules and regulations relating to entitlement and use of various categories of time and leave and the various types of special pay in order to accurately and appropriately post time and resolve discrepancies in accordance with regulations.

• Knowledge of Nursing Service policies, procedures, key personnel to be able to follow up on needed information and answer questions regarding time and leave , attendance, leave without pay, and workman's compensation.
• Knowledge of an automated data system such as VISTA, DHCP, PEV, and Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) to input a range of standard information or adjustments, understand recurring error reports and take corrective action, and generate a variety of standard reports.
• Knowledge of VA VAMC, and service administrative and clerical policies and procedures to create, format, and proofread documents; reproduce and distribute materials; and maintain files.
• Knowledge and skill in the use of computer equipment with a variety of software such as Word, Outlook, and VHA databases to complete day-to-day assignments. Ability to communicate with a variety of employees and supervisors.

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. (Transcripts required)

OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education as stated above.

OFFICE AUTOMATION (Screen Out) This position requires use of Office Automation and applicants must be able to type at least 40 WPM words per minute.

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

• Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning
• Attention to Detail
• Clerical
• Communication
• Computer Skills
• Customer Service
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Reading Comprehension

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 employee performs sedentary work; however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, or carrying of light items. The employee works in an adequately lighted and ventilated office environment and exercises normal safety precautions. The position requires occasional travel.

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

This occupation is being considered for a Veterans Health Administration enterprise-wide Critical Skills Incentive (CSI). Candidates may be eligible for a lump sum CSI. The amount of lump sum CSI is determined based on appointment date and may be pro-rated as determined by the end date of the CSI. Eligible candidates will be required to sign a service agreement agreeing to an obligated service period and failure to complete the obligated service period may result in a debt for the unearned portion of the CSI.

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. 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.

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.

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.