Accounting Technician

Summary This position is located in the Finance & Accounting service in the Accounting Section of the VA Maryland Health Care System, in Perry Point, MD. The incumbent works under the direct supervision of the Supervisory Accountant and is assigned to the Accounting Section staff. This position provides technical assistance, support, and maintenance of accounting records for the VA Maryland Health Care System. Responsibilities Major Duties: Examines, verifies, and maintains financial accountants and accounting data and classifies accounting transactions including the verification of the accuracy and completeness of the accounting data according to established guidelines, regulations, and directives. Determines the general ledger accounts, journals, and subsidiary accounts affected, and the debit and credit entries to be made as per generally accepted accounting practices. Summarizes transactions and prepares control documents or other posting documents reflecting the entries to be made. Incumbent has technical responsibility for the maintenance, auditing, and reconciliation of the general and subsidiary ledger accounts for the preparation of accurate and timely reports, and for the control of funds. Determines the nature of errors and makes adjustments in the correct appropriation to a variety of interrelated accounts. Researches, interprets, and verifies which appropriation and general ledger accounts a document and subsequent accounting transactions will affect; establishes routines for input of these transactions and uses judgement for non-routine transactions. Ensures compliance with accounting regulations and requirements. Must use judgement to interpret guidelines, adapt procedures, decide approaches, and resolve specific problems. The Employee must analyze each transaction, sometimes relying on experienced judgement, rather than guides, to fill in gaps, identify sources of information, and make working assumptions. Prepares reconciliations of the general ledger to subsidiary accounts, accruals, adjusting journal entries, accounting reports and special reports. Reconciles accounting systems output with input for accuracy. Maintains control of receipts and disbursements. Maintains control of funds obligated and funds expended. Ensures the timely preparation of all reports for the Department of Treasury, Agency Head Quarters, and Local Management as per agency directives. Analyzes general ledger accounts to ensure accurate reports. Analyzes documents for accuracy and authorization. Documents financial transactions to assure a proper audit trail in accordance to guidelines. Assigns transactions that will have the proper accounting effect. Reviews pending items and ensures that follow-up action is taken on all items pending for excessive periods of time. Work as the station's liaison between vendors and Fiscal Service to resolve and answer questions concerning obligations, payables, and payment inquiries on all types of purchase orders. The request for assistance comes by way of both personal and telephone contacts and letters. Assists the Chief of Accounting and Accountants in preparation of various reports and audits by making various calculations, gathering costs from various sources, and insuring mathematical accuracy of these reports. PERFORMS OTHER RELATED DUTIES AS ASSIGNED. Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 8am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Accounting Technician/PD19033A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): 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 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. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary with some carrying of computer reports, boxes, and ledgers. 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 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 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, 05/29/2026. 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 GS7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS6.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 for the GS-07 based on your experience as 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: examining, maintaining, and reconciling financial accounts and accounting records; classifying and verifying account transactions for accuracy and completeness; researching and resolving discrepancies through account adjustments; maintaining and reconciling general subsidiary ledgers; monitoring and controlling funds; preparing accounting reports and documentation to secure accurate financial operations and reporting. Physical Requirement: The work is primarily sedentary with some carrying of computer reports, boxes, and ledgers. Work Environment: The work is performed in an office setting. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care. 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