Summary This position functions as a Civilian Pay Technician in the Fiscal Program of the Bronx VA Medical Center. At the entry level (GS-5), this position will determine pay and maintain payroll records for civilian employees. At the senior level (GS-7) this position is responsible for determinations of pay, maintenance of payroll records, the completion of payroll reports and the establishment, maintenance, review, and disposition of time and leave records and a variety of pay and leave systems. Responsibilities The incumbent performs work in direct support of an administrative area such as human resources, budget, procurement, purchasing, management analysis, or operating program analysis. Provides clerical, assistant, or technician level support from within an Administrative Office or from within a functional component such as the Human Resources Office, the Budget Office, the Purchasing Office, or a comparable setting. Performs clerical, assistant, or technician level work in support of a budget, accounting, auditing, payroll, fiscal, and/or financial management function. Performs budget administration support, financial systems support, payroll, cash processing, voucher examination, or accounting technician work. Performs work related to determining pay, maintaining payroll records, and completing related reports pertaining to civilian employees of the Federal Government. The incumbent operates under an automated payroll system in which data is coded and verified by the incumbent and submitted to the agency payroll processing center. As Senior Payroll Technician, processes a variety of complex pay cases within the full range of payroll functions. Provides training and technical guidance to other Payroll Technicians in all phases of payroll and acts as a reference point for the most complex payroll cases and questions. Reviews personnel documents relating to proposed personnel appointment, change, or separation actions which affect the pay of employees. Applies pay and leave laws, rules, regulations, and agency policy regarding entitlements to overtime differentials, hazardous duty, holiday and special rates, premium pay, allowances, etc., which at times involve conflicting requirements. Determines the completeness, accuracy, internal consistency and propriety of the pay action and ensures they are made in accordance with compensation and related pay scales, rules, regulations, and instructions. With proper documentation, processes and withholds special pay entitlements, such as final salary payments to beneficiaries of deceased employees or salary withholdings for alimony, child support, and bankruptcy. Makes complex pay adjustments which may involve transfers between pay systems differing in pay, leave, and benefit entitlements and which may be retroactive over an extended period of time. Handles written and oral inquiries from employees and supervisors concerning pay and leave issues. Computes and prepares out-of-system payments. Maintains payroll records on all employees. Prepares assigned payroll­ related reports and assures that submission is on a timely basis. May be responsible for the training of unit timekeepers and conducts periodic timekeeper audits to assure conformity with regulations. Responds to written and oral inquiries from employees, supervisors, payroll office of other agencies, timekeepers, HR offices, State Unemployment Office, financial institutions, mortgage companies, Treasure Department, IRS, and employee union representatives. Processes tax levies and collections of other debts due the U.S. Government. Audits time and attendance cards after payment and leave is released to the processing center. Performs other duties as assigned, normally of a related nature. 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. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Civilian Pay Technician/PD55902A 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 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, 11/15/2024. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-5 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: Failure to provide an SF-50 that demonstrates one-year time-in-grade will result in disqualification from being considered. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Minimum Qualification Requirements GS-05: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: answering requests and providing advice on rules, regulations, and procedures related to pay; answering questions on leave regulations, procedures and balances. NOTE: Such experience MUST be well represented in resume. Failure to do so will result in a Non-Qualification Determination. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed (4) years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial or technical. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application and must include degree and date degree was awarded/conferred to be creditable. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have equivalent combinations of successfully completed post high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e. beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. Minimum Qualification Requirements 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: performing control point activity duties such as receiving and controlling the routing of input and output documents processed under the PAID system, and initiates actions to obtain corrected input for rejected data. Organizes the tasks in Payroll and Paid control point activities to meet all schedules set by the Data Processing Center, Treasury Department, other government agencies, and central and local management, and the accounting section. Responsible for the accurate and timely preparation and submission of all payroll reports required by VA, other Federal agencies, state agencies, and financial institutions. Provides facility management with accurate salary information as required. NOTE: Such experience MUST be well represented in resume. Failure to do so will result in a Non-Qualification Determination. Minimum Qualification Requirements 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: determining pay, maintaining payroll records and completing payroll related reports related to Federal civilian employees; processing complex payroll cases within all payroll functions; provide training and technical guidance to other payroll technicians; experience applying pay and leave laws, rules, regulations and agency policy as its related to overtime differentials, hazardous duty pay, holiday and special rates, etc. Experience making complex pay adjustments. NOTE: Such experience MUST be well represented in resume. Failure to do so will result in a Non-Qualification Determination. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Auditing Computer Skills Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Operating Systems Organizational Stewardship 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 performed sedentary work, however there may be some walking, standing, bending, or carrying of light items. 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 A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. There is no educational substitution at the GS-6 and GS-7 grade levels. 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information 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.